At our home in Northern California, we live on five acres with a lot of trees and vegetation. Every winter, there is a need to burn branches, leaves, etc. A few weeks ago, a perfect day came up where the ground was damp and a burn was permitted. This got me to think about how important it is to be “thermostatic” with an inner fire that causes others to be transformed. 

God has called and empowered us to be thermostats, not thermometers. Thermostatic leaders think, act, and talk higher than the environments they are in. If we’re only a thermometer, we will  only reflect what’s going on around us in our level of enthusiasm, the words we use, and our thinking. But if we are a thermostat, we won’t get our beliefs out of what we see and feel. Instead, we’ll get our beliefs out of what the Lord is saying and will attach faith to what we’re doing. We’ll think, act, and talk higher!

Years ago, I felt God say to me, “Steve, I want you to consistently act more enthusiastic than you feel.” Enthusiasm is a muscle you develop, and great leaders prioritize strengthening it.

I have learned much from being a part of sports teams that has greatly affected my life and leadership. Successful sports participants do the following:

• Understand, accept, and become more skilled in their role
• Develop endurance and resilience
• Implement a specific plan for the “game” they are in
• Understand their opponents tendencies (strengths, weaknesses)
• Ignite enthusiasm and passion before the game - this is what this blog is all about!

My burn pile represents keeping the fire of enthusiasm and passion going within our lives (breaking off passivity and just doing things out of duty and obligation). It reminded me that any time I attach faith to a responsibility, commitment, or assignment, I get energy, cheerfulness, and power.

Let’s talk more about having a fire. When we start a fire, we need an accelerant to get the fire going. The Holy Spirit is an accelerant, as is the Bible, worship, powerful teaching, and more. Once you get a fire started, we keep putting the things on it that burn easily so it continues. 

To keep the fire hot, we are to avoid the “wet wood” of:

• The news media - we are not designed to hear a constant flow of bad news, division, and problems
• Old Covenant connection to God
• Believing lies

Here are five things to add to the fire to keep it burning (there are more but here are some):

1. The 17 most important chapters of the Bible - As we get these 17 chapters in us, we will have the fire of right relationship with God, New Covenant realities and grace (the empowerment to do God’s will). Those chapters are - Galatians 1-6, Ephesians 1-3, Colossians 1-2, Romans 4-8, Hebrews 4.
2. “Eagle” relationships - It is good to “hang out” with people who have more fire than us! This can be a personal relationship, through books, conferences, mentorships, etc. If we hang out with eagles, we will become an eagle. If we hang out with turkeys, we will…
3. Inspiring media - This causes us to keep the fire going and makes it more difficult to go into low places
4. Celebrating successes - Most mornings I will write down the areas I see myself doing well. As I celebrate progress and not perfection, my fire increases.
5. Imagination - My wife, Wendy, calls our imagination the “womb of faith”. Our imaginations are not made to be the devil’s playground! Instead, we can use our imaginations to see what God has promised and dream about what He has for us.

Lessons from my burn pile - there are times where we are tired and have difficult life circumstances, but we can’t have a passive lifestyle when we were meant to burn!