Proverbs 4:23 – Above all else, guard your heart (the center of your soul), for out of it comes the issues of life.
How is your spirit this morning? That is the kind of question Saints use to ask each other on a regular basis during Sunday School or Bible Study. The purpose of this question was posed not to pry into each other’s life. Rather, those early Saints knew that the world, the flesh and of Satan’s working overtime in wearing our spirits down. They knew, as we know, about days, weeks, months and even years of spiritual emptiness and dryness, when the words of Scripture are empty, prayer is meaningless, receiving communion is ritualistic, our sensitivity to the needs of others is dull, and God seems very disinterested in our lives.
Outwardly, we continue to go through the motions, doing our duties, keeping up appearances, telling everyone that everything is “Fine, just fine,” but inwardly there is a deep thirst, a powerful craving for something more. We would like to think we could work/figure our way out of it, but we really don’t know how. We are stuck. Our greatest fear is that this is as good as it gets, and we just have to live with it. Like David, we lament, My life is spent with sorrow and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery (Psalm 31:10).
Some may say that we should not depend too much on feelings, and that Christians live by faith, and emotions must be carefully guarded. Maybe you have heard about the fellow who visited a church for the first time. While the preacher prayed, he repeatedly said, “Amen.” When the choir sang, he offered a resounding “Hallelujah!” When the preacher was preaching, he shouted an occasional, “Praise the Lord!” Finally, one of the ushers went to him and said he needed to be quiet. The man responded, “But I got religion!” to which the usher responded, “That may be true, but you did not get it here.”
People are going to experience and express their faith with a variety of emotions. That is why we have various types of congregations and worship opportunities in the Body of Christ. There is no one final, correct, mature way to worship and honor God. We are constantly learning how to do that in a more meaningful, fulfilling way. However, the question is not how emotional we find our worship, but, How is it with your spirit this day? That is the key question whenever we gather.
We must give attention to the signals that our spiritual lives are in trouble. Proverbs 4:23 – Above all else, guard your heart (the center of your soul), for out of it comes the issues of life. The spiritual health of each one of us as individuals and all of us as a saints for Christ depends on listening and responding regularly to the signals that our souls are not well.
God will protect your spirit and defend you. If God is for you what man can stand against you? God is like an eagle protecting its young. He shows the same kind of care that we discern in an eagle, flying high with its young as they test their wings for the first time. The eagle will swoop down below its young when they grow tired, thus providing a midair landing pad for them, a place of security and rest where they can renew their strength. God’s love is like that, like a wind beneath your wings. Through his word we can find rest for the weary and healing of the spirit. Come rest your spirit on the wings of God. Leave your worries and troubles with him.
Maybe in all the hustle and bustle of your life, you need a moment to catch your breath, to be renewed and refreshed by God’s Spirit. Maybe you need to do some repenting of a lifestyle that is robbing you of the joy of God’s presence. Maybe you don’t know what the problem is, but you know something has to change. How is your spirit this morning? Maybe it is time that you truly Let Go and Let God!
Amen
Adapted By: Elder Michael L. Hargett
Original By: 2004 Dr. Michael T. PowersHow is your spirit this morning? That is the kind of question Saints use to ask each other on a regular basis during Sunday School or Bible Study. The purpose of this question was posed not to pry into each other’s life. Rather, those early Saints knew that the world, the flesh and of Satan’s working overtime in wearing our spirits down. They knew, as we know, about days, weeks, months and even years of spiritual emptiness and dryness, when the words of Scripture are empty, prayer is meaningless, receiving communion is ritualistic, our sensitivity to the needs of others is dull, and God seems very disinterested in our lives.
Outwardly, we continue to go through the motions, doing our duties, keeping up appearances, telling everyone that everything is “Fine, just fine,” but inwardly there is a deep thirst, a powerful craving for something more. We would like to think we could work/figure our way out of it, but we really don’t know how. We are stuck. Our greatest fear is that this is as good as it gets, and we just have to live with it. Like David, we lament, My life is spent with sorrow and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery (Psalm 31:10).
Some may say that we should not depend too much on feelings, and that Christians live by faith, and emotions must be carefully guarded. Maybe you have heard about the fellow who visited a church for the first time. While the preacher prayed, he repeatedly said, “Amen.” When the choir sang, he offered a resounding “Hallelujah!” When the preacher was preaching, he shouted an occasional, “Praise the Lord!” Finally, one of the ushers went to him and said he needed to be quiet. The man responded, “But I got religion!” to which the usher responded, “That may be true, but you did not get it here.”
People are going to experience and express their faith with a variety of emotions. That is why we have various types of congregations and worship opportunities in the Body of Christ. There is no one final, correct, mature way to worship and honor God. We are constantly learning how to do that in a more meaningful, fulfilling way. However, the question is not how emotional we find our worship, but, How is it with your spirit this day? That is the key question whenever we gather.
We must give attention to the signals that our spiritual lives are in trouble. Proverbs 4:23 – Above all else, guard your heart (the center of your soul), for out of it comes the issues of life. The spiritual health of each one of us as individuals and all of us as a saints for Christ depends on listening and responding regularly to the signals that our souls are not well.
God will protect your spirit and defend you. If God is for you what man can stand against you? God is like an eagle protecting its young. He shows the same kind of care that we discern in an eagle, flying high with its young as they test their wings for the first time. The eagle will swoop down below its young when they grow tired, thus providing a midair landing pad for them, a place of security and rest where they can renew their strength. God’s love is like that, like a wind beneath your wings. Through his word we can find rest for the weary and healing of the spirit. Come rest your spirit on the wings of God. Leave your worries and troubles with him.
Maybe in all the hustle and bustle of your life, you need a moment to catch your breath, to be renewed and refreshed by God’s Spirit. Maybe you need to do some repenting of a lifestyle that is robbing you of the joy of God’s presence. Maybe you don’t know what the problem is, but you know something has to change. How is your spirit this morning? Maybe it is time that you truly Let Go and Let God!
Amen
Adapted By: Elder Michael L. Hargett
Copyright Nvember 2007 © MinTec, Inc.
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