Revelation 3:15-16, New Living Translation

"I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!"

Whether it’s a cup of tea, bathwater, or dinner, lukewarm just won’t do. When any of those are lukewarm, they lose their appeal and they are just not as effective.

The same is true of lukewarm Christians. If we are honest, we will admit that at some time, we have been them. Afraid to go against the flow, concerned with political correctness more than we are with Biblical authority, worried that our friends won’t agree with our opinions, too tired to stand up for what’s right, and guilty of thinking that we can’t make a difference anyway.

I like soup when it is steaming hot and a soft drink when it is icy cold. I can’t stand either one lukewarm. Jesus has the same attitude toward people who profess to be His children. He detests lukewarmness. He said He wished they would be either cold or hot (Revelation 3:15).

The difference between being hot, cold or lukewarm is your commitment and devotion to God which affects the power and authority you walk in and how efficient and effective you are as a believer in Christ in your day-to-day life.

As a child of God, you have the authority and power in Christ to speak those things that are not as though they were and according to scripture to overcome all the power of the enemy. (Isaiah 55:11, Romans 4:17, Luke 10:19)

However, being hot, cold or lukewarm will affect this power and authority that you have in Christ.

Just because you are a child of God does not necessarily mean that you are completely devoted to God.

In other words, it is possible to be a believer in Christ and yet not be fully devoted to God by having one foot in the world and another in the Kingdom of God so to speak.

In this case you become lukewarm in your faith in God and not completely committed to God in all your ways.

When you are hot, on fire for God, God takes first place in your life, He is at the center of everything you do in your day-to-day life, and you are completely committed to God and obedient to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in every area of your life.

Remember the time when you gave your life to God and accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you were so passionate about God and all you wanted to do was to please God.

It is possible for a believer over time to move from hot to lukewarm or even cold if we begin to let other things take first place in our lives, taking the place that rightly belongs to God.

According to scripture, James 1:8, a person who is lukewarm and not fully committed to God is said to be double minded, unstable in all his or her ways, in other words their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in all they do.

It is impossible to be loyal to God and to the world and yet still expect to walk fully in the authority and power you have in Christ.

The truth of the matter is, you can’t expect to fully experience a life of freedom, a life of abundance you have in Christ while living your life as a lukewarm or even cold Christian.

Jesus says in Revelation 3:16 these words, “So, because you are lukewarm neither hot nor cold I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

This just goes to show how important, vital and crucial it is for every believer to be hot in your faith in God because your life will be affected.

God’s desire is for His children to walk in complete authority and power and to be hot on fire for Him.

So, my question to you is this, where are you in your walk with God, are you hot, on fire for God are you lukewarm, double minded in all your ways or are you cold?

God can and is able to help you with the help of the Holy Spirit to reignite the fire in you for God so that it you can walk in fullness of the authority and power you have in Christ.

It is never too late, God is able to help you become hot again, on fire for Him if you have lost that spark you once had, that fire that once consumed you for God, He is after all a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:29)

Nothing escapes Jesus' attention. He tells the Laodicean church in this verse that He knows its condition. He says it is neither cold nor hot, although He would prefer that it was one or the other. This condemnation of "lukewarm" faith carries dire consequences. In that era, room-temperature water was dangerous water. Cold water suggested a flowing spring or river, and hot water was something which had been cooked or cleaned. Anything in between was, naturally, suspicious and possibly worthless.

Another aspect of Jesus' desire that the church be "either hot or cold" relates to how we respond to the gospel. Those who are "hot" in spiritual matters are deeply involved and committed to faith. Those who are cold, however, are at least in a position where they can be deeply impacted by faith—they can be changed. Those who are "lukewarm" have just enough knowledge of Christ that they're not resistant but lack enough real faith to be fully engaged. That condition, in truth, is harder to change than to convert a fully cold non-believer!

God is very clear about the results of being lukewarm: “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth,” (Revelation 3:16, NLT). James describes being lukewarm or wishy washy like this: “…For he that wavered is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways,” (James 1:6-8, KJV). Whether we call it being lukewarm, wishy washy, or double minded, the Bible warns us of the results of being lukewarm.

Remember, we can’t help anybody if we are lukewarm. The Lord wants us either cold or hot! Let's pray for a fresh fire to burn in us all!