Losing Your Drive

Judges 1:31

Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob:

There are several different types of people who, if all did what they were supposed to do, we could reach this world for Christ. The first type of person is the one who has no drive. This person is not always a bad person, but it does not matter what type of motivation tip you use; you will never get them to have a drive. This type of person is apathetic and hurts anything they are involved with, especially the cause of Christ.

The second type of person gets a drive, but burns out and never gets it back again. This type of person comes in with a bang, but goes out with a fizzle. This is the type of person who gets quickly excited, but they don't have the character to keep the drive going. This type of person seems to have so much promise, but they revert back to losing their drive once the initial excitement is gone. Oh, this person promises the world but delivers nothing.

The third type of person gets a drive, loses it, and gets it back, only to lose it again. Their pattern is on and off. This type of person is very frustrating to work with because they are so undependable. Each time they get involved again, you have the hope that it will stick, but you soon find out that they revert to their pattern of losing their drive.

The fourth type of person is the one who has a drive as long as they are pushed. In other words, they need outside motivators to push their drive. This person is undoubtedly a help to the work of the Lord, but they could be a much greater help if they kept that drive all the time.

The fifth type of person chooses to drive themselves no matter what is happening. This person is driven by character and not by emotion. This person will do much for God because they drive themselves by character. They don't need some outlier motivation to drive them; they drive themselves whether or not they feel like it or despite the circumstances they face. This person is the one who makes the church go because you can depend on them to push themselves no matter what is going on in their lives.

This last person is what we need in Christianity. The Israelites lost their drive and missed so much that God had for them. You must realize that keeping your drive alive is critical to seeing all that God wants to do through your life and ministry. This last person is the one who becomes the great leader who tries to motivate and stir the other four types of people.

My friend, keeping your drive alive is a choice to do right no matter what outlier circumstances dictate. The key to being this fifth type of person is reading God’s Word daily, spending time in prayer every day, getting involved in a ministry so that people depend on you, getting among the lost so that your compassion for their needs drives you, and not adding things in your life that will distract you. The easiest way to keep from losing your drive is found in Psalm 37:4: Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Put your focus on God and delight in Him, and He will change your desires to the point that keeping your drive alive is natural because God’s desires become yours.