“Do you have fire in your belly?” was a question I often heard from coaches. It was never intended as a question, but as a challenge to play harder. Coaches want to know if an athlete has the passion and determination to play with a competitive edge. As an athlete, I never had others’ natural ability, but I did have the fire in my belly—a hustle, grit, and tenacity to get the job done—whatever coach asked of me.

Sometimes I wonder if I have the fire in my heart when it comes to my spiritual life. Jeremiah said he had a fire burning so strong for God that he couldn’t contain it. He was worn out trying to hold it in. Spiritual hustle, grit, and tenacity need to burn within us so strongly that we can’t hold them back. Can you imagine confessing to a teammate, “I just can’t keep it from you any longer. It has to come out! It’s burning so strongly inside of me that I have no option but to share Jesus with you.” That would be incredible!

Passion for our Lord should be like a fire raging within. The great preacher John Wesley said that large crowds came to hear him preach during the Great Awakening because, “I set myself on fire, and the people come see me burn.”