Whitefield Broke His Health in His Search for God

Newspapers referred to George Whitefield as the "age's miracle." The most well-known religious person of the eighteenth century was certainly him. With only his oratory, Whitefield was a preacher who could inspire people across two continents. He delivered sermons at least 18,000 times over his lifetime to an estimated 10 million listeners. But the price he suffered in solitude for his relentless pursuit of God led to the outward expressions of his ministry.

In his pursuit of God, Whitefield once fasted to the point that he damaged his health and was forced to spend seven weeks in bed as a result. Whitefield used to get up early in the morning to pray and mentally be ready for the day. He was a guy who made the decision to give everything he had for the message of Jesus Christ. He sometimes spent 40 to 50 hours preaching in the pulpit in a single week. His life was one of practically daily preaching beginning with his first outdoor sermon on February 17, 1739, when he was 24 years old, and ending with his death. George Whitefield preached even until the day before his death. Indeed he gave his all and poured out all that was in him until his last breath.

His main motivation in life should be to live in a way that honors and exalts Christ. For God, he was on fire, and keep blazing for the sake of others. The world's darkness may be overpowered and mankind can be attracted to Christ by the raging fire of the Holy Spirit. Lukewarm Christianity will not do; in order to change the world, he has a burning fervor and enthusiasm for God's things. Moderate Christianity will produce moderate results, but extreme Christianity will produce extreme results.