Due to an unexpected backache a few weeks ago, I was forced to take a good, long look at myself. Thus began this journey of becoming stronger, not just physically but spiritually. Last week, I reflected on my mother, and how she “never forgot what her eyes had seen.”
Looking at her life, I discovered two critical pieces to my spiritual strength; scripture and prayer. She knew her scripture and when things got tough, she never forgot the Word that she planted in her heart. And she believed in the power of prayer. Watching her pray daily, showed me the importance of being devoted to my own prayer life.
This week, I want to look at two more ingredients which will aid in our spiritual development; partners and preparedness.
I just wrapped up speaking at a Women’s dinner this past Saturday night. I still get so nervous every time I speak. But God keeps pushing me out of my comfort zone. Funny thing is that when I prepare, I’m not nearly as nervous. So I prepared all week for that speaking engagement, rehearsing, memorizing, just trying to get as comfortable as I could with the message.
The definition of ‘prepare’ is to ‘make ready’. That is what I was doing for Saturday night, making myself ready. And when we think about our spiritual development, the same is true. How can I make myself ready? How can I become spiritually stronger? Colossians 4:2 in the Amplified version tells us, “ Be persistent and devoted to prayer, being alert and focused in your prayer life with an attitude of thanksgiving.” So here we are, back to the prayer thing. Prayer prepares us. Prayer makes us ready.
The next thing we need is an accountability partner. I have a walking buddy. We meet 3 or 4 times a week after we drop our kids off at school. We might walk two or three miles. Sometimes she’ll call or text and say she can’t meet and I’ll say, “Oh, that’s okay. I’ll walk anyway.” But I don’t! By meeting with her, she keeps me walking and I do the same for her.
It’s the same with our spiritual growth. You want to grow in your faith? You want to become spiritually stronger? Find an accountability partner and commit to meet with them on a regular basis. Pray together. Confess your struggles to one another. Do not be ashamed to admit your weaknesses. We all struggle with something. Look to the scriptures to find out what the Word says about your specific situation? There is a scriptural answer to every problem. Commit to praying for one another and grow in Christ together. I think you’ll be amazed at how powerful just being together really is. #bettertogether
1 Timothy 4:7 AMP says, “ discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness [keeping yourself spiritually fit].” Are you spiritually fit? Would you like to be?The definition of the verb ‘discipline’ is : to train or develop by instruction and exercise. Now is the time to develop our spiritual muscles. We need to train ourselves up in the Way, the Truth and the Life. It is the only way we will ever truly live as Christ.
Let us pray:
Father God, Creator of all that is, develop in us a desire to become spiritually stronger, alert and focused on our prayer life. Help us to maintain an attitude of thanksgiving in all things. And bring to us a spiritual partner, someone who will challenge us and help us grow. Dear Lord, we love you and we want to be strong in our faith. We want to live as Christ so that when the day comes we can stand firm in whose we really are. In Jesus Name, Amen. -M
p.s. – if you were encouraged by this or other messages, feel free to email it to a friend or share on Facebook.
p.s.s. – come back next week for some exciting news about future things.
p.s.s.s. – leave me a comment below because, well, you know I love to hear from you.
