Going Deeper with God, Lesson 2

THE “SPIRITUAL” AREAS OF WEAKNESS:

Be honest with yourself, does God make a difference in how you (not others) live your life? Notice, I didn’t say belief about God. Is our love for God so strong that it transcends our own wants and ambitions? True love must have an object. Is God the object of yours and my love? Is our love pure, or does it have elements of manipulation present?

Set aside a moment and take your own spiritual inventory. Let’s ask ourselves, in what way does my love for God outwork in my life? Notice the actions and good works that we articulate as proof of our love for God, which is true of us if our love is duty-joined as part of a spiritual prototype for successful Christian living.

On the other hand, notice if the actions we articulate to prove our fidelity in our love for God, notice whether they are genuine and life-giving in their internal essence (not as proof of our love but, rather, because of our love) in which our love is love-joined to the Godhead.

Question 2: Name biblical characters who displayed this type of love through a passion for God?

Question 3: What characteristics in their lives demonstrate to us that their love was real?

*Answer the questions before continuing on.

Here is a thought to ponder. Do we try to grow our spiritual life (and our church) to become what we want it to be? —or do we grow our spiritual life (and our church) to become what GOD wants it to be? As Christian individuals, we must look closely at our own motives, why we do what we do, and at our own “inner keep” to see what we’re housing deep inside its protective walls and within the spiritual chambers of our heart.

This takes some sorting out, especially for those of us who were raised in the church and never ventured far from the faith of our childhoods. We tend to see through a narrow glass, convinced that what we believe is right and biblical and that everyone else should agree with us and our interpretations.

This form of constricted, truncated, belief system can actually hinder, harbor and hold hostage the freedom of the Holy Spirit to move inside God’s church, to change, transform, and renew its people. We don’t realize that we, in fact, have become in-grown rather than Christ-led.

Question 4: What limits us? What limits the church?

*Answer the question before going to the next post.

Next post: What’s Wrong with Our Faith? (Going Deeper with God, Part 3)

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