How Is It Most Important
But no one said it better than Jesus Himself: Whoever believes in HIM will have eternal life! To come to truly believe in Him is to be born again, to move from merely physical life to spiritual life! This is crucial to understand: One does not add spiritual life to physical life rather its a trade.
You must trade in your earthly nature or physical life for the spiritual life offered by God through Christ. Its not an update or an upgrade to life 1.0 its a whole new way of life lived in the Spirit of God.
Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me .
Spiritual life is made possible only through faith in Jesus Christ and it changes everything. What sustains this spiritual life is Christ Himself. We must learn to rely on Him for everything. He calls Himself the Bread of Life.
In the Lords Prayer, we are taught to ask Him for our daily bread or sustenance. This is indeed a mystery, and yet the Bible gives us everything we need to understand it and to live it out.
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness .
To possess spiritual life, believe in Jesus! The answer is in Him alone.
A Spiritual Warfare Prayer
Strengthen my faith, Lord. Forgive my sins, so that I may be clean in your righteousness. Make me brave, so I can stand and fight the spiritual battles in my life and in our world. Give me your wisdom and discernment so I won’t be caught off guard. Together, Lord, we’ll win, because in truth, you already have. While evil still roams, the power of Your name and Your blood rises up to defeat and bring us victory against every evil planned against us. While malicious actions may disturb us, we use the armor of God You have given us to stand firm. You will bring justice in due time for all the harm and needless violence aimed at Your children. Until then, we remain in Your presence, aligned with Your purposes, and we look to You as our Supreme Commander and Protector. Help us to avoid temptation, and deliver us from evil, Lord. You are the Mighty One, the One Who will ultimately bring all evil to light. With You, Jesus, we are safe. Amen.
Read additional Bible verses about Spiritual Warfare in this collection of scripture quotes! May you be strong in the soulful fight for good!
What Is The Difference Between Spiritual Gifts And Natural Talents
Natural talents are physical abilities to do special things. Some natural talents might be musical ability, carpentry, mechanical aptitude, and artistic skills. Spiritual gifts are spiritual abilities to do certain things. Natural talents are often the vehicle through which spiritual gifts can be used. For example, a Christian vocalist may have the spiritual gift of evangelism being expressed through the vehicle of musical talent.
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Fourth Make Movement An Act Of Worship
Go on a prayer walk. Add in joyful movement, not because you have to, or because you feel forced to start a new workout routine, or because you need punishment for eating food you feel guilty about, but as another act of gratitude for the body you have.
Plenty of physical benefits come from movement, but my favorite side effect is an increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Through BDNF, you can impact the growth of new pathways in the brain, repair aging cells, and protect healthy cells. When you have higher levels of BDNF in your brain, you can think more clearly, and you are even less likely to become depressed. Its another example of the beautiful way God created our physical bodies to impact our mental and spiritual health.
Powerful Verses On The Gifts Of The Holy Spirit
1) Joel 2:28-30
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.
2) Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
3) Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Note: the word power in the Greek here is the same word from which we get dynamic, dynamo, and dynamite. The Holy Spirits power is something big and explosive.
4) Romans 12: 3-8
5) 1 Peter 4:10-11
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of Gods varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God suppliesin order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
What is Peter saying here? Why are you given gifts? It is not to increase you but to serve others, bless Gods church, and bring God glory.
6) 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
7) Ephesians 4:11-16
8) 2 Timothy 1:6-7
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What Fasting Is Not
Spiritual fasting is not a way to earn God’s favor by getting him to do something for us. Rather, the purpose is to produce a transformation in usa clearer, more focused attention and dependence upon God.
Fasting is never to be a public display of spiritualityit is between you and God alone. In fact, Jesus specifically instructed us to let our fasting be done privately and in humility, else we forfeit the benefits. And while Old Testament fasting was a sign of mourning, New Testament believers were taught to practice fasting with a cheerful attitude:
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Lastly, it should be understood that spiritual fasting is never for the purpose of punishing or harming the body.
God Is Connecting With Us As Spiritual Beings
The Bible often speaks of the natural and the spirit. The natural being what we experience in everyday life: eating, drinking, doing our work, doing life, etc. However, I often tell people we are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are in fact spirit beings having a human experience. We are body, soul and spirit. God is not a man. He is a living spirit. It’s through the spirit of a woman or man that we communicate with God. Once our spirit is made alive again through the born-again experience we can now know, see and experience the things of the spirit.
I say all this because I believe God is once again revisiting His people, those who worship Him in spirit and in truth. We see this idea of God visiting His people from the Bible in Genesis 50:24: “And Joseph said to his brethren, ‘I am dying but God will surely visit you and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.'”
I am not talking about God literally visiting us, although He has done this in the past. He sent Jesus to us who was and is the human form of God. God in the flesh. The second person of the Trinity. In fact, Jesus said if you have seen me you have seen the Father. Jesus was fully human and fully God. He came to earth and visited us with the message of salvation by Christ alone. That the way to heaven was by Him alone. That He was and is the one true living God.
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Bible Verses About Spiritual Growth
As soon as we put our trust in the blood of Christ on our behalf the spiritual growth process begins. The Holy Spirit begins to work in us and transform us. We become less like the world and more like Christ. The Spirit helps us to overcome sin and deny the flesh.
Spiritual growth glorifies God in many ways. Here are a couple. First, it glorifies God because we see how God is working in us.
Hes making beautiful diamonds out of us. Second, it glories God because as we grow and the love of God works in us we want to glorify God more. We want to honor Him with our life.
Spiritual growth is centered around Christ. You must trust in Christ, focus on Christ, pray that God conforms you into the image of Christ, and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to yourself daily.
- If it doesnt challenge you, it doesnt change you.
- God didnt bring you this far to leave you.
- Pray hardest when its hardest to pray.
- Becoming like Christ is a long, slow process of growth.
- The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. A. W. Tozer
I am tired of people judging peoples spirituality by knowledge.
2. Matthew 23:25 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
Bonus
Practice The Disciplines Of The Soul
As you seek better physical and mental health, dont deny the deepest need of your soul: a healthy spiritual life.
There are spiritual disciplines which will help transform your spiritual life by replacing old destructive habits with new character-building, life-giving ones. If our purpose is to be transformed into the likeness of Christ in this life , then these disciplines are vital to spiritual growth and victory. Jesus practiced them and gave us personal examples. Through them he defeated the Enemy.
Today, we face the same Enemy, and the disciplines Jesus used to defeat Satan are still our weapons in spiritual warfare and our tools to live victoriously.
An accomplished ice skater has freedom on the ice because she is disciplined. Being on the ice without the discipline of training only creates chaos and fear for the skater. The key to the accomplished skaters grace and confidence comes through hours of self-imposed discipline. She defeats her enemiesfear, lack of confidence, and lack of controlwith discipline.
As Christians, we can also have grace, strength, and beauty through embracing the spiritual disciplines. Without them spiritual life is often chaotic, even confusing.
The disciplines Jesus practiced and taught us are the vertical disciplines of meditation, solitude, and fasting and the horizontal ones of Bible study, accountability, and confession.
It is my prayer that this study will be transforming for you as you follow Jesus.
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Bible Verses About Spirituality
Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.Do not be amazed that I said to you, You must be born again.read more.The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.
So Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.read more.He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.This is the bread which came down out of heaven not as the fathers ate and died he who eats this bread will live forever.
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
When You said, Seek My face, my heart said to You,Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.
Finally Ask The Holy Spirit To Lead You To Healthy Habits That Will Strengthen Your Body And Make You Fit To Serve His Kingdom However That Looks For You As A Unique Individual
Ask him to show you where you are making your health into an idol or maybe where you need to make it more of a priority. Ask him to lead you to people, resources, and information that will guide you along on your journey in the new year.
My prayer for you is the same as Pauls for the Thessalonian church two millennia ago: May God Himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, put you togetherspirit, soul, and bodyand keep you fit for the coming of our master, Jesus Christ .
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First Consider This Perspective
Your big brain likes information. It wants to grow and do a better and better job of protecting you and getting your needs met. You have nourished this brain in just the last few minutes by your attention to this essay. The simple acquisition of new information and determination to apply it has started you already on the path to health. You now are in possession of psychological principlesof a way of thinking about mental healththat is consistent with objective, biblically sound truth. Never again do you need to be confused about what is generating emotional distress it is distorted thinking.
Reflect On Scripture That Is Important To You
List the Bible verses God uses to give your life focus, purpose, and direction. These are the verses that tell you who you are, what is important, and what you are called to do. They are probably the verses you turn to when you are confused, lost, or losing hope. They anchor your life.
- Note the reference or write out the verse or verses completely, whichever is most helpful for you.
- Paraphrase or summarize what each verse says to you.
- Explain why each verse or passage is important to you.
- Look for common themes.
- Reflect on how these verses generally function in your life .
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Popular Perspective On The Chakras
As far as I know, the word chakra is nowhere to be found in the Bible. This probably explains why some people think its not something to be messed with because it comes from a religion other than Christianity.
The term itself now usually falls under what we call New Age beliefs, which focus on healing and personal transformation.
Followers of this movement also study mystical knowledge and tend to have beliefs that are outside the norm. This is probably why the study of chakras often feels otherworldly for some people.
Chakras seem to be shrouded in mystery because they remain unseen to this very day. And the scientific community can be very stringent when it comes to things without proof.
Thats why any study on the chakras has always been limited to metaphysical research.
These reasons alone are enough for other individuals to slam their doors on understanding what makes chakras so special.
Plus, it doesnt help that there are no direct references to the chakra in any version of the Bible. So they probably have a good basis for not using them to elevate their spirituality.
Identify Your Purpose Based On Scripture
Your biblical purpose isnt a lengthy to do list of duties. It is an expression of why God created you. Draw on your reflections on Scripture and your answers to the questions from step 2 and write a statement that expresses your biblical purpose.
Tips for articulating your biblical purpose:
Examples of biblical purpose statements
- I live to bring glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through consistent worship, by my praise and in my life to cultivate a life of intimacy with God and to equip women and men for ministry through the power of the Holy Spirit.
- The purpose of my life is to know God and hear his voice so I can live a life of servanthood and obedience then I will be a God-defined person and a non-anxious presence in every situation.
- I exist to live in authentic intimacy with Jesus and let him shape my life in such a way that believers are encouraged and unbelievers are motivated to join me in the journey of discipleship.
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