Spirituality

1 Tim 5:13-15

13 Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to. 14 So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. 15 Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan. NIV

I have been thinking a lot over the last few years about how we all could get closer to God. The real desire of every Christian I believe is to know God better.

There are many things ingrained within our culture now that we all accept that are part of our life style that I think if we want to go on with God and see more of his presence in our lives we need to examine closely.

Jesus said this:

Matt 15:16-20

 17 "Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes out of the body.  18 But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them.  19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.  20 These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands could never defile you and make you unacceptable to God!" NLT

Jesus talked a lot about the cares of this life

Mark 4:18-19

18 And the ones sown among the thorns are others who hear the Word;

19 Then the cares and anxieties of the world and distractions of the age, and the pleasure and delight and false glamour and deceitfulness of riches, and the craving and passionate desire for other things creep in and choke and suffocate the Word, and it becomes fruitless. AMP

We live in a world where the telephone tells us everything that the neighbors are doing. The radio tells us everything that the community is doing. The TV tells us everything that the country is doing and the Internet tells us everything that the world is doing.

We know everything that is going on from Prince Charles to the strike and we have no idea about the state of our own soul.

When we get together and talk we feel it is a status symbol to know the most news. And the reason we want to know about everyone else is because we are afraid to look at ourselves.

But there is only so much time. And if we spend our time in other peoples matters we are sure to neglect our own.

Everything that you allow into your mind is either adding to who you are or taking from who you are.

Here is wisdom

Prov 4:23-27

23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.  

24 Avoid all perverse talk; stay far from corrupt speech.

25 Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. 26 Mark out a straight path for your feet; then stick to the path and stay safe. 27 Don't get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil. NLT

Here are spiritual exercises.

Guard your heart. Do not subject your heart to allow everyone and everything to feed into it. Watch what emotion you allow around you. Watch the conversation you allow around you. Watch the music you listen to watch the entertainment you subject yourself to like movies etc.

Not only do you have to watch what comes into your life but you really have to watch what comes out of your mouth. You are effected greatly by what you say.

Prov 18:21

21 Those who love to talk will experience the consequences, for the tongue can kill or nourish life. NLT

Jesus said

Mark 11:23-24

3 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

NIV

If that is true for the positive it is also for the negative.

When you talk negative about people about events in their lives it brings your level of joy peace love and faith down.

 Thomas Akempis wrote “avoid the din and comotion of the world as much as you can, for discussing worldly affairs and problems is a great hinderance to spiritual life even though it is done sincerely”.

The writer of proverbs says look straight ahead. Stay focused on your own life.

This word busybody means to put your spoon into someone else’s cup.

When you work a horse you would always put those things beside his eyes to keep him from looking around. That was so he could focus on his work and not be distracted.

Mark out a straight path for your feet.

I believe that each person should set a goal for themselves with the help of God.

That we shouldn’t be only living a day at a time but we should have some long range ideals for our spiritual life.

I want my emotions to be under the control of the holy spirit not the community I live in or the family that is around me or the cares of the life I am in.

I want my thoughts to be on the word of God not the problems of the day.

I want by thought life to be dominated by what God says about my world rather that what Peter Kent says of Lloyd Robertson says.

David says and in his law does he meditate day and night.

In order for the Holy Spirit to give you faith you have to have the word formost in your mind.

Isa 26:3

3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you!

NLT

What persent of your minds capacity is consumed with the word of God. Can you say I mediate on it day and night.

Deut 30:17-19

17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;

18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.

19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, KJV

Just before God says that he says this:

Deut 30:10

10 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.

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16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

KJV

You cannot be a success without this.

As soon as you turn aside to fill your heart or let your heart be filled with other things you are destroying faith and your chance of the blessing of God.

As soon as your heart starts to turn aside the path will get rough and you will be side tracked.

The ground that grows the thorns that chokes the word is the thoughts you allow inside your heart that are not of God.

Every day when you are in the world avoid where ever possible the idle conversation of the world and the business of others and when you come home at night wash up before you go to bed with the word of God and prayer.

Amen, God Bless You & Your Family

Pastor John Stewart