How To Live A Healthier Spiritual Lifestyle

Well we are coming up on another New Year, 2013.  If you are like me you have already discussed with someone what you are going to do or change starting on Jan 1^st.  For instance, I know I need to get back in good physical condition and live an overall healthier life style. I think we all desire to be in good physical shape. We also need to be in good spiritual shape as well. Think about it this way, just as we need daily food, water and exercise to sustain us physically, we need quiet time, prayer and God’s Word to sustain us spiritually.  This year I pray we will all stay connected to God and His Word on a daily basis.  

This past year I have experienced some of the most painful circumstances I have ever had to face. I had to really stay close to God in order to navigate through these difficult times with the right perspective. What I have learned is this, the only person I can change is myself and that is done largely by the Holy Spirit who continues to transform me from the inside out. Looking back, I am grateful for what God has allowed to happen this past year because in my own limited perspective, I may have continued to stay in the valley of despair in order to remain in my comfort zone. It is amazing how a comfort zone can be painful in its own right and exactly the wrong place to be. I now more than ever strive to live on the mountain top of Christ's victory where no matter what happens, I am persuaded that God can do the impossible, and where I believe He has the power to keep His promises. From that mountain top I can see things I may have never been able to see if I just remained in a place where my sight and perspective were limited. I now know that I need a Godly eternal perspective in order to live abundantly in a fallen world. The Good news is that with a Godly perspective I get to experience God's blessings. This happens because I am choosing to trust God and live set apart to Him as opposed to being sucked into living life based on my own wisdom and strength, which unfortunately is my natural tendency. 

This one Bible verse below has really helped me with my limited perspective issue. I have spent time picking it apart as it relates to my life. I hope by sharing what is in my heart based on this verse will help others when they face similar circumstances.

Romans 12:2 NIV  :

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

One of the greatest struggles I have is the temptation to focus on worldly matters while excluding God from my thoughts. I tend to center my thoughts around myself in comparison to the physical world around me. This makes it hard for me to see the “Big Picture”. When I see life through my own eyes and depend on my own wisdom apart from God, the struggles seem insurmountable. This overwhelming feeling then causes the breakdown of my God centered mentality, creating a victim centered reality, which affects my relationships with others and tends to draw me into isolation.  That is why it is vitally important for me to understand that being caught up in the pattern of this world leads to the breakdown of my Christ centered heart. Once I begin to digress back into my old patterns I am temporally trapped in a self made prison for a time until I realize, through the conviction and discernment from the Holy Spirit, that once again I have ventured back to that place where there is separation between God and myself. It is at this point I need to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. It’s time to read God’s Word, pray and listen to the promptings of

the Holy Spirit.

 When I am in relationship with God and filled with the Holy Spirit I experience joy regardless of my circumstances.  Knowing that God is close, understanding that God keeps His promises,  strengthens my faith in Jesus and helps me stand firm in the face of trials. I once again fully believe God has the power to do what He says He is going to do. Believing this, helps to ward off  bombarding thoughts of doubting my usefulness to God, and doubts of my salvation. To get to this place of assurance and relationship, again, I need to have some quiet time praying, reading and meditating on God’s Word.

One of the great things about communicating with God is that he cares about my thoughts, feelings and concerns. I also need to pay attention  to what God is trying to communicate to me.  I need to have an understanding of what He is trying to get me to do (His perfect will).  Because I trust God, I begin to take steps of faith even though  I may be heading way out of my comfort zone. I have found that being in God’s will is much better than battling to have life my way. God knows more about what I need than I do and His plan for my life is much better than mine. I can look back at the many years of my life I lived on my own terms and I can tell you that my life without God was a total mess.  Even though I still struggle and wrestle with day to day difficulties of living in a fallen world, I still know that God is with me and the things which used to debilitate me now challenge me to turn to God for wisdom and discernment. One of the greatest comforts I have in my life is knowing that I am not going through life alone. I have a Friend, a Father, a Teacher, a Comforter and most of all a Savior who loves me enough to pursue a relationship with me even when I don’t with Him. 

Knowing this and believing that our Holy God is the source of all truth, transforms my heart and my mind to a place where I can truly celebrate life now, awaiting with great anticipation the celebration of eternal life with God in Heaven.  So let’s celebrate the New Year by spending time in relationship with God every day. Let’s give Him a gift of our time and a  part of every area of our life. This way we can continue to grow in our faith 

and get in great spiritual shape for the new year.

Have a Great and Blessed New Year

Just Sayin………………..Dave