Where are you spiritually?

Where are you spiritually?

Hmm, good question. Right? I mean, at least it’s not someone asking you what’s for dinner…again. And honestly, this is the kind of question you ask someone that you really care about. So because we for sure care about each other as ministers wives, let’s talk about where you are spiritually.

I mean, these are weird days, and as leaders, we are dealing with a lot of different things, people, emotions, and nothing is the same as it was. That’s enough to shake any of us up. Many of you have probably been drafted into some unusual roles during the quarantine—things like video producer, camera person, teacher, chef, assistant worship leader, and whatever else needs to be done!! I applaud you, and I empathize with you, and I celebrate with you as we are seeing more and more people reached with the message of the Gospel through our efforts, BUT it can be draining.

That’s why it’s crucial that we stop a minute and evaluate where we are spiritually. As women of God, we always want to be growing and developing in our spiritual walk, but right now, that may look a little different. Suddenly you never have a minute alone, or you may be having too many alone minutes and not able to gather with your people who support and encourage you in your walk.

That’s what this is. Your spiritual walk encouragement and also challenge. Because sometimes asking, “How are you doing spiritually?” can be a tough question to answer, or we tend to give general answers like “I’m just trusting in the Lord.” While that is a good thing to do, the quick, easy answers aren’t always the most helpful, insightful ones, and they can be a little ambiguous. So let’s dig a little more today and see if we can discover where we are spiritually as well as make a plan and set some goals for how we are going to be more transformed even in the midst of this pandemic.

Remember when we used to fly on airplanes? They would do the safety reminders before takeoff and part of the instructions were that if cabin pressure drops and the oxygen masks fall to “put the mask on yourself FIRST”. Why? Because if we get too busy trying to get the mask on other people, then we might pass out ourselves from lack of oxygen. Good point. The same thing is true spiritually.

Think about some of the reasons why we don’t continue to grow spiritually or that we seem to be stuck. You might think of these as roadblocks to spiritual growth. Here are a few—you can probably think of more. See if any of these resonate with you:As wives, moms, and leaders in ministry, we need to take our spiritual health seriously. The words of 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 are excellent as a challenge and a warning. Look at verse 27, “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” It’s kind of startling to think that if you and I aren’t careful about being disciplined (think spiritually) then although we do good things and lead others to grow in the Lord, we might be disqualified. The word for ‘disqualified’ means not standing the test, not approved or unfit. Ouch. I guess that means that we need to take this subject pretty seriously.

Plateaus—like losing weight-Not sure how to move to the next level.
Too busy—Can’t give what you don’t have. The demands on your time are overwhelming.
Dry and empty—Everyone around you is getting from you and you run out. As you are continually pouring out to others, must take time to seek Him and be refilled. It’s a daily necessity.
Distracted—You’ve been focused on other things instead of Jesus. Instead of prioritizing your schedule—schedule your priorities.
Over our heads—May feel like you don’t know what you’re doing.
Heart condition—Gotten weary of leading and you’ve lost sight of your calling. When you grow weary of other people and their issues and problems, apathy can set in.
Appearances—When you are too worried about what others think you are more likely to ignore your need for growth.
Comparisons—When we are so focused on others’ lives, we can either feel hopeless or we can decide we are fine since we aren’t “as bad as those people”. Either is counter to spiritual growth.

Of course something else may be your particular challenge. The key is to identify it, then ask yourself the”Big Question”: Are you satisfied with where you are right now?

Be honest. Some people are just too comfortable with where they are now. Others are not interested in change because the next level spiritually will definitely be about change and we get so used to our routine that we don’t want to leave the comfort of the familiar. Maybe it’s time to mix it up a little. To shake off the chains of familiar and step into some new or different things much like we are already being forced to do through the quarantine challenges.

Here are some suggestions of things, practices or disciplines you can use to mix things up a bit and move from where you are right now forward spiritually speaking.

Many times we have gotten so used to doing certain things that we don’t even think about them anymore. Kind of like teaching a kid to drive a car. You stop and explain things step by step that you never even think about yourself because you’ve been doing it so long….hmmm.

What I f we got intentional about revisiting the spiritual disciplines that you’ve heard about and maybe even taught about? Think about each one and whether you are being intentional about them all or just the ones that are easiest and most familiar to you. There are inevitably some that we spend more time on than the others. When I consider that and then become purposeful about the more overlooked disciplines I experience growth. And yep you guessed it fasting and evangelism were the two disciplines that got my least attention for years. I can definitely see a difference in my self and even in my teaching since I started being more purposeful about those-I’m calling it growth.

Spending time (even online or facetime) with younger believers will fuel your faith and grow you in so many ways we can’t even list them out here. As will memorizing Scripture, fasting, sharing Jesus, meditating on God’s Word or any of the others. The key is to change up and refocus on some godly disciplines and practices that maybe you have overlooked lately.

• Another great tool in our spiritual growth quest is to evaluate regularly. Ask ourselves some had questions and be honest when we answer!!
• How do I respond when confronted with my own sin? Like Saul who sought to blame others and make excuses or David who confessed and repented.
• What are my eyes fixed on? My circumstances or God?
• Heart condition? Do I care anymore? Have time for hurting or lost people? Or am I too busy?
• Is discipline a lifestyle? Or am I only disciplined in some areas and taking a pass in others? We have to fight the temptation to compartmentalize our lives and be disciplined in some but not all.
• What plateaus or roadblocks have been holding me back?
• What will I commit to doing differently?
• What accountability do I have in place to help you make these changes?

There is no condemnation friends—God even reminds us in His Word that if we get to the place where we realize that we fall out of love with Jesus, Revelation 2 tells us what to do. It’s all that we have talked about today-go back to the Word and do what it says.

One verse that I come back to over and over again that challenges me and pushes me from my comfort zones is 2 Tim 4:7-8 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Reminding us that we need to be constantly training in godliness and never quit! Because He is worth it and He has called us to it.

There is a world out there that needs to know our Savior, and when we focus on our spiritual health, we will be better witnesses to what a difference Christ makes.

 

 

Rachel Lovingood has been doing ministry with her husband Jeff for 30 years and they have 5 grown children. She is an author and teacher with a knack for teaching Biblical truths in a simple, fun, relevant way so that they can be applied to everyday life. Her passion is to see lives transformed by the Word of God which happens when Scripture is applied to our lives. Rachel serves as a Women’s Ministry leader at her home church of FBC Cleveland TN.