SPIRITUAL HEALTHINESS: SEVEN PRACTICAL GUIDES TO STAY SPIRITUALLY HEALTHY
Not
in a bit to promote or embrace the foundation of intellectual or mental
dispositions: often seen in practices such as; mind exercise, yoga exercise and
all sort of mind meditation that is believed to aid spiritual growth or
healthiness in the world of today: do I write that believers (Christians)
may come to understand what being spiritual in the Christian sense means and
ways in which we can be spiritually healthy or fit in this year.
BEING
SPIRITUAL IN CHRISTIAN
As
Christians, we are not often mindful of a reality that the scriptures talks
about, nor it’s befitting power do we easily recognize, which is that: “we have become a
different class of being.”We are not whom we used to be before, we are
now in Christ having a new nature, which is spiritual. The scripture says God
has given us of his own spirit by faith. Narrowly: we have become
partakers of divine nature. 2 peters 1:3-4.
Hence,
we are not in the class of men that are carnally minded or that needs various
intellectual or mind lifting exercises to aid healthiness in spiritual estate.
We
no longer see things in man’s view in point, we now see things in God’s
perspective.
IN
APOSTLE PAUL’S VIEW
1
Corinthians 3:
1 Brothers
and sisters, I couldn't talk to you as spiritual people but as people still
influenced by your corrupt nature. You were infants in your faith in Christ.
2 I
gave you milk to drink. I didn't give you solid food because you weren't ready
for it. Even now you aren't ready for it
3
because you're still influenced by your corrupt nature. When you are
jealous and quarrel among yourselves, aren't you influenced by your corrupt
nature and living by human standards?
Paul
recognizes the fact that the Corinthian are not acting spiritually, he
perceived them as babes, who are yet to be out of the bounds of their carnal
nature. For variants such as envy, strife, anger, malice etc. which are
definitive terms of being carnal can be found in them.
“For
hitherto, ye were not able to bear it, Yet now…”
His
expectation was that they will keep on growing into maturity, haven’t received
the Holy Spirit with his subsequent teachings and dictates to them; yet, they
do not.
Here,
we can see from Paul’s perspective that: “behaving like men” connotes being
carnal, while being spiritual (the opposite of carnality) means being or
behaving like God. Hence, it can be rightly said that spirituality is being or
becoming godly or possessing godliness. For this reason, Spirituality
(godliness) is all about knowing God, Pleasing God, desiring and longing for
God and the things of God. Spirituality is forever tied to knowing God and
doing Gods will.
1
Timothy 4:8: For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable
unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is
to come.
SOME
DEFINITIVE THOUGHTS ON A SPIRITUAL CHRISTIAN
·
A spiritual Christian knows God,
Understand Him, and Love Him for all that He is, and such is always desirous of
Him.
· A spiritual minded person strives to be
an imitator of God; and subsequently sees everything from God point of view.
· A man is Spiritual when he is being
controlled and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Such and one is always having a
sense of spiritual awareness, and an inward, yet deeper longing for the
communion of the divine.
·
A spiritual man is the kind that is
having a sense of deeper belonging to the opened heavens that transcend the
realm to which intellect and moral sense can’t ascend.
SPIRITUAL
HEALTHINESS / ADVANTAGES
·
This simply means “to continually be out
of the bounds of carnal emissaries
·
To be continually filled and led by the
Holy Spirit.
·
To be fit, vigorous, strong and
well-informed in the things of God and of His Spirit.
·
To have a roused spiritual receptivity
and perception at every point in time: something in us that is open to heaven,
something which urge us Godward: so that when there is an inward or deep
longing, we simply do something about it.
·
Spiritual healthiness aids making
habitual eternity-judgment instead of time (carnal) judgment.
·
Spiritual healthiness aids pleasing God
and having habitual or continual, yet deeper common and fellowship with God
·
When a man is spiritually fit, the
honour of God would definitely abounds and advance through his/her life.
·
Spiritual healthiness/fitness makes it
easy and possible to carry one’s cross.
·
Victorious living is not diminutive on
the part of any man that is godly, and God conscious.
·
There is no room for fear on the part of
a Spiritually Healthy Christian: For a sense of God (availability) alone
banishes fear.
“For
God has not given us the spirit of fear but of sound mind…”
“For
I have set the Lord always before me, Because He is at my right hand, I shall
not be moved.”
PRACTICAL GUIDES TO STAY SPIRITUALLY HEALTHY
1. SEE
EVERYTHING FROM GODS POINT OF VIEW: many people suffers in the half
light of Christians experiences because they have not learn to see and base
their judgment on Gods own perspective by giving room to human
intellect and ideologies. To be spiritual healthy, you should develop a
sense of God. Something in you that drive you Godward. Being desirous to be
godly.
2. NEGLECT
NOT YOUR MOMENT OF MEDITATION: Meditation is the
conscious attempt by the lower personality to contact the higher. Through
meditation you release the blocks of fear, anger, worry and guilt, shame,
resentment that separate you from the awareness of the divine.
2a. QUIET TIME: the quite time is the time of devotion
and communication with God. It can be done at any convenient time of the day. A
vivid imagery is Jesus Christ who at many times often goes out in the morning
to fellowship with God.
2b. STUDY
THE WORD: a spiritual man is a word practitioner, our
hollow and shallow ground of loneliness and solitude can best be filled by
studying and practicing the word; for the word gives enlightenment, strength,
and aids in a beneficial way the spiritual growth of believers.
2
Timothy 2: 15-16
15 Study
to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But
shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2c. PRAY, FAST AND
PRAISE: Alongside the enormous Spiritual fitness therein in the study
of the word is the awesome power of Prayer, fasting and praising God.
·
Through prayer and fasting and praises,
we overcome the works of the devil. The name of Jesus breaks any barrier to
spiritual perception or awareness.
·
The overpowering presence of God can in
addition be felt in the place of Prayer, fasting and praising God.
“Paul
and Silas, they prayed and fast, the scripture says and the Holy Spirit came
down”
·
When we Pray, Fast and Praise, our
spirit man is conditioned to receive and to know more of God; a deeper intimacy
and longing for God is situated; bounds and emissaries of carnality got broken.
“God
inhabits the praises of His people and blessed them” says the scripture. God
simply comes down.
3. FORSAKE NOT,
THE GATHERING OF OTHER BELIEVERS:
One
of such ways to experience Spiritual healthiness is never to dissociate oneself
from other believers. Attend prayer meetings, bible studies, bible symposiums,
spiritual lectures etc. Develop a lifelong habit of service to god and
Humanities, church attendance would just be a normal routine, without having a
personal commitment in participating in any denomination in the church.
4.
GIVE NO ROOM TO FEAR; WORRIES AND ANXIETIES:
“For
God has not given us the Spirit of Fear but of sound mind…”
The
ever increasing faith that leads to spiritual healthiness has just few opposing
factors which are: fears, worries/anxiety.
Instead
of being anxious for anything; Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians
says we should rather by prayer and supplication make our request known to God.
Hence,
you have nothing to fear, be bold and courageous. Gods by your side.
5.
READ AND LISTEN TO SPIRITUAL BOOKS AND MESSAGES.
Little
did we know of the enormous advantage therein in reading books by various
spiritual leaders. Book reading can also though in part steers up spiritual
fitness. Simply find time to read books (Spiritual), it helps a lot.
6.
PHYSICAL EXERCISE:
“For
physical exercise profit a little”…
1
Timothy 4:8
Spiritual
healthiness cannot be achieved in a sick or weak body. Hence Apostle Paul made
it clear to Timothy, to exercise his body and at another place he told him to
add little wine to his diet, because of his often bodily infirmities. Hence, it
suffix indeed that we engages in exercise and have balanced diet.
7.
DO GOOD: MAKE DIFFERENCE;
Make full use of the spiritual fruits and gifts that had been given to you for service and edification of the church.
“The
desire to see others advance at his expense is another mark of a healthy
Spiritual Man”
Find
joy in making people happy, put smiles in people’s faces, and let making other
peoples life better, be your delight.
Conclusively:
There are no too good or generally acceptable practices that aids Spiritual
Fitness or healthiness, but I do know that “effective adhering to the
aforementioned landmarks will not in a little way brings about spiritual growth
and healthiness.
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