Everyday Christianity: Spiritual Life (5)
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139.23, 24
The goal
The goal of all Christian instruction is love for God and neighbors (1 Tim. 1.5). In all our time, through all our activities we want to demonstrate that Jesus really is alive, really lives in us, and really rules the world unto the glory of God. Everything about us—how we relate to others, do our work, participate in culture, and so forth—will show the hope we have in Jesus by honoring and glorifying God (1 Pet. 3.15; 1 Cor. 10.31). And this is because the Spirit of God is at work within us, enabling and empowering us to will and do according the pleasure of God (Phil. 2.13).
Daily we seek mercy and grace from the Lord for all our times of need—which is all the time of our lives. Washed in the mercy of God and renewed in His grace, our spirit—our soul—is revived and renewed for the work that lies ahead each day.
We are learning the secrets of life in the Spirit of God, and He is transforming us by grace through faith so that we become more like Jesus every day (2 Cor. 3.12-18). Grace is the power, in the hands of the Spirit, by which we demonstrate the reality of Jesus Christ, risen from the dead and exalted in glory.
Interruptions
But our demonstration of the spiritual life will not be without interruptions. From time to time in the spiritual life, our little vessels of faith veer off course and sail into the doldrums. We find ourselves becalmed; the wind of the Spirit seems to have flagged, our spiritual sails droop, and we’re not making any progress in the life of faith. And, if we’re not careful, we’ll get used to this condition.
At such times it may well be that something has worked its way into our lives that has no business there—some distraction from our focus, some thief of our time, or worse, some sin blinding our vision and sapping our strength. These times can come upon us suddenly and last for extended seasons—what some have referred to as the “dark night of the soul.”
It’s best, in pursuing the spiritual life, to take time on a regular basis to detox our systems of any foreign or unwelcome substances that can keep us from making progress in the Lord. Spiritual detoxing is a way of depending on the Lord and demonstrating our trust in Him so that we can move from the doldrums of faith back into the steady wind of God’s Spirit.
But what does this involve?
Detox disciplines
Here we must learn to use the disciplines of solitude, confession, and repentance.
Let’s start with solitude. The Lord Jesus understood the value of being alone with His Father for extended seasons. Not that He ever needed cleansing from any sin; however, His course of life was a difficult slog, and He often retreated to mountains or desert places where He could be alone to reflect, listen, and commune with God.
Such times of “getting away with the Lord” can be renewing for us as well and can provide an opportunity for detoxing our spiritual life of any sin or neglect that may cause us to hit the doldrums. Make a point to have some solitude with the Lord each day—and throughout the day, if you can—and plan for an extended season—an hour or so—with some regularity.
While the practice of extended seasons of solitude may be only infrequent in our lives, the practice of confession and repentance will be needed every day.
We are redeemed by the grace of the Lord, but we must never forget that we are sinners still (1 Jn. 1.8-10). We continue to sin, frequently ignore the Lord or deny His leading, and are prone to revert to the ways of the world that we loved so well before we knew Jesus Christ. We may not even be aware of the sins we have committed. But we can be certain the Lord is. Confession and repentance are the way to detox our souls.
In confession we listen as the Spirit of God searches our soul for affections, thoughts, ideas, or attitudes that may not be pleasing to God; or as He brings to mind things we’ve said or done or things we’ve failed to do. These we will need to amend. When the Spirit convicts us of sin, our task is to agree with Him—the meaning of the Greek word, “confess”—and then to repent and chart a course of good thoughts, attitudes, or works to replace the wicked ones He has brought to light.
Time alone with the Lord can lead to cleansing experiences of confession. But confession must lead to repentance as we depend on the Lord’s forgiveness and leading and move on to demonstrate our desire and determination to live for Him each day.
Confession and repentance are daily disciplines which are best used in times of listening prayer. Our spiritual life is refreshed, revived, and renewed as the Spirit detoxes our soul and sets our life back on its proper course.
For reflection or discussion
1. What has been your practice of detoxing your soul and life?
2. Detoxing like this requires waiting on the Lord. What does that entail?
3. Do you occasionally take an extended time for solitude? Should you? What might you do in an hour of solitude with the Lord?
Next steps—Transformation: Review your practice of confession and repentance. How can you improve in these daily disciplines?
T. M. Moore
Men, check out the fall schedule of reading and study groups. You can register now by going here. Take a look at the clearance sale in our bookstore. All the books in our inventory are free. Order several for yourself and some friends.
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
A spiritual life is a disciplined life in every facet. How does this work out? Our book, A Disciplined Life, can help you review and improve your own disciplines toward a more robust walk with and work for the Lord. For a free PDF of The Disciplined Life, click here.
Other columns of interest: This week: Our Read Moore podcast wraps up excerpts from the book, Patrick: A Devotional History. Our Crosfigell teaching letter is pursuing a series on the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival.. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
