M.Y.X. @ Six Condensed Jan. 20, 2010
Week 3 – A Heart for Spiritual Change
The heart of a champion is committed to grow spiritually. Here are some ways we can grow spiritually:
Head God’s way (your life God’s way) and away from your own way or the world’s way. Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us to throw off our old evil nature and former way of life and instead we must display a new nature because we are a new person created in God’s likeness. God gives us choices and free will because He loves us, and this gives us an opportunity to choose to love Him. After all, we aren’t robots or puppets.
Educate yourself on God’s way. For example, when we are going on a trip, we use Google Maps to map out our course so we know what to do when driving, which way to turn, etc. In the same way, we study the Bible to know how God wants us to go, to act and what to do. Joshua 1:8 tells us this:
Study this book of the law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed…
We can think about another way to think about the Bible – Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. We rely on the Bible because it’s God’s words, never changing and is truth. We shouldn’t base our life and decisions on our feelings and emotions because they are ever changing, often dependent on circumstances and even physical reactions; instead we rely on God’s words of truth for consistency and absolute truth.
Absorb God’s way. This is the difference from just knowing a fact and being able to understand it, apply it and/or explain it. If we absorb God’s way, we will know His commands and be able to apply them in our daily life. Ephesians 6 tells us to use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy. When we absorb God’s way we will experience the Holy Spirit convicting us of areas in our life where we need to stop and redirect towards God.
Reflect God’s way.And what you absorb is what you reflect. Proverbs 27 explains that “as water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.” Also in Psalm 119:7 is an example of how we reflect God in our hearts – that when we learn His righteous laws, I will thank you by living as we should! What is on the inside will show on the outside; if we are consumed with the Holy Spirit, characteristics of God will be reflected in our lives. Consider all your thoughts, words and actions – what is your message?
Teach God’s way to others. 2 Timothy 2 encourages us to teach the great truths of Christ to others who can pass them on. Think about how when you learn something new – how to solve a math problem or how to perform a procedure – and that you KNOW you know what you’re doing when you can teach it to someone else. The same is true about God’s word; telling others, explaining it to others and researching it to answer the questions of others helps us KNOW that we know God’s word. We can teach others directly, and also indirectly through our life and conversations.
The heart of a champion doesn’t settle…it’s not content with spiritual mediocrity…a champion’s heart pursues spiritual growth.
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