WAYS WE CAN GET THE SPIRITUAL RIGHT

Going Deeper with God: Lesson 8

A couple of helps are in order. Look at these carefully. Which one is true of you right now? Image 1 or Image 2? You can’t have it both ways. It’s one or the other.

As Christians, we are born of the Spirit i.e. born again. But on a minute to minute basis we are making choices as to how we will live: in the fleshly side of things or in the spiritual side of things.

Which door are you opening: to the Spirit ←OR→ Flesh? Here is an example that will serve a purpose.

Notice the three compartments: Spirit, Soul, Flesh. A person of faith, who is redeemed (regenerate) will still have minute by minute choices. We may choose to serve our flesh, or we may choose to serve things of the Spirit. We, as Christians, are either opening the door to the Spirit or we are opening the door to the Flesh. The two cannot be both open at the same time.

It is helpful to look at yourself as you go through your days and take stock of where you’re at. Are you opening the door to the spirit or are you opening the door to the flesh? It is fairly easy to evaluate this by noticing your thoughts and actions. If you fail to have alone time with God, it is almost impossible to live with the door open to things of the spirit. That’s why we need reflective, prayerful time with God.

FLESH: self-centered, selfish, mean, controlling, lies, bitter, explosive anger, unkind, unforgiving, prideful, arrogant . . .

SPIRIT: loving, kind, patient, joy, peace, faithful, long-suffering, good, affirming, generous, helpful

Here is a pattern for learning to love God’s way. Love conquers because  love is what God is. All He does comes from out of that love. If we want real and lasting change, once we identify those areas of weakness (our flesh patterns), then we can bring them to God and continually surrender them and our hearts to God. God infuses Himself into our lives when we allow ourselves to openly and honestly do business with Him.

In Real Life (there’s no pretending)

ASK:  Ask God to reveal Himself to you. Ask Him to help you become a new person, to help you change within your heart. Ask Him to help heal, repair, and renew your inner person however He wants to do that. You will do your part by getting alone with God and doing the hard work of listening and then responding.

When we shut the door on something He asks of us, then God becomes less active with us. Just like a counselor can only do so much if the counselee won’t do the hard work, God only works with what He is given. God is a gentleman, I’m serious about this.

SEEK: Seek God with an eagerness. Look for Him. Look in His Word. Seek His truth. Seek, don’t hide. Read, pray, and think about God. Fine tune your spiritual radar for things of God. Let go of all preconceived notions (other than Scriptural). Anticipate a few surprises on the journey.

FIND: Find what God gives you. Embrace His truth. Embrace Him. Find His newness. Let Him clean you up inside. Just let that ugly stuff go. Don’t hold onto it, because it is only hurting you. Find freedom. Find God. Find love. God responds to hearts that seek to find.

⇒LINK to NEXT POST in GOING DEEPER SERIES (9)

Going Deeper with God: Lesson 7

It is refreshing to know that God can and wills to be close to us, and we to Him, when we seek God in the familial bond of a kindred relationship. Through an honest God-revealing heart and soul evaluation, we are able to see our heart. We will discover if it beats for God and sings His tune.

To begin this spiritual awakening and closer walk with God, if we are gut-honest serious about this, then we will turn ourselves in a new direction. We will pivot in place as we regroup, reorient ourselves, and begin to seek more of God, His love, forgiveness, compassion, and life.

It is then that we come to the door. It is a door that only we can open. The Someone has been waiting for us on the other side of the door, waiting for us to be ready to enter His living, spiritual journey. It is decision time. God waits for us. He does not pressure us or cause us to panic. He does not forcefully convince or manipulate. He waits, and waits for however long it takes. And He draws us, seeks us, and doesn’t give up on us.

We soon know it is true; there is only one way to get through the doorway. Only we can open the door and take our first step into the light, which will set us on the path to our freedom. Should we open the door, the door of seeking God to find Him as our new reality, it is then that we know we are ready. It is something we know as we do it, not before we do it.

Our Creator waits for us to come to Him with our personal desires, with our passions, with our deep-felt belief in His goodness. He has open arms that long to embrace us with His loving grace, to bathe us in His comfort, and to encourage us with His truth. Then, as the door swings open and we step forward into the Father, Son, and Spirit’s plan for us, His life floods into ours. We know there is a spiritual need being met deep within our soul. It takes great sincerity to look into the mirror as we see the truth revealed concerning our own soul.

Life becomes new in a strangely beneficial way. We begin to increase by God’s strength entering into our human strength. The process has the feeling of a domino effect—Christ’s life in us, God’s life in Christ and in us, the renewing and restoring ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 14)—and thus begins the transforming of our souls with the hope and truth found through the ministrations of our Creator, Savior, and Healer. It is then that we realize all our previous acts of obedience and acts of self righteousness are unimportant and small next to the beauty and reality of God’s loving intention for us.

Next Post: Ways We Can Get It Right (Going Deeper Part 8)