Dear Friends,
Last week we looked at ways we can make reading the Bible the cornerstone of our “Spiritual Fitness Plan.” If we want to step closer to God, it simply makes sense to spend more time reading the Book that will help us keep from stumbling. “Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.” Psalm 119:165 (NLT)
The second building block in our Spiritual Fitness Plan is prayer. In Ephesians 6:18 the Apostle Paul tells the Ephesians, “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” In First Thessalonians 5:16-18 he proclaims, “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” Taking time to pray isn’t something we should do once in a while; it is something we need to do while we are doing everything else. Making daily prayer part of our Spiritual Fitness Plan can help us deal with our past, find guidance for our present, and build hope for the future.
There is a joke that would be funny if it weren’t so true: Q: How many psychiatrists does it take to screw in a light bulb? A: Who cares? They spend most of their time trying to figure out how to remove the old bulb.
Rather than focusing on the path in front of us, we can become so preoccupied with the “would haves,” “could haves,” and “should haves” that we become blind to how far we have come. And we have come a long way — “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” If we let him, God will take out those “old light bulbs of our past” and give us the opportunity to shine for Him. Prayer can help us internalize this truth.
We read in Philippians, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Do you need assurance that God loves you in spite of things you may have done … or things done to you? Take your concerns to God in prayer and trust his answers.
In her book Uninvited: Living Life When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely, Lysa TerTeurst writes, “God’s love isn’t based on me; it’s placed on me.” Later she explains, “He waits every day with every answer we need, every comfort we crave, every affection we’re desperate for, while we look everywhere else but at Him … We run at a breakneck pace to try and achieve what God simply wants us to slow down enough to receive. Fully. Completely. Perfectly. In Him. With Him. By Him. We just have to turn to Him. And sit with Him. No matter what.”
Jesus spoke about the perfect Spiritual Fitness Plan in John 15:7 (ICB). “Remain in me and follow my teachings. If you do this, then you can ask for anything you want, and it will be given to you.”
Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ
Because He Loves Us Press 