I once had a pastor tell me the most spiritual people he’s known throughout his life are the ones who are the most acutely aware of their sins. These spiritual ambassadors of God’s Word never took the path of least resistance along the way, but flew against the headwind of the most challenging, uncomfortable, difficult, and impossible things you can imagine. As I write this post I am reminded The Lord Jesus Christ immersed himself among sinners:

Mark 2:17 – “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

We are never going to improve in our walk of Faith by looking for the easy things to do. There is something about those Christians who were saved after a particularly rough life that sets them apart. I think my pastor made an astute observation and this has been my experience as well. I have met people from all walks of life with the most powerful testimonies you can imagine, all drawn from life experiences that pushed the envelope. By the same token, these same people have a much higher potential to backslide. I am a living example of such spiritual warfare. One of the keys to overcoming spiritual challenges is keeping our nose in God’s word and persevering no matter how difficult the new test may be. It is vitally important we not grow weary and lose heart as mentioned here in Hebrews:

Hebrews 12:1-3 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

A prepared soldier in front line spiritual warfare is about his business and mindful of the snares and traps of daily life. He’s learned to weaken his weaknesses and strengthen his strengths. He knows this requires a higher level of thought and a deeper level of consciousness obtained through prayer, meditation, and God’s Word. He knows he is still a flawed human, but has the ability to self analyze. He is critically aware of spiritual attacks and recognizes them by their lack of fruitfulness. He is humbly grateful for his faith being tested and being a true overcomer:

Isaiah 38:15 – “But what can I say? He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this. I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of my soul.”

The experience of living a life guided by Faith and divine power is a gift from God designed to shape and mold you into what God needs you to be, to be like Jesus. The bar is set high. We are never going to wake up one morning and say, “OK I finally completed the Christian lifestyle, what’s next?”. You can spend years or evening decades climbing the highest mountain God has placed directly in front of you, only to arrive at the summit and see the next mountain off in the distance is twice as high. Do not let your heart be troubled. Those of us who aspire to be like Jesus know we are to expect a life of both suffering and immense joy:

Peter 2:21 – “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.”

Philippians 1:29 – “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him.”

Romans 8:17 – “And if children, then heirs-heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

2 Timothy 3:12 – “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

Matthew 16:24 – “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

John 15:20 – “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master! If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”

One of the things about God that took many years to get through to my heart and soul is God’s will is more important than my prayer requests. God’s favor and grace were extended to me as a precious gift through Jesus Christ, and I learned I needed to be more grateful and thankful not just for my salvation, but for everything in my life God has provided. God is in control of my life for his benefit, not mine. This Psalm is a powerful reminder God both builds us up and shepherds us:

Psalm 23:3 – “He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”

I think it’s extremely beneficial for us to have the ability to step out of our skin for a few moments and walk forward and look back at ourselves. Learning to develop an honest interpretation of how we are perceived by others requires not only fearlessness, but surrendering and submitting to God during the process. God knows your secrets. We cannot be effective warriors in Christ having a potential sin problem in our lives.

Two of my weaknesses are idle chatter (gossip), and having an opinion about something I have no knowledge of (judging). It’s critically important that we continually sharpen our ability to self analyze, because I promise you none of us are perfect and we all have something going on that needs to addressed. It’s just part of God’s continuous improvement plan.

The peace and serenity gained by the knowledge of truth about yourself will truly set you free, and enable you to be more effective in your walk of Faith. God desires we go quietly about our business, not seeking a place of prominence or falling into the trap of works righteousness. I know all about both of these first hand. That’s one of the reasons I started this blog.

The pains of inspiration are real. I’m still not sure seeking a place of spiritual refuge is something God wants me to do, but I’m going to continue my blogposts with the theme of sharing the seeds of the crop God has grown from my spirit. I don’t take any credit for anything I write here. This is all inspirational writing. Much prayer and having conversations with God about what he wants to share is not something I can turn on or off at will. I give God the full honor for all he does in my life, and I’m grateful and thankful more than I can put into words.

And I will continue to soar into God’s headwinds and trust where he is taking me..