PASSION CAN BE PERVERTED OR DISTORTED (MISDIRECTED ZEAL)
“I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is a misdirected zeal.” — Rom 10:2 (NLT)
Sometimes, passion can be distorted or perverted; as such, we say it has been misdirected. This is what the devil does to make people work against what they should be working for or go about their God-given assignment the wrong way. We have abundant examples of such in the scripture.
First, let’s consider Apostle Paul:
God ordained him before he was conceived to preach the gospel of Christ. He was zealous about the things of God, but because he had not come to the knowledge of the truth, he was persecuting the church that he was destined to promote. When he encountered the Truth, he channelled the zeal to the right place and in the right way (Gal 1:13–16). That was a perverted zeal.
Let us consider Moses:
Moses’ destiny was clear to him. He was zealous about delivering the people of Israel. He knew God would through him deliver them (Act 7:25). But because he did not have the right knowledge, he was going about it the wrong way. He thought he could do that by killing the Egyptians. He had zeal without knowledge (Exo 2:11–14). That was a distorted passion.
Today, we see people with misdirected zeal. This is because they have not encountered the truth they ought to know.
We are not safe in following our passion until we have encountered the truth. The truth will give the right direction to our zeal. Don’t be zealous without knowledge. It is a dangerous path to trail.
Reflection
1. Have been overridden by zeal without knowledge?
2. What must I do to avoid misdirecting my zeal?
Prayer Charge
Heavenly Father, thank You for this revelation. I ask of you: grant me wisdom to channel my zeal appropriately. May I not misdirect my zeal. May your ways be clear to me. Thank you for the answer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
