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Erwin Raphael McManus
(from Wide Awake)
Showing posts with label Spiritual Growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spiritual Growth. Show all posts
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Today's Encouraging Word
Erwin Raphael McManus
(from Wide Awake)
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Today's Encouraging Word
Image by A. Page via Flickr
Erwin Raphael McManus
(from Wide Awake)
Friday, August 20, 2010
Renewing the Mind: The Power of Affirmative Prayer
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Renewing the Mind: Conscious Cognition and Affirmative Prayer
Throughout his letters, Paul repeatedly demonstrates his understanding of the importance of dealing with our minds. The Apostle clearly recognizes that the mind is where our behaviors and actions begin and he also understands that it is in the mental realm where the enemy is most likely to launch his most diabolical attacks. It is for this reason that Paul tells his readers over and over again how important it is for the believer to renew the mind.
At Sacred Mind, clients and visitors often here phrases and terms related to dealing with the mind in general and the process of renewing the mind in particular. In our training programs on “Strategies for Renewing the Mind” and “Who We Are In Christ,” we typically explore the importance of developing what we call Conscious Cognition. Basically, conscious cognition involves assisting participants develop the ability to be acutely aware of their mental functioning. The more conscious we are about out thinking, the more equipped we are to master our minds.
“Conscious Cognition” is based on the teachings of Paul regarding the renewal of the mind, tearing down strongholds, and taking thoughts captive for Christ. The actual practice of conscious cognition involves disciplines such as positive thinking, positive imaging, positive statements, and affirmative prayer.
We have found that the most fruitful exercise for most people involves what is popularly referred to as Affirmative Prayer.
How to Form an Affirmative Prayer
1. Affirm your identity as a child of God and a new creation in Christ.
2. Affirm your positive connection with the Divine and the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.
3. Voice your desired goal in positive, affirmative words in the present tense.
4. Express your gratitude for having your desire granted by God.
5. Close prayer in Jesus’ name with a firm and joyous Amen!
After your formal prayer session, your Affirmative Prayer process continues in three important ways. First, maintain a sense of positive expectation in which you faithfully believe your prayer has already been answered. This is not wishful thinking or a “fake it til you make it” pretense. Instead, it is the faithful acknowledgement that, just as scripture promises, your blessing has already been provided on the spiritual world. This brings us to the second manner in which your Affirmative Prayer process continues. You act as if the object that you prayed for has already been obtained in the physical world. What this does is aid in the process of bringing your already granted blessing from the spiritual world down into the flesh and blood reality of your daily life.
The third way in which your Affirmative Prayer session continues involves a personalized affirmation. This type of affirmation is a short phrase, usually gleaned from Step Three in the process described above. For example, if you prayed for an increased sense of confidence and courage, your personalized affirmation might be:
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; I am courageous and confident in all my endeavors.
The important point here is to repeat this shortened form of your prayer session as often as possible. It is especially important to repeat your personalized affirmation when you first arise in the morning, and just before going to sleep. Another method that has been helpful for many Christ-followers is to coordinate their affirmation with their breathing, just as when performing “breath prayers.”
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. (inhale)
I am confident and courageous in all my endeavors. (exhale)
I have found affirmative prayer to be an excellent modality of approaching our relationship with the Creator. As stated earlier, effective affirmative prayer is always based on scriptural promises. The actual process of affirmative prayer as described in the preceding paragraphs is not designed to remind God of his promises. God does not need to be reminded of anything. Criticizing the method of affirmative prayer based on the “reminding God” notion is a mistaken and futile practice.
Affirmative prayer does help remind us of our need for God, our utter dependence upon God, and of the generous blessings he has already provided for us. With these thoughts in mind, let’s look at an example of an affirmative prayer that meets the criteria laid out above.
I take possession of the reality that I am a child of the Living God and a new creation in Christ. I acknowledge that because I have been adopted into the family of the One True God, His eternal light shines in me and through me, casting His presence and His love onto a dark, hurting world. The Holy Spirit, a full one-third of my Heavenly Father lives in me, making me powerful and whole, capable of doing great things for the glory of God.
Therefore, I go forth each day with confidence and courage, meeting the challenges of life with faith and optimism, knowing that the Lord is within me, equipping me for any circumstance.
Lord, I thank you for your presence within me, beside me, above me, and in every circumstance, and I am especially grateful for your gifts of courage and confidence, the very things I requested as I approached your throne.
With love and gratitude, I pray these things in Jesus’ most holy name, the name at which every knee shall bow. Amen…
Remember also that the abbreviated form of the prayer is:
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; I am courageous and confident in all my endeavors.
I have found that for both the long form and the short form, repetition is the key to success. Our bad habits of thought were formed in the exact same way as we, along with the Holy Spirit, will go about forming new habits of thinking that will move forward the process of renewing our minds. Each time we repeat our positive affirmations and our affirmative prayers, we make a little progress toward our goal. We repeat it, and we move forward a little more – and on and on it goes. The good news here is that we can soon begin to see change taking place and that change, no matter how small, is significant. When we experience the fact that change is possible; when we see through our own experience that we are actually making gains – this provides us with the ability to live in hope and optimism.
As time passes and we remain faithful in our practice, the pace of change accelerates. Our friends and associates will notice that we are somehow different. Even if they can’t put their finger on exactly what has changed, they know that for some reason you are easier to be around. Whereas before you often greeted them with a flat expression and a diverted gaze, now you approach them with a smile and look them in the eye. And guess what, my friend? This opens a door for you to share the source of the “new you.” As you continue to manifest the fact that you are, indeed, a new creation, you will have increased opportunities to share how this all came about.
Renewal of the mind, as Paul pointed out, is the key to an effective walk of faith. If you have been ignoring Paul’s insistence of cognitive renewal, why not get back to it? And if you have been avoiding this teaching, why not push yourself to get on with it? Your progress will be minimal until you place a renewed mind in the new you, the new creation.
Also, I suggest that you keep in mind the goal of all this work toward the mind’s renewal, as well as other disciplines in your program of spiritual formation. You want to get to the point where, as the Apostle, you can say with confidence the four words that best describe the state of the truly transformed Christian’s life:
Not I, but Christ…
© L.D. Turner 2010/All Rights Reserved
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Kingdom Principles: Growth and Interdependence
L.D. Turner
When God places his call on our lives, it is at that point we have a critical decision to make. Are we going to answer his call, or are we going to refuse? No matter how we may try to complicate the issue, it really remains that simple. Just as Jonah had a choice to follow God’s call and go to Nineveh, we have the same choice. Hopefully, we answer in the affirmative and avoid much of the trouble that Jonah encountered.
I have grown to believe that it is essential that we see our own personal calling or mission in the context of a much larger picture. For Christians, the “big picture” context through which we must come to view our calling is “Kingdom Manifestation.” God’s great story of restoration, renewal, and redemption involves the establishment of his kingdom here on earth. It is precisely this big picture that Jesus alluded to in his model prayer for us:
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth, as it is in heaven.
As new creations “in Christ,” we are called to help manifest God’s kingdom here on earth and, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to meet this challenge. The Kingdom of God is a multi-faceted phenomenon and requires knowledge of the principles of manifestation if it is ever to be established. These principles are God’s eternal laws, built right into the fabric of the universe and it is part of our task to discern these laws and find ways to apply them in our daily living. This process enables us to become more effective as disciples of Christ and more productive in our lives.
A key aspect of God’s universal plan for humankind is that each of us should do all that we can to realize our divine potential and become the optimal version of who and what we are. Even the most cursory look at God’s creation reveals a universal principle of dynamic growth. Simple observation reveals that when something ceases to grow, decay sets in. As Christians, this principle certainly applies to our walk of faith. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we are to continue to grow and evolve as members of the Body of Christ.
Scripture reveals that we are expected to become more and more like Christ. For many of us, we think this an impossible goal. However, if Scripture does tell us that we are to grow into Christ-like beings, then chances are that is exactly what it means. Some scholars think that Paul was merely engaging in a bit of literary hyperbole when he asserted this, but careful reading of the text does not support this idea. Instead, we are to manifest the fullness of Christ.
Over the years, I have come to view our life “in Christ,” as being analogous to that of being in the womb. Just as a fetus spends its time in the womb being worked upon by forces that enable it to grow into a being that will be capable of surviving within the parameters of the world it will eventually live in, so it is with our life “in Christ.” As we grow in the Christian life, we are being acted upon by divine forces that will eventually transform us into beings that can prosper in the spiritual world, which will be our next home.
There is one huge difference between our being in the physical womb of our mother and being in the spiritual womb in Christ, however. In the spiritual womb, we also have a major part to play in the growth process. Granted, we cannot save ourselves and, if I can use myself as an example, we cannot sanctify ourselves, either. But we can and must do all that we can. We need to engage in consistent and committed spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fasting, meditation, and especially, sacred service. By engaging in these time-honored practices, we place ourselves in a position of receptivity whereby these spiritual forces, namely the Holy Spirit, can carry out our proper gestation in preparation for our birth into the spiritual realm.
I have come to firmly believe that gaining knowledge of these principles of Kingdom Manifestation and how to apply them in service to God and others is one of the major revelations the Master is giving to humankind in this age. We are now in a period of intense spiritual activity in the unseen realms and this activity is having a very notable impact on our physical world. We are in a period of accelerated activity and the pace of change is rapid. The time is ripe for greater application of Kingdom Principles, with the goal of establishing God’s Kingdom on earth.
Closely related to this phenomenon of the revelation of Kingdom Principles is another teaching the Spirit is imparting to humankind in this age. I am referring to what I call the Principle of Interdependence, which implies that all aspects of creation are interrelated and what impacts one part impacts all other parts. Perhaps we need to look at this a bit more closely.
The idea of interconnectivity, now confirmed by the field of quantum physics, has been around for many centuries and is at the core of interspiritual mysticism, that one aspect of world religion that seems to transcend culture, time, and especially theology. It is a mystical connectedness that promotes compassion and engaged action to make the world a better place for all who dwell here. In essence, it is a deep wisdom that gives flesh to grace. The great spiritual writer Kahil Gibran spoke of this interconnected reality when he said:
Your neighbor is your other self dwelling behind a wall. In understanding, all walls shall fall down. Who knows but that your neighbor is your better self wearing another body? See that you love him as you would yourself. He too is a manifestation of the Most High.
In India, for example, we have the story of Indra’s Net, which is strung throughout the universe with a precious jewel at the places where the cords of the net intersect. These jewels, in turn, reflect all of the other jewels. Similar to the modern discovery of the hologram, the image of Indra’s Net is filled with symbolic wisdom depicting the interconnectivity of all that is. Gary Zukav, in his groundbreaking book entitled, The Dancing Wu Li Masters tell us:
…the philosophical implications of quantum mechanics is that all things in our universe (including us) that appears to exist independently are actually parts of one all-encompassing organic pattern, and that no parts of that pattern are ever really separate from it or from each other.
In the Christian tradition, the writings of the great mystic teachers echo these same truths, often in symbolic and metaphorical ways. Julian of Norwich especially comes to mind as well as Hildegard of Bingen and Madame Guyon. The writings of Saint Theresa of Avila and the life and work of St. Francis also point to the interconnectivity of all life and the necessity of having a heart of radical compassion.
The great Romantic poets like William Wordsworth and Percy B. Shelley have voices that ring loudly with the sense of the interrelated aspects of the natural world and their American counterparts, the Transcendentalists, in the writings of Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman, also echo this theme of divine connectivity. And then there is the work of that master of the arcane, William Blake who spoke of the mystic’s ability:
To see a World in a grain of sand,
And Heaven in a wild flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,
And Eternity in an hour.
The world that we interact with each day only appears to be solid. In point of fact, it is an intricate dance of sub-atomic waves and particles that obey none of the traditional or expected moves of predictable choreography. At its core level, our apparently solid, material world is less like classical music and more like jazz. Just when we think we have a handle on how things are, these very things change, morphing into something totally unexpected and often totally mysterious. Someone wise, I forget who, once said the life is not a riddle to be solved but a mystery to be lived. How true, and the sooner a person grasps this fundamental truth, the less frustration will appear in his or her life.
In teaching about the interrelated aspect of the universe, I often use a simple analogy that explains these principles in a basic way. I use the example of raisin Jell-o. Imagine you have concocted a delicious tub or raisin Jell-o. Choose your favorite flavor if you like. The raisins are the important thing, here. Now, what happens when you take your index finger and thump one of the raisins? All the raisins move. Crude as this metaphor is, it makes the point that all the raisins in the bowl are connected and if one raisin moves, they all move. This is what the mystics, and the quantum physicists, are talking about when they speak of interconnectivity.
Christian writer and teacher Elizabeth Elliot, looking at God’s wondrous creation with both attentiveness and wisdom, grasps the profundity of this theme of interconnectedness and how it illustrates a foundation of commonality between humans and other species in God’s creation:
The closer one comes to the center of things, the better able he is to observe the connections. Everything created is connected, for everything is produced by the same mind, the same love, and is dependent on the same Creator. He who masterminded the universe, the Lord God Omnipotent, is the One who called the stars into being, commanded light, spoke the Word that brought about the existence of time and space and every form of matter: salt and stone, rose and redwood, feather and fur and fin and flesh. The titmouse and the turkey answer to Him. The sheep, the pig, and the finch are His, at His disposal, possessed and known by Him…We too are created, owned, possessed, known.
As we have seen, God’s purposes for humankind must be seen through a larger lens than our own myopic concerns and needs. As individual parts of a much larger organism (The Body of Christ), we must now view our need for growth in Christ within the framework of a much broader network. The Principle of Interdependence reveals that our actions are never completely isolated from others. In conclusion, let’s take a look at how the principle of becoming the optimal version of ourselves for the sake of others dances with the Principle of Interdependence.
This vital perspective should be obvious by now. If we fail to grow and evolve as spiritual beings in Christ, we will not only effect ourselves in a negative way, but we will be like a weight or drag on the progress of the Body of Christ as a whole. Further, it should also be apparent by now that part of our function as agents for Christ is to create conditions in which others can also grow. We are to do all that we can to become the optimal versions of who and what we are, and, as committed members of the Body of Christ, we are to also help others to grow.
When we operate from our Spirit, we naturally understand this. I am convinced our Sacred Mind, which is the Mind of Christ, understands these principles and how to apply them to their best advantage. The more we come to live and move from our Sacred Mind, the more skillful we become at accomplishing this universal task of growing and helping others to grow.
Conversely, when we live from our flesh or our “lower mind,” we cannot see the forest for the trees, nor can we overcome our egocentric myopia long enough to understand and apply these principles.
I encourage you to start today. Practice the classic spiritual disciplines and place yourself in a more centered and receptive state of being. Pray consistently for wisdom, discernment, and empowerment to carry forward your part in God’s overall process of restoration and renewal. And always remember, when you help yourself to grow, you are helping others and, when they end up helping as well, it comes back to you one hundred fold.
© L.D. Turner 2009/ All Rights Reserved
When God places his call on our lives, it is at that point we have a critical decision to make. Are we going to answer his call, or are we going to refuse? No matter how we may try to complicate the issue, it really remains that simple. Just as Jonah had a choice to follow God’s call and go to Nineveh, we have the same choice. Hopefully, we answer in the affirmative and avoid much of the trouble that Jonah encountered.
I have grown to believe that it is essential that we see our own personal calling or mission in the context of a much larger picture. For Christians, the “big picture” context through which we must come to view our calling is “Kingdom Manifestation.” God’s great story of restoration, renewal, and redemption involves the establishment of his kingdom here on earth. It is precisely this big picture that Jesus alluded to in his model prayer for us:
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth, as it is in heaven.
As new creations “in Christ,” we are called to help manifest God’s kingdom here on earth and, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to meet this challenge. The Kingdom of God is a multi-faceted phenomenon and requires knowledge of the principles of manifestation if it is ever to be established. These principles are God’s eternal laws, built right into the fabric of the universe and it is part of our task to discern these laws and find ways to apply them in our daily living. This process enables us to become more effective as disciples of Christ and more productive in our lives.
A key aspect of God’s universal plan for humankind is that each of us should do all that we can to realize our divine potential and become the optimal version of who and what we are. Even the most cursory look at God’s creation reveals a universal principle of dynamic growth. Simple observation reveals that when something ceases to grow, decay sets in. As Christians, this principle certainly applies to our walk of faith. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we are to continue to grow and evolve as members of the Body of Christ.
Scripture reveals that we are expected to become more and more like Christ. For many of us, we think this an impossible goal. However, if Scripture does tell us that we are to grow into Christ-like beings, then chances are that is exactly what it means. Some scholars think that Paul was merely engaging in a bit of literary hyperbole when he asserted this, but careful reading of the text does not support this idea. Instead, we are to manifest the fullness of Christ.
Over the years, I have come to view our life “in Christ,” as being analogous to that of being in the womb. Just as a fetus spends its time in the womb being worked upon by forces that enable it to grow into a being that will be capable of surviving within the parameters of the world it will eventually live in, so it is with our life “in Christ.” As we grow in the Christian life, we are being acted upon by divine forces that will eventually transform us into beings that can prosper in the spiritual world, which will be our next home.
There is one huge difference between our being in the physical womb of our mother and being in the spiritual womb in Christ, however. In the spiritual womb, we also have a major part to play in the growth process. Granted, we cannot save ourselves and, if I can use myself as an example, we cannot sanctify ourselves, either. But we can and must do all that we can. We need to engage in consistent and committed spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fasting, meditation, and especially, sacred service. By engaging in these time-honored practices, we place ourselves in a position of receptivity whereby these spiritual forces, namely the Holy Spirit, can carry out our proper gestation in preparation for our birth into the spiritual realm.
I have come to firmly believe that gaining knowledge of these principles of Kingdom Manifestation and how to apply them in service to God and others is one of the major revelations the Master is giving to humankind in this age. We are now in a period of intense spiritual activity in the unseen realms and this activity is having a very notable impact on our physical world. We are in a period of accelerated activity and the pace of change is rapid. The time is ripe for greater application of Kingdom Principles, with the goal of establishing God’s Kingdom on earth.
Closely related to this phenomenon of the revelation of Kingdom Principles is another teaching the Spirit is imparting to humankind in this age. I am referring to what I call the Principle of Interdependence, which implies that all aspects of creation are interrelated and what impacts one part impacts all other parts. Perhaps we need to look at this a bit more closely.
The idea of interconnectivity, now confirmed by the field of quantum physics, has been around for many centuries and is at the core of interspiritual mysticism, that one aspect of world religion that seems to transcend culture, time, and especially theology. It is a mystical connectedness that promotes compassion and engaged action to make the world a better place for all who dwell here. In essence, it is a deep wisdom that gives flesh to grace. The great spiritual writer Kahil Gibran spoke of this interconnected reality when he said:
Your neighbor is your other self dwelling behind a wall. In understanding, all walls shall fall down. Who knows but that your neighbor is your better self wearing another body? See that you love him as you would yourself. He too is a manifestation of the Most High.
In India, for example, we have the story of Indra’s Net, which is strung throughout the universe with a precious jewel at the places where the cords of the net intersect. These jewels, in turn, reflect all of the other jewels. Similar to the modern discovery of the hologram, the image of Indra’s Net is filled with symbolic wisdom depicting the interconnectivity of all that is. Gary Zukav, in his groundbreaking book entitled, The Dancing Wu Li Masters tell us:
…the philosophical implications of quantum mechanics is that all things in our universe (including us) that appears to exist independently are actually parts of one all-encompassing organic pattern, and that no parts of that pattern are ever really separate from it or from each other.
In the Christian tradition, the writings of the great mystic teachers echo these same truths, often in symbolic and metaphorical ways. Julian of Norwich especially comes to mind as well as Hildegard of Bingen and Madame Guyon. The writings of Saint Theresa of Avila and the life and work of St. Francis also point to the interconnectivity of all life and the necessity of having a heart of radical compassion.
The great Romantic poets like William Wordsworth and Percy B. Shelley have voices that ring loudly with the sense of the interrelated aspects of the natural world and their American counterparts, the Transcendentalists, in the writings of Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman, also echo this theme of divine connectivity. And then there is the work of that master of the arcane, William Blake who spoke of the mystic’s ability:
To see a World in a grain of sand,
And Heaven in a wild flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,
And Eternity in an hour.
The world that we interact with each day only appears to be solid. In point of fact, it is an intricate dance of sub-atomic waves and particles that obey none of the traditional or expected moves of predictable choreography. At its core level, our apparently solid, material world is less like classical music and more like jazz. Just when we think we have a handle on how things are, these very things change, morphing into something totally unexpected and often totally mysterious. Someone wise, I forget who, once said the life is not a riddle to be solved but a mystery to be lived. How true, and the sooner a person grasps this fundamental truth, the less frustration will appear in his or her life.
In teaching about the interrelated aspect of the universe, I often use a simple analogy that explains these principles in a basic way. I use the example of raisin Jell-o. Imagine you have concocted a delicious tub or raisin Jell-o. Choose your favorite flavor if you like. The raisins are the important thing, here. Now, what happens when you take your index finger and thump one of the raisins? All the raisins move. Crude as this metaphor is, it makes the point that all the raisins in the bowl are connected and if one raisin moves, they all move. This is what the mystics, and the quantum physicists, are talking about when they speak of interconnectivity.
Christian writer and teacher Elizabeth Elliot, looking at God’s wondrous creation with both attentiveness and wisdom, grasps the profundity of this theme of interconnectedness and how it illustrates a foundation of commonality between humans and other species in God’s creation:
The closer one comes to the center of things, the better able he is to observe the connections. Everything created is connected, for everything is produced by the same mind, the same love, and is dependent on the same Creator. He who masterminded the universe, the Lord God Omnipotent, is the One who called the stars into being, commanded light, spoke the Word that brought about the existence of time and space and every form of matter: salt and stone, rose and redwood, feather and fur and fin and flesh. The titmouse and the turkey answer to Him. The sheep, the pig, and the finch are His, at His disposal, possessed and known by Him…We too are created, owned, possessed, known.
As we have seen, God’s purposes for humankind must be seen through a larger lens than our own myopic concerns and needs. As individual parts of a much larger organism (The Body of Christ), we must now view our need for growth in Christ within the framework of a much broader network. The Principle of Interdependence reveals that our actions are never completely isolated from others. In conclusion, let’s take a look at how the principle of becoming the optimal version of ourselves for the sake of others dances with the Principle of Interdependence.
This vital perspective should be obvious by now. If we fail to grow and evolve as spiritual beings in Christ, we will not only effect ourselves in a negative way, but we will be like a weight or drag on the progress of the Body of Christ as a whole. Further, it should also be apparent by now that part of our function as agents for Christ is to create conditions in which others can also grow. We are to do all that we can to become the optimal versions of who and what we are, and, as committed members of the Body of Christ, we are to also help others to grow.
When we operate from our Spirit, we naturally understand this. I am convinced our Sacred Mind, which is the Mind of Christ, understands these principles and how to apply them to their best advantage. The more we come to live and move from our Sacred Mind, the more skillful we become at accomplishing this universal task of growing and helping others to grow.
Conversely, when we live from our flesh or our “lower mind,” we cannot see the forest for the trees, nor can we overcome our egocentric myopia long enough to understand and apply these principles.
I encourage you to start today. Practice the classic spiritual disciplines and place yourself in a more centered and receptive state of being. Pray consistently for wisdom, discernment, and empowerment to carry forward your part in God’s overall process of restoration and renewal. And always remember, when you help yourself to grow, you are helping others and, when they end up helping as well, it comes back to you one hundred fold.
© L.D. Turner 2009/ All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
It's Time to Become Who You Really Are
L. Dwight Turner
In the Christian’s journey of faith it is foundational to understand the following biblical principles before we travel very far down the road of spiritual formation:
God has provided everything we need in order to develop and evolve spiritually. It seems he has done this in ways that are highly mysterious but also highly effective. One way of looking at it is that he has provided all that we will ever need on the spiritual level and also he has provided, through the person of the Holy Spirit, the power we need in order to contact these spiritual blessings and bring them down from the spiritual world and into manifestation in our daily lives.
Once we understand this fundamental reality, the logical questions now center on what our responsibilities are in this process. Some advocates of the “everything is by grace” school would insist there is nothing we can do to grow in the spiritual life, but even a minimal check of the reality of the situation would prove that position untenable. There is plenty for us to do as the process of our spiritual development, what is called our “sanctification,” is a joint venture.
Our part in this is first, to place ourselves into a position of receptivity and obedience. We can increase receptivity by practicing the classical spiritual disciplines, especially meditation, prayer, lectio divina, and contemplation. In terms of obedience, we do not need to make this process overly complicated. Most of God’s will for our lives in revealed in Sacred Scripture, but many of us ignore this aspect of obedience by looking for God’s “specific will,” which is fine, but can also be an exercise in self-absorption.
The other aspect of practical Christianity involves advancing God’s kingdom through service to others. That service, motivated by compassion and fueled by kindness is our main task. If we are to be truly obedient, we start right here.
So you see, here we have three aspects of practical faith before us:
Receptivity
Obedience
Service
The fourth element I might add to this is Sacred Character. The formation of sacred character is the goal of any path of spiritual formation. Sacred Scripture informs us that we have the mind of Christ and few of us it seems realizes just what a blessing this is. In addition to our own mind, we have operating in us the same mind that operated in Jesus when he walked the earth. We find that mind through quieting our own internal chatter enough to encounter Sacred Silence. The disciplines of meditation and especially contemplation are highly important here. It is through the transformative encounters we have with Sacred Silence and our Inner Light that the foundation stones for our journey of spiritual formation are laid. Encouraged by our increasing contact with the Divine Source, we are better equipped to walk boldly in the world and deal with the vicissitudes of life.
Sacred Character is synonymous with moral integrity. We know who we are, how we are supposed to live, and with the power of the Holy Spirit, we live consistently with those values. Sacred Character means that we have a highly developed, internalized worldview and concomitant value system and that we live accordingly. In this way, Sacred Character becomes a bridge that connects our receptivity and our obedience with our service to the world. Here, then, we have the dynamic of our four responses to God’s grace and equipping:
Receptivity
Obedience
Character
Service
If we seek a workable model of a person who integrated these four aspects of a dynamic relationship with the Father, we need look no further than Jesus. If ever a person was receptive and obedient to God, it was the Master. A deep, abiding sacred character was also evident in all Jesus said and did. And as far as service is concerned, Jesus gave us a great example in the 13th chapter of John when he introduced the disciples (and us) to the ministry of the towel.
I am certain you are aware of Paul's idea, repeated in one way or another throughout his correspondence with the fledgling churches, of the relationship between Jesus and God. Paul tells us that all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell in Christ, which meant that God and Jesus were in some mysterious way the same being. In the Jewish culture of his day, Paul was making an incredible claim here. Jews were not supposed to make any image of God and even to speak his name was considered a capital offense. Now, here was Paul echoing Jesus by implying that the great and mighty Jehovah was in essence a loving, creator who was not only the Father of Jesus, but was also Jesus himself. And the reverse was true. Jesus was not only a great teacher and a skilled Rabbi; He was not only a great healer and the leader of a band of shady-looking disciples; Jesus, according to Paul, was Jehovah Himself.
Standing alone, that sort of statement was enough to give the High Priest a major migraine.
Paul, however, wasn't finished. In fact, he was just getting started. If you take a look at Ephesians 3:19, the Apostle tells the early church members that he prays "that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (NSRV) Here Paul was pulling no punches; instead, he went straight for the knockout. Paul basically was saying that he prayed for and believed that, as Christians, the new believers were expected to become like Jesus.
No wonder the religious establishment saw Paul as a dangerous, if not demented, man. Equating Jesus with God was a reach. Saying that a human being could become like Jesus was beyond the pale of comprehension and acceptability.
Yet is precisely the character of Christ that we are charged to develop within ourselves. In order to accomplish this great mission we have a divine partner in the Holy Spirit and our Christian brothers and sisters for power, guidance, and support. An open, honest relationship with the Holy Spirit is where we must place our energies at this time, even though much confusion and lack of knowledge about the Holy Spirit exists. We are told by Jesus that the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is where we are to focus our efforts for learning and guidance. Unfortunately, many of us refuse to get too close to the Spirit, as we operate primarily out of fear and ignorance.
Part of our process of appropriating the divine gifts already provided by God in the spiritual realm involves claiming them. This process is not so much “name it and claim it” as often espoused in the so-called “Prosperity Gospel,” but does involve a similar principle. We are not claiming something that is not rightfully ours, but instead, we are claiming the free gifts of grace provided to us and for us as joint heirs with Christ. In this sense, we do “name and claim,” – we name and claim what scripture tells us we should name and claim. In fact, if we fail to claim these free gifts of God’s grace we are, in essence, rejecting much of what Christ achieved on our behalf.
One other aspect of this also needs to be mentioned. By naming and claiming the gifts of character that are rightfully ours by virtue of our new status of being “in Christ,” we are not pushing God to act in our behalf and do our bidding. Instead, we are recognizing, accepting, and appropriating what God has already done through Christ. This may seem to be a subtle distinction, but it makes all the difference in the world. By recognizing and claiming our scriptural status as new creations in Christ, we are exercising our faith in God and praising him for what he has already accomplished.
Unlike the prosperity preachers, we are not turning God into some sort of cosmic bellhop who fetches at our command. Instead, by claiming his free gift of a new heart, a renewed mind, and a transformed character, we are recognizing God for what he is, a loving Father who has provided everything we will ever need to live the kind of life he desires for us.
As new creations in Christ, we are blessed indeed.
© L.D. Turner 2009/All Rights Reserved
In the Christian’s journey of faith it is foundational to understand the following biblical principles before we travel very far down the road of spiritual formation:
God has provided everything we need in order to develop and evolve spiritually. It seems he has done this in ways that are highly mysterious but also highly effective. One way of looking at it is that he has provided all that we will ever need on the spiritual level and also he has provided, through the person of the Holy Spirit, the power we need in order to contact these spiritual blessings and bring them down from the spiritual world and into manifestation in our daily lives.
Once we understand this fundamental reality, the logical questions now center on what our responsibilities are in this process. Some advocates of the “everything is by grace” school would insist there is nothing we can do to grow in the spiritual life, but even a minimal check of the reality of the situation would prove that position untenable. There is plenty for us to do as the process of our spiritual development, what is called our “sanctification,” is a joint venture.
Our part in this is first, to place ourselves into a position of receptivity and obedience. We can increase receptivity by practicing the classical spiritual disciplines, especially meditation, prayer, lectio divina, and contemplation. In terms of obedience, we do not need to make this process overly complicated. Most of God’s will for our lives in revealed in Sacred Scripture, but many of us ignore this aspect of obedience by looking for God’s “specific will,” which is fine, but can also be an exercise in self-absorption.
The other aspect of practical Christianity involves advancing God’s kingdom through service to others. That service, motivated by compassion and fueled by kindness is our main task. If we are to be truly obedient, we start right here.
So you see, here we have three aspects of practical faith before us:
Receptivity
Obedience
Service
The fourth element I might add to this is Sacred Character. The formation of sacred character is the goal of any path of spiritual formation. Sacred Scripture informs us that we have the mind of Christ and few of us it seems realizes just what a blessing this is. In addition to our own mind, we have operating in us the same mind that operated in Jesus when he walked the earth. We find that mind through quieting our own internal chatter enough to encounter Sacred Silence. The disciplines of meditation and especially contemplation are highly important here. It is through the transformative encounters we have with Sacred Silence and our Inner Light that the foundation stones for our journey of spiritual formation are laid. Encouraged by our increasing contact with the Divine Source, we are better equipped to walk boldly in the world and deal with the vicissitudes of life.
Sacred Character is synonymous with moral integrity. We know who we are, how we are supposed to live, and with the power of the Holy Spirit, we live consistently with those values. Sacred Character means that we have a highly developed, internalized worldview and concomitant value system and that we live accordingly. In this way, Sacred Character becomes a bridge that connects our receptivity and our obedience with our service to the world. Here, then, we have the dynamic of our four responses to God’s grace and equipping:
Receptivity
Obedience
Character
Service
If we seek a workable model of a person who integrated these four aspects of a dynamic relationship with the Father, we need look no further than Jesus. If ever a person was receptive and obedient to God, it was the Master. A deep, abiding sacred character was also evident in all Jesus said and did. And as far as service is concerned, Jesus gave us a great example in the 13th chapter of John when he introduced the disciples (and us) to the ministry of the towel.
I am certain you are aware of Paul's idea, repeated in one way or another throughout his correspondence with the fledgling churches, of the relationship between Jesus and God. Paul tells us that all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell in Christ, which meant that God and Jesus were in some mysterious way the same being. In the Jewish culture of his day, Paul was making an incredible claim here. Jews were not supposed to make any image of God and even to speak his name was considered a capital offense. Now, here was Paul echoing Jesus by implying that the great and mighty Jehovah was in essence a loving, creator who was not only the Father of Jesus, but was also Jesus himself. And the reverse was true. Jesus was not only a great teacher and a skilled Rabbi; He was not only a great healer and the leader of a band of shady-looking disciples; Jesus, according to Paul, was Jehovah Himself.
Standing alone, that sort of statement was enough to give the High Priest a major migraine.
Paul, however, wasn't finished. In fact, he was just getting started. If you take a look at Ephesians 3:19, the Apostle tells the early church members that he prays "that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (NSRV) Here Paul was pulling no punches; instead, he went straight for the knockout. Paul basically was saying that he prayed for and believed that, as Christians, the new believers were expected to become like Jesus.
No wonder the religious establishment saw Paul as a dangerous, if not demented, man. Equating Jesus with God was a reach. Saying that a human being could become like Jesus was beyond the pale of comprehension and acceptability.
Yet is precisely the character of Christ that we are charged to develop within ourselves. In order to accomplish this great mission we have a divine partner in the Holy Spirit and our Christian brothers and sisters for power, guidance, and support. An open, honest relationship with the Holy Spirit is where we must place our energies at this time, even though much confusion and lack of knowledge about the Holy Spirit exists. We are told by Jesus that the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is where we are to focus our efforts for learning and guidance. Unfortunately, many of us refuse to get too close to the Spirit, as we operate primarily out of fear and ignorance.
Part of our process of appropriating the divine gifts already provided by God in the spiritual realm involves claiming them. This process is not so much “name it and claim it” as often espoused in the so-called “Prosperity Gospel,” but does involve a similar principle. We are not claiming something that is not rightfully ours, but instead, we are claiming the free gifts of grace provided to us and for us as joint heirs with Christ. In this sense, we do “name and claim,” – we name and claim what scripture tells us we should name and claim. In fact, if we fail to claim these free gifts of God’s grace we are, in essence, rejecting much of what Christ achieved on our behalf.
One other aspect of this also needs to be mentioned. By naming and claiming the gifts of character that are rightfully ours by virtue of our new status of being “in Christ,” we are not pushing God to act in our behalf and do our bidding. Instead, we are recognizing, accepting, and appropriating what God has already done through Christ. This may seem to be a subtle distinction, but it makes all the difference in the world. By recognizing and claiming our scriptural status as new creations in Christ, we are exercising our faith in God and praising him for what he has already accomplished.
Unlike the prosperity preachers, we are not turning God into some sort of cosmic bellhop who fetches at our command. Instead, by claiming his free gift of a new heart, a renewed mind, and a transformed character, we are recognizing God for what he is, a loving Father who has provided everything we will ever need to live the kind of life he desires for us.
As new creations in Christ, we are blessed indeed.
© L.D. Turner 2009/All Rights Reserved
Friday, September 18, 2009
Formation in Christ: Align and Abide
L.Dwight Turner
If a person is discerning enough to see beneath the sea of “Sunday smiles” and outward displays of spiritual satisfaction, it would quickly become apparent that many Christians seem to be living, in the words of Thoreau, lives of "quiet desperation.” It is as if many sincere believers are staggering about under a dark cloud of disappointment and, deep in their inner core, asking themselves, “Is this all there is?” Although Jesus came to give abundant life, it is quite commonplace to see depression, anxiety, fear, and a host of other negative emotional states ride on the backs of sincere Christians and, to make matters worse, most have no clue as to why.
Even the most superficial scan of scripture will reveal that this is not the way things were intended to be. We are, in fact, promised to "have life more abundantly" (John 10:10). So what is the basic issue here? Why are so many within the Body of Christ so beset?
The basic issue here seems to be one of misalignment. Let me explain this in brief. Scripture reveals that we are composed of three aspects, Body, Psyche, and Spirit. Space does not permit a detailed description of this tripartite makeup of our being, but a few words of explanation or in order.
1. Our body is the home of our being while here on earth. God created us primarily as spirit beings, but in order to dwell in the physical world, we need a physical home, thus our physical bodies.
2. Things become a bit more complicated when discussing our mind. The biblical term most often used to describe this aspect of our being is “soul” and the Greek word is “psuche.” It is obvious that our English term “psyche” is derived from this word. Our psyche includes our cognitive life (thoughts), our emotions, our will and our habituated responses to life (our habits). Since the Fall, our Spirit has been inactive and our soul or psyche has been in charge. This was not what God intended and the results of this usurpation of power have been dismal.
3. Our Spirit is the key to living a life in accordance with God’s will and plan. Our human spirit became inactive at the Fall, and was dethroned by our psyche. Yet, God intended for our human spirit to be the vehicle whereby the Holy Spirit could communicate with each of us. It is interesting to note that the Greek word for the human “spirit” is “pneuma” and is the same word as the one used in Holy “Spirit.” Obviously, God intended a strong connection between our spirits and the Holy Spirit. Further, it was our human spirit that God intended to be used when we communicated with the spiritual world.
Once our spirit is reactivated through conversion, we are supposed to live a life where the Spirit is in the pilot's seat so to speak, directing the thoughts and actions of the mind and body. But here is the rub. Just because we become Christians, the mind doesn't just go away. The old mind remains strong and active. Here perhaps a better word is psyche. The psyche is composed of our thoughts, feelings, temperament, and affections.
It is important to understand that the psyche has a life of its own and, more importantly, it has its own agenda. All of our life, the psyche has been in charge. The psyche has called the shots and it isn't about to give up this role without a fight. So the fact of the matter is that as soon as we enter the Christian walk, a battle is set up inside between the psyche and the spirit. This battle is basically between our old self and our new self or, as Paul puts it, between our flesh and our spirit.
As Christians, we are called to walk in the Spirit. What does this mean? It means the Spirit is supposed to take precedent in our lives. The Spirit is the presence of God within us. This is our new command center. But, as stated earlier, there is an internal war in progress and the fact is, our enemy in this sense is our psyche. It is our psyche that has to be put under control of the spirit. This process is never easy and we can never accomplish it on our own. But we are not left alone to fight this battle. God has promised to empower us to emerge victorious. He has said in Ezekiel that He will remove our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh; a new and living heart, controlled and directed by the Holy Spirit.
The problem is most Christians lose this battle on a daily basis because they have not been taught, or if they have been taught, they have resisted, the methodology of how to procure the necessary tools to fight the enemy and ultimately gain victory over their old self.
The solution to this problem is complicated on some levels perhaps, but basically it is quite simple. We have to undergo a realignment whereby our bodies, psyche, and spirit become a functioning whole with a unified purpose. This new alignment is under the direction of the Spirit. As we go through the process of this alignment, we are also told by Christ that we are to abide. "Abide in me.." he tells us. So we can say that what we are called to do is to align and abide. The problem is that most Christians never learn how to do this. There are many reasons for this but space does not allow for a discussion of that here. At its core, this problem I think has resulted from the ongoing faith/works controversy and has placed much of the church in a position of being dis-empowered and paralyzed spiritually. What the church must now do is to rediscover how to align and abide. I say rediscover because the methodology for this process has been around since the beginning of the church.
One other note here. Any discussion of alignment should include the fact that this process has an inner dimension and an outer dimension. Actually, there is no real distinction in essence, but to define it in these terms seems more comprehensive. The inner dimension involves achieving an alignment as follows:
Spirit
Psyche
Body
The outer dimension involves the alignment spoken of by Christ in the Gospel of John when he prays that we are in Him as he is in the Father. So the outer dimension looks like this:
God
Christ
Human
Looked at from this perspective, the inner dimension reflects the reality that the mind, when controlled by the Spirit in proper alignment, is the mediator between the Spirit and the body and thus, the mediator between the Spirit and our actions in the world. That is why we have to "renew our minds" or, again in the words of Paul, "have the mind of Christ". Only by doing so can we then effectively incarnate the Spirit through us and into the world. The outer dimension reflects the reality of the Gospel in its essence. It is only through Christ that we can connect with the Father and this awareness sheds light on Jesus' statement that he who has seen me has seen the Father. It is also scripturally sound in that it reflects the words of Paul that alludes to the fact that there is one mediator between God and man, and that is Jesus Christ.
How then are we supposed to bring the needed realignment about? The process is quite simple to understand, but sometimes difficult to apply. What we have to do is:
1. Trust God to do what He says he will do. We have to trust in and rely on the Holy Spirit.
2. We have to look to Christ as our model of how to walk in faith.
3. We have to rediscover the value and the power of "Spiritual Disciplines"
4. We have to directly confront and, with the help of the Spirit, deal with the psyche in all its subtle ramifications and retrain it to be subordinate to and in line with the directions of the Spirit. This is accomplished by following the Spirits lead as it "convicts of sin.” Many times what we call "sin" is a direct result of "misalignment". I think it can also be said that our problem with misalignment began with the Fall, when the original couple tried to “be as god” and wound up putting the soul (psyche) on the throne where Spirit should rule. That is where all behavior that we call sin comes from.
5. At LifeBrook, we often stress what we call “conscious cognition” as a vital part in abiding. Basically, this refers to the process of renewing the mind in general and dealing with our thought life in particular. Conscious Cognition involves directly dealing with our thoughts, taking thoughts captive for Christ, tearing down strongholds, and learning to think in more positive, optimistic, and constructive ways.
6. Perhaps the most significant aspect of establishing a life that is aligned with God and continues to abide in His will is obedience. More than anything else, obedience allows us to abide in God’s will more continuously and to manifest that will in proactive ways.
A misalignment where the psyche is dominant and the Spirit negated, even if it accomplishes much, can accomplish nothing that does not, at least at a subtle level, bear the taint of selfishness. Secondly, in order to accomplish this realignment we must "renew our minds" and I can think of no better way to do this than by actively sowing the seed of the Word of God into our hearts. Remember, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”
The sequence is important: first we align, and then we abide. Abiding is nothing more or less than maintaining our connection with the life giving Spirit of Christ. We must ever keep before us the words of the Master:
Apart from me, you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
We align by initiating a practice of spiritual disciplines that have been used for centuries in the church; practices such as prayer in its various forms, meditation (sacred silence and listening to God), study of and reflection upon Scripture, submission, service, and any other practice that is biblical, places Christ at the center, and seeks to discern God’s will and carry it out.
Again, proper alignment is central to every aspect of the Christian life. Without proper alignment we are more prone to walking in our own illusions and making mistakes, sometimes big and sometimes small. And what is it we are to align with? The answer is a simple one. We are to align with the Spirit of God that has been placed within us by the loving hand of the Father. At conversion our human spirit again became what it was in Genesis, alive. The Hebrew word for this is chay and the Greek is Zoe. New Testament writers almost always used this word, zoe, to describe life. Zoe is not ordinary life – the Greek word for that is bios – the root of our English word biology, which refers to the study of life. No, zoe was something far more significant. Zoe referred to “the life of God.”
This life, which God breathed into humanity at creation, was the animating force that gave life to our human spirit. With the Fall, this “zoe” or “chay” departed and in a way that was both real and symbolic, the human race became spiritual dead. Why? Because we no longer existed in union with God and, more to the point, we no longer had communion with God. Making matters worse, there was absolutely nothing that we humans could do about it. In and of ourselves, we were powerless to fix it. If a solution came, it would have to be from God.
Fortunately, God did provide a solution. We read about that solution in the famous Prologue to John’s Gospel. In the 18 verses that introduce his gospel, John paints a vivid picture of creation, the Fall, and God’s creative intervention to re-establish communion with his creation and restore life to the human Spirit. The whole drama centers of the person of Jesus Christ and provides us with a very clear picture of who and what Christ was (and still is). In a verse most telling, John tells us in regards to the Master:
In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
Sometimes what an author doesn’t say is as important as what he does say. In his prologue, John doesn’t say “In Him was bios,” which is the Greek word for physical life and the root where we get our English word biology. No, John instead chooses to say “In Him was zoe,” which implies “God’s life.” In essence, John is saying that in Christ the same life, God’s life, that existed in the Garden, was once again returning to earth. Something that had departed eons before with a bite out of a piece of fruit, was now returning with a birth in a stable.
As we are able align and abide, our zoe, our very life, becomes more vital and spirit-filled. More importantly, with proper alignment it is spirit-controlled. We then abide and, in the words of Paul, by abiding we are able to walk in the Spirit.
When we arrive at this point where we are able to truly walk in the spirit, with our renewed minds and our spirit-controlled body in proper alignment, we tend to experience the polar opposite of those harshly negative mental and emotional states discussed early in this post. Instead, Paul speaks clearly to us, saying that if we walk in the Spirit we will experience such blessed states as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
© L.D. Turner 2009/All Rights Reserved
If a person is discerning enough to see beneath the sea of “Sunday smiles” and outward displays of spiritual satisfaction, it would quickly become apparent that many Christians seem to be living, in the words of Thoreau, lives of "quiet desperation.” It is as if many sincere believers are staggering about under a dark cloud of disappointment and, deep in their inner core, asking themselves, “Is this all there is?” Although Jesus came to give abundant life, it is quite commonplace to see depression, anxiety, fear, and a host of other negative emotional states ride on the backs of sincere Christians and, to make matters worse, most have no clue as to why.
Even the most superficial scan of scripture will reveal that this is not the way things were intended to be. We are, in fact, promised to "have life more abundantly" (John 10:10). So what is the basic issue here? Why are so many within the Body of Christ so beset?
The basic issue here seems to be one of misalignment. Let me explain this in brief. Scripture reveals that we are composed of three aspects, Body, Psyche, and Spirit. Space does not permit a detailed description of this tripartite makeup of our being, but a few words of explanation or in order.
1. Our body is the home of our being while here on earth. God created us primarily as spirit beings, but in order to dwell in the physical world, we need a physical home, thus our physical bodies.
2. Things become a bit more complicated when discussing our mind. The biblical term most often used to describe this aspect of our being is “soul” and the Greek word is “psuche.” It is obvious that our English term “psyche” is derived from this word. Our psyche includes our cognitive life (thoughts), our emotions, our will and our habituated responses to life (our habits). Since the Fall, our Spirit has been inactive and our soul or psyche has been in charge. This was not what God intended and the results of this usurpation of power have been dismal.
3. Our Spirit is the key to living a life in accordance with God’s will and plan. Our human spirit became inactive at the Fall, and was dethroned by our psyche. Yet, God intended for our human spirit to be the vehicle whereby the Holy Spirit could communicate with each of us. It is interesting to note that the Greek word for the human “spirit” is “pneuma” and is the same word as the one used in Holy “Spirit.” Obviously, God intended a strong connection between our spirits and the Holy Spirit. Further, it was our human spirit that God intended to be used when we communicated with the spiritual world.
Once our spirit is reactivated through conversion, we are supposed to live a life where the Spirit is in the pilot's seat so to speak, directing the thoughts and actions of the mind and body. But here is the rub. Just because we become Christians, the mind doesn't just go away. The old mind remains strong and active. Here perhaps a better word is psyche. The psyche is composed of our thoughts, feelings, temperament, and affections.
It is important to understand that the psyche has a life of its own and, more importantly, it has its own agenda. All of our life, the psyche has been in charge. The psyche has called the shots and it isn't about to give up this role without a fight. So the fact of the matter is that as soon as we enter the Christian walk, a battle is set up inside between the psyche and the spirit. This battle is basically between our old self and our new self or, as Paul puts it, between our flesh and our spirit.
As Christians, we are called to walk in the Spirit. What does this mean? It means the Spirit is supposed to take precedent in our lives. The Spirit is the presence of God within us. This is our new command center. But, as stated earlier, there is an internal war in progress and the fact is, our enemy in this sense is our psyche. It is our psyche that has to be put under control of the spirit. This process is never easy and we can never accomplish it on our own. But we are not left alone to fight this battle. God has promised to empower us to emerge victorious. He has said in Ezekiel that He will remove our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh; a new and living heart, controlled and directed by the Holy Spirit.
The problem is most Christians lose this battle on a daily basis because they have not been taught, or if they have been taught, they have resisted, the methodology of how to procure the necessary tools to fight the enemy and ultimately gain victory over their old self.
The solution to this problem is complicated on some levels perhaps, but basically it is quite simple. We have to undergo a realignment whereby our bodies, psyche, and spirit become a functioning whole with a unified purpose. This new alignment is under the direction of the Spirit. As we go through the process of this alignment, we are also told by Christ that we are to abide. "Abide in me.." he tells us. So we can say that what we are called to do is to align and abide. The problem is that most Christians never learn how to do this. There are many reasons for this but space does not allow for a discussion of that here. At its core, this problem I think has resulted from the ongoing faith/works controversy and has placed much of the church in a position of being dis-empowered and paralyzed spiritually. What the church must now do is to rediscover how to align and abide. I say rediscover because the methodology for this process has been around since the beginning of the church.
One other note here. Any discussion of alignment should include the fact that this process has an inner dimension and an outer dimension. Actually, there is no real distinction in essence, but to define it in these terms seems more comprehensive. The inner dimension involves achieving an alignment as follows:
Spirit
Psyche
Body
The outer dimension involves the alignment spoken of by Christ in the Gospel of John when he prays that we are in Him as he is in the Father. So the outer dimension looks like this:
God
Christ
Human
Looked at from this perspective, the inner dimension reflects the reality that the mind, when controlled by the Spirit in proper alignment, is the mediator between the Spirit and the body and thus, the mediator between the Spirit and our actions in the world. That is why we have to "renew our minds" or, again in the words of Paul, "have the mind of Christ". Only by doing so can we then effectively incarnate the Spirit through us and into the world. The outer dimension reflects the reality of the Gospel in its essence. It is only through Christ that we can connect with the Father and this awareness sheds light on Jesus' statement that he who has seen me has seen the Father. It is also scripturally sound in that it reflects the words of Paul that alludes to the fact that there is one mediator between God and man, and that is Jesus Christ.
How then are we supposed to bring the needed realignment about? The process is quite simple to understand, but sometimes difficult to apply. What we have to do is:
1. Trust God to do what He says he will do. We have to trust in and rely on the Holy Spirit.
2. We have to look to Christ as our model of how to walk in faith.
3. We have to rediscover the value and the power of "Spiritual Disciplines"
4. We have to directly confront and, with the help of the Spirit, deal with the psyche in all its subtle ramifications and retrain it to be subordinate to and in line with the directions of the Spirit. This is accomplished by following the Spirits lead as it "convicts of sin.” Many times what we call "sin" is a direct result of "misalignment". I think it can also be said that our problem with misalignment began with the Fall, when the original couple tried to “be as god” and wound up putting the soul (psyche) on the throne where Spirit should rule. That is where all behavior that we call sin comes from.
5. At LifeBrook, we often stress what we call “conscious cognition” as a vital part in abiding. Basically, this refers to the process of renewing the mind in general and dealing with our thought life in particular. Conscious Cognition involves directly dealing with our thoughts, taking thoughts captive for Christ, tearing down strongholds, and learning to think in more positive, optimistic, and constructive ways.
6. Perhaps the most significant aspect of establishing a life that is aligned with God and continues to abide in His will is obedience. More than anything else, obedience allows us to abide in God’s will more continuously and to manifest that will in proactive ways.
A misalignment where the psyche is dominant and the Spirit negated, even if it accomplishes much, can accomplish nothing that does not, at least at a subtle level, bear the taint of selfishness. Secondly, in order to accomplish this realignment we must "renew our minds" and I can think of no better way to do this than by actively sowing the seed of the Word of God into our hearts. Remember, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”
The sequence is important: first we align, and then we abide. Abiding is nothing more or less than maintaining our connection with the life giving Spirit of Christ. We must ever keep before us the words of the Master:
Apart from me, you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
We align by initiating a practice of spiritual disciplines that have been used for centuries in the church; practices such as prayer in its various forms, meditation (sacred silence and listening to God), study of and reflection upon Scripture, submission, service, and any other practice that is biblical, places Christ at the center, and seeks to discern God’s will and carry it out.
Again, proper alignment is central to every aspect of the Christian life. Without proper alignment we are more prone to walking in our own illusions and making mistakes, sometimes big and sometimes small. And what is it we are to align with? The answer is a simple one. We are to align with the Spirit of God that has been placed within us by the loving hand of the Father. At conversion our human spirit again became what it was in Genesis, alive. The Hebrew word for this is chay and the Greek is Zoe. New Testament writers almost always used this word, zoe, to describe life. Zoe is not ordinary life – the Greek word for that is bios – the root of our English word biology, which refers to the study of life. No, zoe was something far more significant. Zoe referred to “the life of God.”
This life, which God breathed into humanity at creation, was the animating force that gave life to our human spirit. With the Fall, this “zoe” or “chay” departed and in a way that was both real and symbolic, the human race became spiritual dead. Why? Because we no longer existed in union with God and, more to the point, we no longer had communion with God. Making matters worse, there was absolutely nothing that we humans could do about it. In and of ourselves, we were powerless to fix it. If a solution came, it would have to be from God.
Fortunately, God did provide a solution. We read about that solution in the famous Prologue to John’s Gospel. In the 18 verses that introduce his gospel, John paints a vivid picture of creation, the Fall, and God’s creative intervention to re-establish communion with his creation and restore life to the human Spirit. The whole drama centers of the person of Jesus Christ and provides us with a very clear picture of who and what Christ was (and still is). In a verse most telling, John tells us in regards to the Master:
In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
Sometimes what an author doesn’t say is as important as what he does say. In his prologue, John doesn’t say “In Him was bios,” which is the Greek word for physical life and the root where we get our English word biology. No, John instead chooses to say “In Him was zoe,” which implies “God’s life.” In essence, John is saying that in Christ the same life, God’s life, that existed in the Garden, was once again returning to earth. Something that had departed eons before with a bite out of a piece of fruit, was now returning with a birth in a stable.
As we are able align and abide, our zoe, our very life, becomes more vital and spirit-filled. More importantly, with proper alignment it is spirit-controlled. We then abide and, in the words of Paul, by abiding we are able to walk in the Spirit.
When we arrive at this point where we are able to truly walk in the spirit, with our renewed minds and our spirit-controlled body in proper alignment, we tend to experience the polar opposite of those harshly negative mental and emotional states discussed early in this post. Instead, Paul speaks clearly to us, saying that if we walk in the Spirit we will experience such blessed states as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
© L.D. Turner 2009/All Rights Reserved
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Accepting God's Promises: It's Your Choice
L. Dwight Turner
Christ calls us and, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, empowers us to live lives of glory and significance. Many of us have spent years accepting a gospel that is only partially presented. Yes, we may have grasped the importance of the cross and what Christ accomplished in terms of atonement, justification, and putting us back in right standing with the Father. This is, of course, the essential foundation of the gospel message, but it is far, far from the whole story.
Through the events of the Cross, the Resurrection, the Ascension and Pentecost, Christ accomplished far more than many of us understand and, to put it quite frankly, far more than any human may be capable of understanding. The real tragedy in all of this, however, is the reality that so many of us have failed to grasp even those aspects of the whole gospel story that are clearly understandable. As a result, many sincere followers of the Master are living far beneath their God-given and Christ-ordained potential. I am certain this must be a cause for great sadness in the heavenly places.
I have hope, however, that this situation can be rectified and that more and more of us can come to a place of understanding of the complete gospel message. I firmly believe that part of God’s purpose for the age in which we live is to have increasing numbers of Christians come to understand and apply the divine principles that will allow us to appropriate the full measure of the blessings the Lord has already provided. These principles are clearly outlined in scripture and once we consistently put these teachings into practice, our lives can and will change dramatically.
Although there are many aspects of life that are beyond our control, the one place we do have control is in our reactions to life events. Let's face it, life can be difficult. Each day we face myriad responsibilities, problems, challenges, duties and tasks. Each of these realities has the potential to derail us if we let them. Each of these daily realities can drain us of vital energy and cause us to lose sight of our goals and dreams. Yet the amazing truth is that, even though we have to face many challenges and difficulties in life, we do not have to allow them to send us off the tracks. Granted, there are many circumstances that flow into our lives that are beyond our control. But equally true is the fact that we can control how we respond to these events.
We have it in our power to respond to events in our lives in either a negative manner or a positive manner. It is up to us to choose. The sooner we learn that our quality of life depends on our quality of thought, and that the quality of our thought depends on what we choose to think, the sooner we will find ourselves rapidly accelerating down the road to self-improvement and spiritual fulfillment.
In my case, it took me far too long to accept responsibility for what I could control in my life. As a result, I wasted valuable time spinning my wheels and basically feeling miserable and desperate. It was only through God’s infinite patience and steadfast pursuit of me that I finally woke up and came to my senses. I finally came to understand that I have a choice about how I react to things. Shortly after this revelation, another important truth dawned in my mind.
I realized that I had a choice about whether or not to accept Christ at his word as revealed in scripture.
Now, please, understand what I am getting at here. I have come to realize that many of us say that we believe and accept what Christ tells us in those red-letter sections of our Bibles. Christ said it so it must be true, right?
Well, the fact is, we may say that we believe it but our actions and our emotions tell us otherwise. If we believe, for example, that if we have faith we can say to a mountain be thou removed and it will be removed, why are we not doing so? If we believe that it only takes faith the size of a mustard seed to accomplish miracles in our lives, why are we not exercising that tiny grain of faith? If Christ promised that we could do everything he could do and even more, then why are we walking around under the weight of so much spiritual oppression, allowing the enemy and his minions to hammer us like a birthday piñata?
The fact is maybe we really don’t believe what Christ told us.
This was the second revelation that came upon me, shortly after the first awareness dawned that I, in fact, had a choice in many things that happened in my life. I also realized that I had a choice whether or not to accept Christ at his word. And you, my friend, also have that choice.
So the question becomes: What will you choose?
We all have our mountains in life: mountains of illness, poverty, betrayal, persecution, addiction, disharmony in relationships, employment – the list goes on and on. If you choose to take Christ at his word, it is time to start speaking to those mountains. It is time to pick up the mantle of authority that Christ left for you and start using it in your daily life. You have a lot more power and authority than you realize. The only thing standing in your way is your failure to choose correctly. So it is vital to ask yourself once again: Do I believe, really believe, what Christ said?
If in the final analysis you find that you don’t believe it, I would encourage you to pray for insight into the issue. If you do believe it, however, then it is time to start dealing with those mountains.
In my younger days I was an avid bicyclist and specialized in doing long distance rides. It was not uncommon for me to go out on a weekend and take part in rides of 50, 80, and occasionally, 100-mile century rides. The hard part, of course, involved hills and/or mountains. I found that the best way to deal with these obstacles was to get a running start. That made the first part of the climb much easier.
The same principle holds true for dealing with the mountains in your life. Get a good running start by becoming completely familiar with the promises God has made in the Bible. Spend some significant time studying passages of scripture where your rights, privileges, inheritance, and blessings as a child of God are discussed. You will be surprised at things you may have missed or forgotten – promises made by Christ and by the Father. God is a God of integrity and scripture tells us he cannot lie. You can count on those promises. You can take them to the bank.
So begin right there, by studying scripture and get yourself a good, running start. Then start speaking to those mountains in your life and remove all doubt from your mind. Believe the spiritual laws and principles Christ taught you and you will not be disappointed.
© L.D. Turner 2009/All Rights Reserved
Christ calls us and, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, empowers us to live lives of glory and significance. Many of us have spent years accepting a gospel that is only partially presented. Yes, we may have grasped the importance of the cross and what Christ accomplished in terms of atonement, justification, and putting us back in right standing with the Father. This is, of course, the essential foundation of the gospel message, but it is far, far from the whole story.
Through the events of the Cross, the Resurrection, the Ascension and Pentecost, Christ accomplished far more than many of us understand and, to put it quite frankly, far more than any human may be capable of understanding. The real tragedy in all of this, however, is the reality that so many of us have failed to grasp even those aspects of the whole gospel story that are clearly understandable. As a result, many sincere followers of the Master are living far beneath their God-given and Christ-ordained potential. I am certain this must be a cause for great sadness in the heavenly places.
I have hope, however, that this situation can be rectified and that more and more of us can come to a place of understanding of the complete gospel message. I firmly believe that part of God’s purpose for the age in which we live is to have increasing numbers of Christians come to understand and apply the divine principles that will allow us to appropriate the full measure of the blessings the Lord has already provided. These principles are clearly outlined in scripture and once we consistently put these teachings into practice, our lives can and will change dramatically.
Although there are many aspects of life that are beyond our control, the one place we do have control is in our reactions to life events. Let's face it, life can be difficult. Each day we face myriad responsibilities, problems, challenges, duties and tasks. Each of these realities has the potential to derail us if we let them. Each of these daily realities can drain us of vital energy and cause us to lose sight of our goals and dreams. Yet the amazing truth is that, even though we have to face many challenges and difficulties in life, we do not have to allow them to send us off the tracks. Granted, there are many circumstances that flow into our lives that are beyond our control. But equally true is the fact that we can control how we respond to these events.
We have it in our power to respond to events in our lives in either a negative manner or a positive manner. It is up to us to choose. The sooner we learn that our quality of life depends on our quality of thought, and that the quality of our thought depends on what we choose to think, the sooner we will find ourselves rapidly accelerating down the road to self-improvement and spiritual fulfillment.
In my case, it took me far too long to accept responsibility for what I could control in my life. As a result, I wasted valuable time spinning my wheels and basically feeling miserable and desperate. It was only through God’s infinite patience and steadfast pursuit of me that I finally woke up and came to my senses. I finally came to understand that I have a choice about how I react to things. Shortly after this revelation, another important truth dawned in my mind.
I realized that I had a choice about whether or not to accept Christ at his word as revealed in scripture.
Now, please, understand what I am getting at here. I have come to realize that many of us say that we believe and accept what Christ tells us in those red-letter sections of our Bibles. Christ said it so it must be true, right?
Well, the fact is, we may say that we believe it but our actions and our emotions tell us otherwise. If we believe, for example, that if we have faith we can say to a mountain be thou removed and it will be removed, why are we not doing so? If we believe that it only takes faith the size of a mustard seed to accomplish miracles in our lives, why are we not exercising that tiny grain of faith? If Christ promised that we could do everything he could do and even more, then why are we walking around under the weight of so much spiritual oppression, allowing the enemy and his minions to hammer us like a birthday piñata?
The fact is maybe we really don’t believe what Christ told us.
This was the second revelation that came upon me, shortly after the first awareness dawned that I, in fact, had a choice in many things that happened in my life. I also realized that I had a choice whether or not to accept Christ at his word. And you, my friend, also have that choice.
So the question becomes: What will you choose?
We all have our mountains in life: mountains of illness, poverty, betrayal, persecution, addiction, disharmony in relationships, employment – the list goes on and on. If you choose to take Christ at his word, it is time to start speaking to those mountains. It is time to pick up the mantle of authority that Christ left for you and start using it in your daily life. You have a lot more power and authority than you realize. The only thing standing in your way is your failure to choose correctly. So it is vital to ask yourself once again: Do I believe, really believe, what Christ said?
If in the final analysis you find that you don’t believe it, I would encourage you to pray for insight into the issue. If you do believe it, however, then it is time to start dealing with those mountains.
In my younger days I was an avid bicyclist and specialized in doing long distance rides. It was not uncommon for me to go out on a weekend and take part in rides of 50, 80, and occasionally, 100-mile century rides. The hard part, of course, involved hills and/or mountains. I found that the best way to deal with these obstacles was to get a running start. That made the first part of the climb much easier.
The same principle holds true for dealing with the mountains in your life. Get a good running start by becoming completely familiar with the promises God has made in the Bible. Spend some significant time studying passages of scripture where your rights, privileges, inheritance, and blessings as a child of God are discussed. You will be surprised at things you may have missed or forgotten – promises made by Christ and by the Father. God is a God of integrity and scripture tells us he cannot lie. You can count on those promises. You can take them to the bank.
So begin right there, by studying scripture and get yourself a good, running start. Then start speaking to those mountains in your life and remove all doubt from your mind. Believe the spiritual laws and principles Christ taught you and you will not be disappointed.
© L.D. Turner 2009/All Rights Reserved
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Reflections on Godly Goals
I am of the firm conviction that God desires that we live in a way that fosters our spiritual development, increases our capacity to serve others, and instills a consistent sense of hope and optimism for the future. I also am convinced that a primary component of such a mode of living is the establishment and fulfillment of godly goals.
What is a godly goal? A godly goal is one that is first and foremost in line with biblical principles and leads us forward in pursuing the potential and the purpose that the Lord has for our lives. A godly goal acts almost like a magnet, pulling us toward itself, helping us to become more complete individuals possessing both confidence and a commitment to excellence. In short, godly goals enable us to become the optimal version of ourselves for the glory of God and the benefit of others.
Usually you can easily discern whether or not a person has goals in his or her life. A person with clear cut, reasonable, and obtainable goals will demonstrate a sense of direction in life. He will not be seen wandering willy-nilly about in life, going four steps in one direction, then three steps in another. No, an individual with godly goals will know where he is headed, what it is going to take to get there, and will have formulated an energy-efficient plan to arrive at his stated aim.
Recognizing that time and energy is a priceless commodity in today’s hectic world, a person with godly goals wastes neither.
Another quality seen in people with clearly established goals that are biblical and directed toward divine purpose is a sense of excitement. If a person has such a goal, she is usually passionate about it and approaches each day with optimistic excitement, realizing that the day before her will provide opportunities to move closer to the achievement of her goal. It is this very passion that fuels consistent motivation, especially during those times when events may be running counter to plans and expectations.
When I think of the sense of excitement and passion that comes from having clearly defined and obtainable goals in life, my friend Dale comes to mind. Dale is a person who seems to have a boundless supply of energy. Far from manic, Dale’s level of energy is high but it is also focused. In all the years I have known Dale, I don’t think I have ever heard him complain of being tired, overly stressed, or burned out. This is remarkable, considering the pace that Dale often operates at. I once interviewed Dale for an article I was writing for medical students in their first year of studies. In that interview, I asked Dale what was the source of his seemingly unlimited store of energy and stamina. At first he told me that he always approached each day with a sense of meaning and purpose in his life and that God had clearly given him that meaning and that purpose. However, he didn’t stop there.
“Having a God-given meaning and purpose for life is essential,” continued my friend. “But what really motivates me and fills me with positive energy is having clear-cut goals that I am working toward each day. Meaning, purpose, mission…those are all important but they are also abstract. I am the kind of person that needs something I can get my hands around to get me excited. Having those short-term, achievable goals gives me that.”
In short, having goals that are not only clearly defined, but that are also attainable provide us with several important components of a meaningful life. First, they give us direction and purpose. Knowing what we are shooting for allows us to be efficient with our personal energy. Instead of running in five directions at once, we move in a straight line toward our destination. Second, goals give us a sense of excitement and passion in life. We can wake up each day knowing that we are consistently moving toward the achievement of something that is important to us.
Charles Stanley speaks clearly to the fundamental principle that Christians should keep before them when setting goals in life, whether long-term or short-term, great or small:
Every other goal must be placed under this priority goal – to know Christ and to be conformed to His likeness. If you have set for yourself a goal that is not in line with this priority goal, God will not help you accomplish it because He didn’t encourage you to set it. If a goal cannot be placed under this supreme goal of knowing Christ and being formed to His character, that goal is contrary to God’s purposes for your life, and God will oppose you in your attempts to achieve it.
The setting of godly goals should not be such a difficult process, yet many of us make it more complicated than it actually is. A Christian goal, as mentioned earlier by Charles Stanley, is based on the reality that each of us called to be conformed by the Holy Spirit into an increasingly likeness of Jesus Christ. With that matrix as a workable backdrop, we can say that we are to have goals that place us in a receptive position whereby the Holy Spirit can do the work on us that He wants to do. Charles Stanley lists the following generalized Christian goals:
• To walk in the Spirit daily
• To experience the same kind of awesome Holy Spirit power that Jesus Christ experienced
• To serve God in the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s guidance and power
• To maximize my full potential
• To use all of my talents and abilities in the way God created them to be used
• To fulfill God’s purpose for my life
• To experience and enjoy life to its fullest
• To have a feeling of deep and abiding satisfaction that I have fulfilled God’s goals for my life
• To know the joy that comes in knowing Christ
Returning to a theme mentioned in the initial paragraphs, as Christians we can only expect these positive results from godly goals – goals that are biblical and in line with God’s overall purpose for life. The significance of setting biblical goals should be obvious. By pursuing godly goals we are making every effort to become the optimal version of ourselves. We are, in summation, working toward not only our specific goals in life, but we are also moving toward becoming the best that we can be, all for the glory of God. Here are just a few of the spiritual benefits of working with biblical, godly goals:
We will consistently walk according to the Spirit rather than the flesh.
We will make steady progress toward realizing our God-given potential.
We will utilize our spiritual gifts in effective, Spirit-directed ways.
We will expend our personal energy in an efficient manner.
We will be a vital part of the process of establishing God’s kingdom on earth.
We will experience life to its fullest and enjoy life more.
We will become increasingly optimistic.
Pursuing godly goals that are aligned with biblical principles is the task set before each and every one of us as Christians. Many say that setting and achieving goals is important in life. No doubt this is true, but I think it goes much farther than that. I think setting and realizing godly goals is a mandate for followers of Christ.
Why do I say this? It is simple, really. God has given each of us a unique and vital purpose in life. In order to meet that purpose, I believe it is critical that we become the optimal version of ourselves. If we are to become the best that we can be, we have to set goals and achieve those goals. That way, we not only improve ourselves (with the help of the Holy Spirit), but we also glorify God by becoming all that we can be. Further, we grow into a position where we can be useful servants, working toward making life better for others while, at the same time, bringing God’s kingdom into concrete realization here in this world.
One other aspect of Christian goal setting and personal development should be mentioned and it has to do with the necessity of “stretching” ourselves. Basically, our goals should be ones that force us to grow by increasingly taking steps out of our comfort zones. For example, when I taught English in China I often told my students that they should always seek out conversation partners for practicing English that were slightly better than they were. The reason for this should be obvious. If a student practiced with someone who was at their same level or below, they would never be forced to improve. However, if they consistently practiced with a partner who had skills that were slightly above theirs, they would repeatedly be forced to expand their own skills. Granted, practicing with someone far beyond their language skills was not recommended. However, regular practice with a partner who was only slightly better was a sure way to improve their own skills.
There is an old saying: “Never rest on your laurels.” Basically, this means that we should never be satisfied with what we have accomplished. Reaching a goal is satisfying, but we shouldn’t allow this to be the final act in the play. We must continually press forward toward new goals that will allow us to manifest the best version of ourselves. Also, it is important to keep in mind that we should never focus our mental energy on what it is we think we cannot do. Rather, we should believe in ourselves and always refuse to let what we cannot do interfere with what we can do. By focusing on doing what we can do, and doing it better, we make progress. Moreover, we facilitate our continuing spiritual development by challenging ourselves to reach higher.
Both personal experience and deep study has taught me that the optimal method for moving beyond where we are is by “stretching ourselves.” By this I mean it is highly advantageous for us if we encourage ourselves to move beyond what we are now capable of, even if only to a small degree.
For example, I enjoy playing table tennis. I am far from a great player, but I can achieve some degree of success when I am at the top of my game. (Of course, I played much better when I was younger and my reflexes were quicker.) Early on, I discovered I could not improve my play by competing against players who I could easily defeat. By the same token, I could not get any better by playing against opponents who were my equal. If I wanted to improve, I had to play against competitors who were more skillful than I was. I soon discovered that if I took on players whose skills were slightly above mine, my play gradually but consistently improved. The same is true in terms of realizing our potential in any endeavor. If we want to improve at something, we have to challenge ourselves; we have to stretch ourselves to get to the next level.
Interestingly, we begin this process with the setting of sound, biblical goals. And, it is the continual setting of these godly goals that carries the whole mission forward. In this sense, biblical goals are both a means and an end.
© L. Dwight Turner 2009/All Rights Reserved
What is a godly goal? A godly goal is one that is first and foremost in line with biblical principles and leads us forward in pursuing the potential and the purpose that the Lord has for our lives. A godly goal acts almost like a magnet, pulling us toward itself, helping us to become more complete individuals possessing both confidence and a commitment to excellence. In short, godly goals enable us to become the optimal version of ourselves for the glory of God and the benefit of others.
Usually you can easily discern whether or not a person has goals in his or her life. A person with clear cut, reasonable, and obtainable goals will demonstrate a sense of direction in life. He will not be seen wandering willy-nilly about in life, going four steps in one direction, then three steps in another. No, an individual with godly goals will know where he is headed, what it is going to take to get there, and will have formulated an energy-efficient plan to arrive at his stated aim.
Recognizing that time and energy is a priceless commodity in today’s hectic world, a person with godly goals wastes neither.
Another quality seen in people with clearly established goals that are biblical and directed toward divine purpose is a sense of excitement. If a person has such a goal, she is usually passionate about it and approaches each day with optimistic excitement, realizing that the day before her will provide opportunities to move closer to the achievement of her goal. It is this very passion that fuels consistent motivation, especially during those times when events may be running counter to plans and expectations.
When I think of the sense of excitement and passion that comes from having clearly defined and obtainable goals in life, my friend Dale comes to mind. Dale is a person who seems to have a boundless supply of energy. Far from manic, Dale’s level of energy is high but it is also focused. In all the years I have known Dale, I don’t think I have ever heard him complain of being tired, overly stressed, or burned out. This is remarkable, considering the pace that Dale often operates at. I once interviewed Dale for an article I was writing for medical students in their first year of studies. In that interview, I asked Dale what was the source of his seemingly unlimited store of energy and stamina. At first he told me that he always approached each day with a sense of meaning and purpose in his life and that God had clearly given him that meaning and that purpose. However, he didn’t stop there.
“Having a God-given meaning and purpose for life is essential,” continued my friend. “But what really motivates me and fills me with positive energy is having clear-cut goals that I am working toward each day. Meaning, purpose, mission…those are all important but they are also abstract. I am the kind of person that needs something I can get my hands around to get me excited. Having those short-term, achievable goals gives me that.”
In short, having goals that are not only clearly defined, but that are also attainable provide us with several important components of a meaningful life. First, they give us direction and purpose. Knowing what we are shooting for allows us to be efficient with our personal energy. Instead of running in five directions at once, we move in a straight line toward our destination. Second, goals give us a sense of excitement and passion in life. We can wake up each day knowing that we are consistently moving toward the achievement of something that is important to us.
Charles Stanley speaks clearly to the fundamental principle that Christians should keep before them when setting goals in life, whether long-term or short-term, great or small:
Every other goal must be placed under this priority goal – to know Christ and to be conformed to His likeness. If you have set for yourself a goal that is not in line with this priority goal, God will not help you accomplish it because He didn’t encourage you to set it. If a goal cannot be placed under this supreme goal of knowing Christ and being formed to His character, that goal is contrary to God’s purposes for your life, and God will oppose you in your attempts to achieve it.
The setting of godly goals should not be such a difficult process, yet many of us make it more complicated than it actually is. A Christian goal, as mentioned earlier by Charles Stanley, is based on the reality that each of us called to be conformed by the Holy Spirit into an increasingly likeness of Jesus Christ. With that matrix as a workable backdrop, we can say that we are to have goals that place us in a receptive position whereby the Holy Spirit can do the work on us that He wants to do. Charles Stanley lists the following generalized Christian goals:
• To walk in the Spirit daily
• To experience the same kind of awesome Holy Spirit power that Jesus Christ experienced
• To serve God in the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s guidance and power
• To maximize my full potential
• To use all of my talents and abilities in the way God created them to be used
• To fulfill God’s purpose for my life
• To experience and enjoy life to its fullest
• To have a feeling of deep and abiding satisfaction that I have fulfilled God’s goals for my life
• To know the joy that comes in knowing Christ
Returning to a theme mentioned in the initial paragraphs, as Christians we can only expect these positive results from godly goals – goals that are biblical and in line with God’s overall purpose for life. The significance of setting biblical goals should be obvious. By pursuing godly goals we are making every effort to become the optimal version of ourselves. We are, in summation, working toward not only our specific goals in life, but we are also moving toward becoming the best that we can be, all for the glory of God. Here are just a few of the spiritual benefits of working with biblical, godly goals:
We will consistently walk according to the Spirit rather than the flesh.
We will make steady progress toward realizing our God-given potential.
We will utilize our spiritual gifts in effective, Spirit-directed ways.
We will expend our personal energy in an efficient manner.
We will be a vital part of the process of establishing God’s kingdom on earth.
We will experience life to its fullest and enjoy life more.
We will become increasingly optimistic.
Pursuing godly goals that are aligned with biblical principles is the task set before each and every one of us as Christians. Many say that setting and achieving goals is important in life. No doubt this is true, but I think it goes much farther than that. I think setting and realizing godly goals is a mandate for followers of Christ.
Why do I say this? It is simple, really. God has given each of us a unique and vital purpose in life. In order to meet that purpose, I believe it is critical that we become the optimal version of ourselves. If we are to become the best that we can be, we have to set goals and achieve those goals. That way, we not only improve ourselves (with the help of the Holy Spirit), but we also glorify God by becoming all that we can be. Further, we grow into a position where we can be useful servants, working toward making life better for others while, at the same time, bringing God’s kingdom into concrete realization here in this world.
One other aspect of Christian goal setting and personal development should be mentioned and it has to do with the necessity of “stretching” ourselves. Basically, our goals should be ones that force us to grow by increasingly taking steps out of our comfort zones. For example, when I taught English in China I often told my students that they should always seek out conversation partners for practicing English that were slightly better than they were. The reason for this should be obvious. If a student practiced with someone who was at their same level or below, they would never be forced to improve. However, if they consistently practiced with a partner who had skills that were slightly above theirs, they would repeatedly be forced to expand their own skills. Granted, practicing with someone far beyond their language skills was not recommended. However, regular practice with a partner who was only slightly better was a sure way to improve their own skills.
There is an old saying: “Never rest on your laurels.” Basically, this means that we should never be satisfied with what we have accomplished. Reaching a goal is satisfying, but we shouldn’t allow this to be the final act in the play. We must continually press forward toward new goals that will allow us to manifest the best version of ourselves. Also, it is important to keep in mind that we should never focus our mental energy on what it is we think we cannot do. Rather, we should believe in ourselves and always refuse to let what we cannot do interfere with what we can do. By focusing on doing what we can do, and doing it better, we make progress. Moreover, we facilitate our continuing spiritual development by challenging ourselves to reach higher.
Both personal experience and deep study has taught me that the optimal method for moving beyond where we are is by “stretching ourselves.” By this I mean it is highly advantageous for us if we encourage ourselves to move beyond what we are now capable of, even if only to a small degree.
For example, I enjoy playing table tennis. I am far from a great player, but I can achieve some degree of success when I am at the top of my game. (Of course, I played much better when I was younger and my reflexes were quicker.) Early on, I discovered I could not improve my play by competing against players who I could easily defeat. By the same token, I could not get any better by playing against opponents who were my equal. If I wanted to improve, I had to play against competitors who were more skillful than I was. I soon discovered that if I took on players whose skills were slightly above mine, my play gradually but consistently improved. The same is true in terms of realizing our potential in any endeavor. If we want to improve at something, we have to challenge ourselves; we have to stretch ourselves to get to the next level.
Interestingly, we begin this process with the setting of sound, biblical goals. And, it is the continual setting of these godly goals that carries the whole mission forward. In this sense, biblical goals are both a means and an end.
© L. Dwight Turner 2009/All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Further Reflections on Godly Goals
L. Dwight Turner
I am of the firm conviction that God desires that we live in a way that fosters our spiritual development, increases our capacity to serve others, and instills a consistent sense of hope and optimism for the future. I also am convinced that a primary component of such a mode of living is the establishment and fulfillment of godly goals.
What is a godly goal? A godly goal is one that is first and foremost in line with biblical principles and leads us forward in pursuing the potential and the purpose that the Lord has for our lives. A godly goal acts almost like a magnet, pulling us toward itself, helping us to become more complete individuals possessing both confidence and a commitment to excellence. In short, godly goals enable us to become the optimal version of ourselves for the glory of God and the benefit of others.
Usually you can easily discern whether or not a person has goals in his or her life. A person with clear cut, reasonable, and obtainable goals will demonstrate a sense of direction in life. He will not be seen wandering willy-nilly about in life, going four steps in one direction, then three steps in another. No, an individual with godly goals will know where he is headed, what it is going to take to get there, and will have formulated an energy-efficient plan to arrive at his stated aim.
Recognizing that time and energy is a priceless commodity in today’s hectic world, a person with godly goals wastes neither.
Another quality seen in people with clearly established goals that are biblical and directed toward divine purpose is a sense of excitement. If a person has such a goal, she is usually passionate about it and approaches each day with optimistic excitement, realizing that the day before her will provide opportunities to move closer to the achievement of her goal. It is this very passion that fuels consistent motivation, especially during those times when events may be running counter to plans and expectations.
When I think of the sense of excitement and passion that comes from having clearly defined and obtainable goals in life, my friend Dale comes to mind. Dale is a person who seems to have a boundless supply of energy. Far from manic, Dale’s level of energy is high but it is also focused. In all the years I have known Dale, I don’t think I have ever heard him complain of being tired, overly stressed, or burned out. This is remarkable, considering the pace that Dale often operates at. I once interviewed Dale for an article I was writing for medical students in their first year of studies. In that interview, I asked Dale what was the source of his seemingly unlimited store of energy and stamina. At first he told me that he always approached each day with a sense of meaning and purpose in his life and that God had clearly given him that meaning and that purpose. However, he didn’t stop there.
“Having a God-given meaning and purpose for life is essential,” continued my friend. “But what really motivates me and fills me with positive energy is having clear-cut goals that I am working toward each day. Meaning, purpose, mission…those are all important but they are also abstract. I am the kind of person that needs something I can get my hands around to get me excited. Having those short-term, achievable goals gives me that.”
In short, having goals that are not only clearly defined, but that are also attainable provide us with several important components of a meaningful life. First, they give us direction and purpose. Knowing what we are shooting for allows us to be efficient with our personal energy. Instead of running in five directions at once, we move in a straight line toward our destination. Second, goals give us a sense of excitement and passion in life. We can wake up each day knowing that we are consistently moving toward the achievement of something that is important to us.
Charles Stanley speaks clearly to the fundamental principle that Christians should keep before them when setting goals in life, whether long-term or short-term, great or small:
Every other goal must be placed under this priority goal – to know Christ and to be conformed to His likeness. If you have set for yourself a goal that is not in line with this priority goal, God will not help you accomplish it because He didn’t encourage you to set it. If a goal cannot be placed under this supreme goal of knowing Christ and being formed to His character, that goal is contrary to God’s purposes for your life, and God will oppose you in your attempts to achieve it.
The setting of godly goals should not be such a difficult process, yet many of us make it more complicated than it actually is. A Christian goal, as mentioned earlier by Charles Stanley, is based on the reality that each of us called to be conformed by the Holy Spirit into an increasingly likeness of Jesus Christ. With that matrix as a workable backdrop, we can say that we are to have goals that place us in a receptive position whereby the Holy Spirit can do the work on us that He wants to do. Charles Stanley lists the following generalized Christian goals:
• To walk in the Spirit daily
• To experience the same kind of awesome Holy Spirit power that Jesus Christ experienced
• To serve God in the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s guidance and power
• To maximize my full potential
• To use all of my talents and abilities in the way God created them to be used
• To fulfill God’s purpose for my life
• To experience and enjoy life to its fullest
• To have a feeling of deep and abiding satisfaction that I have fulfilled God’s goals for my life
• To know the joy that comes in knowing Christ
Returning to a theme mentioned in the initial paragraphs, as Christians we can only expect these positive results from godly goals – goals that are biblical and in line with God’s overall purpose for life. The significance of setting biblical goals should be obvious. By pursuing godly goals we are making every effort to become the optimal version of ourselves. We are, in summation, working toward not only our specific goals in life, but we are also moving toward becoming the best that we can be, all for the glory of God. Here are just a few of the spiritual benefits of working with biblical, godly goals:
We will consistently walk according to the Spirit rather than the flesh.
We will make steady progress toward realizing our God-given potential.
We will utilize our spiritual gifts in effective, Spirit-directed ways.
We will expend our personal energy in an efficient manner.
We will be a vital part of the process of establishing God’s kingdom on earth.
We will experience life to its fullest and enjoy life more.
We will become increasingly optimistic.
Pursuing godly goals that are aligned with biblical principles is the task set before each and every one of us as Christians. Many say that setting and achieving goals is important in life. No doubt this is true, but I think it goes much farther than that. I think setting and realizing godly goals is a mandate for followers of Christ.
Why do I say this? It is simple, really. God has given each of us a unique and vital purpose in life. In order to meet that purpose, I believe it is critical that we become the optimal version of ourselves. If we are to become the best that we can be, we have to set goals and achieve those goals. That way, we not only improve ourselves (with the help of the Holy Spirit), but we also glorify God by becoming all that we can be. Further, we grow into a position where we can be useful servants, working toward making life better for others while, at the same time, bringing God’s kingdom into concrete realization here in this world.
One other aspect of Christian goal setting and personal development should be mentioned and it has to do with the necessity of “stretching” ourselves. Basically, our goals should be ones that force us to grow by increasingly taking steps out of our comfort zones. For example, when I taught English in China I often told my students that they should always seek out conversation partners for practicing English that were slightly better than they were. The reason for this should be obvious. If a student practiced with someone who was at their same level or below, they would never be forced to improve. However, if they consistently practiced with a partner who had skills that were slightly above theirs, they would repeatedly be forced to expand their own skills. Granted, practicing with someone far beyond their language skills was not recommended. However, regular practice with a partner who was only slightly better was a sure way to improve their own skills.
There is an old saying: “Never rest on your laurels.” Basically, this means that we should never be satisfied with what we have accomplished. Reaching a goal is satisfying, but we shouldn’t allow this to be the final act in the play. We must continually press forward toward new goals that will allow us to manifest the best version of ourselves. Also, it is important to keep in mind that we should never focus our mental energy on what it is we think we cannot do. Rather, we should believe in ourselves and always refuse to let what we cannot do interfere with what we can do. By focusing on doing what we can do, and doing it better, we make progress. Moreover, we facilitate our continuing spiritual development by challenging ourselves to reach higher. Both personal experience and deep study has taught me that the optimal method for moving beyond where we are is by “stretching ourselves.” By this I mean it is highly advantageous for us if we encourage ourselves to move beyond what we are now capable of, even if only to a small degree.
For example, I enjoy playing table tennis. I am far from a great player, but I can achieve some degree of success when I am at the top of my game. (Of course, I played much better when I was younger and my reflexes were quicker.) Early on, I discovered I could not improve my play by competing against players who I could easily defeat. By the same token, I could not get any better by playing against opponents who were my equal. If I wanted to improve, I had to play against competitors who were more skillful than I was. I soon discovered that if I took on players whose skills were slightly above mine, my play gradually but consistently improved. The same is true in terms of realizing our potential in any endeavor. If we want to improve at something, we have to challenge ourselves; we have to stretch ourselves to get to the next level.
Interestingly, we begin this process with the setting of sound, biblical goals. And, it is the continual setting of these godly goals that carries the whole mission forward. In this sense, biblical goals are both a means and an end.
© L. Dwight Turner 2009/All Rights Reserved
I am of the firm conviction that God desires that we live in a way that fosters our spiritual development, increases our capacity to serve others, and instills a consistent sense of hope and optimism for the future. I also am convinced that a primary component of such a mode of living is the establishment and fulfillment of godly goals.
What is a godly goal? A godly goal is one that is first and foremost in line with biblical principles and leads us forward in pursuing the potential and the purpose that the Lord has for our lives. A godly goal acts almost like a magnet, pulling us toward itself, helping us to become more complete individuals possessing both confidence and a commitment to excellence. In short, godly goals enable us to become the optimal version of ourselves for the glory of God and the benefit of others.
Usually you can easily discern whether or not a person has goals in his or her life. A person with clear cut, reasonable, and obtainable goals will demonstrate a sense of direction in life. He will not be seen wandering willy-nilly about in life, going four steps in one direction, then three steps in another. No, an individual with godly goals will know where he is headed, what it is going to take to get there, and will have formulated an energy-efficient plan to arrive at his stated aim.
Recognizing that time and energy is a priceless commodity in today’s hectic world, a person with godly goals wastes neither.
Another quality seen in people with clearly established goals that are biblical and directed toward divine purpose is a sense of excitement. If a person has such a goal, she is usually passionate about it and approaches each day with optimistic excitement, realizing that the day before her will provide opportunities to move closer to the achievement of her goal. It is this very passion that fuels consistent motivation, especially during those times when events may be running counter to plans and expectations.
When I think of the sense of excitement and passion that comes from having clearly defined and obtainable goals in life, my friend Dale comes to mind. Dale is a person who seems to have a boundless supply of energy. Far from manic, Dale’s level of energy is high but it is also focused. In all the years I have known Dale, I don’t think I have ever heard him complain of being tired, overly stressed, or burned out. This is remarkable, considering the pace that Dale often operates at. I once interviewed Dale for an article I was writing for medical students in their first year of studies. In that interview, I asked Dale what was the source of his seemingly unlimited store of energy and stamina. At first he told me that he always approached each day with a sense of meaning and purpose in his life and that God had clearly given him that meaning and that purpose. However, he didn’t stop there.
“Having a God-given meaning and purpose for life is essential,” continued my friend. “But what really motivates me and fills me with positive energy is having clear-cut goals that I am working toward each day. Meaning, purpose, mission…those are all important but they are also abstract. I am the kind of person that needs something I can get my hands around to get me excited. Having those short-term, achievable goals gives me that.”
In short, having goals that are not only clearly defined, but that are also attainable provide us with several important components of a meaningful life. First, they give us direction and purpose. Knowing what we are shooting for allows us to be efficient with our personal energy. Instead of running in five directions at once, we move in a straight line toward our destination. Second, goals give us a sense of excitement and passion in life. We can wake up each day knowing that we are consistently moving toward the achievement of something that is important to us.
Charles Stanley speaks clearly to the fundamental principle that Christians should keep before them when setting goals in life, whether long-term or short-term, great or small:
Every other goal must be placed under this priority goal – to know Christ and to be conformed to His likeness. If you have set for yourself a goal that is not in line with this priority goal, God will not help you accomplish it because He didn’t encourage you to set it. If a goal cannot be placed under this supreme goal of knowing Christ and being formed to His character, that goal is contrary to God’s purposes for your life, and God will oppose you in your attempts to achieve it.
The setting of godly goals should not be such a difficult process, yet many of us make it more complicated than it actually is. A Christian goal, as mentioned earlier by Charles Stanley, is based on the reality that each of us called to be conformed by the Holy Spirit into an increasingly likeness of Jesus Christ. With that matrix as a workable backdrop, we can say that we are to have goals that place us in a receptive position whereby the Holy Spirit can do the work on us that He wants to do. Charles Stanley lists the following generalized Christian goals:
• To walk in the Spirit daily
• To experience the same kind of awesome Holy Spirit power that Jesus Christ experienced
• To serve God in the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s guidance and power
• To maximize my full potential
• To use all of my talents and abilities in the way God created them to be used
• To fulfill God’s purpose for my life
• To experience and enjoy life to its fullest
• To have a feeling of deep and abiding satisfaction that I have fulfilled God’s goals for my life
• To know the joy that comes in knowing Christ
Returning to a theme mentioned in the initial paragraphs, as Christians we can only expect these positive results from godly goals – goals that are biblical and in line with God’s overall purpose for life. The significance of setting biblical goals should be obvious. By pursuing godly goals we are making every effort to become the optimal version of ourselves. We are, in summation, working toward not only our specific goals in life, but we are also moving toward becoming the best that we can be, all for the glory of God. Here are just a few of the spiritual benefits of working with biblical, godly goals:
We will consistently walk according to the Spirit rather than the flesh.
We will make steady progress toward realizing our God-given potential.
We will utilize our spiritual gifts in effective, Spirit-directed ways.
We will expend our personal energy in an efficient manner.
We will be a vital part of the process of establishing God’s kingdom on earth.
We will experience life to its fullest and enjoy life more.
We will become increasingly optimistic.
Pursuing godly goals that are aligned with biblical principles is the task set before each and every one of us as Christians. Many say that setting and achieving goals is important in life. No doubt this is true, but I think it goes much farther than that. I think setting and realizing godly goals is a mandate for followers of Christ.
Why do I say this? It is simple, really. God has given each of us a unique and vital purpose in life. In order to meet that purpose, I believe it is critical that we become the optimal version of ourselves. If we are to become the best that we can be, we have to set goals and achieve those goals. That way, we not only improve ourselves (with the help of the Holy Spirit), but we also glorify God by becoming all that we can be. Further, we grow into a position where we can be useful servants, working toward making life better for others while, at the same time, bringing God’s kingdom into concrete realization here in this world.
One other aspect of Christian goal setting and personal development should be mentioned and it has to do with the necessity of “stretching” ourselves. Basically, our goals should be ones that force us to grow by increasingly taking steps out of our comfort zones. For example, when I taught English in China I often told my students that they should always seek out conversation partners for practicing English that were slightly better than they were. The reason for this should be obvious. If a student practiced with someone who was at their same level or below, they would never be forced to improve. However, if they consistently practiced with a partner who had skills that were slightly above theirs, they would repeatedly be forced to expand their own skills. Granted, practicing with someone far beyond their language skills was not recommended. However, regular practice with a partner who was only slightly better was a sure way to improve their own skills.
There is an old saying: “Never rest on your laurels.” Basically, this means that we should never be satisfied with what we have accomplished. Reaching a goal is satisfying, but we shouldn’t allow this to be the final act in the play. We must continually press forward toward new goals that will allow us to manifest the best version of ourselves. Also, it is important to keep in mind that we should never focus our mental energy on what it is we think we cannot do. Rather, we should believe in ourselves and always refuse to let what we cannot do interfere with what we can do. By focusing on doing what we can do, and doing it better, we make progress. Moreover, we facilitate our continuing spiritual development by challenging ourselves to reach higher. Both personal experience and deep study has taught me that the optimal method for moving beyond where we are is by “stretching ourselves.” By this I mean it is highly advantageous for us if we encourage ourselves to move beyond what we are now capable of, even if only to a small degree.
For example, I enjoy playing table tennis. I am far from a great player, but I can achieve some degree of success when I am at the top of my game. (Of course, I played much better when I was younger and my reflexes were quicker.) Early on, I discovered I could not improve my play by competing against players who I could easily defeat. By the same token, I could not get any better by playing against opponents who were my equal. If I wanted to improve, I had to play against competitors who were more skillful than I was. I soon discovered that if I took on players whose skills were slightly above mine, my play gradually but consistently improved. The same is true in terms of realizing our potential in any endeavor. If we want to improve at something, we have to challenge ourselves; we have to stretch ourselves to get to the next level.
Interestingly, we begin this process with the setting of sound, biblical goals. And, it is the continual setting of these godly goals that carries the whole mission forward. In this sense, biblical goals are both a means and an end.
© L. Dwight Turner 2009/All Rights Reserved
Sunday, April 5, 2009
From Potential to Glory: Our Journey Into Spiritual Excellence
L. Dwight Turner
At Sacred Mind Ministries and LifeBrook International we have a corporate mission to provide programs and materials that assist individuals and organizations to become the optimal version of themselves for the benefit of others. This has been our mission since the founding of our ministry and we have never wavered in our pursuit of creating opportunities for people to grasp a real sense of who and what they are, what their God-given potential is, and that to which they are called. Once this happens, we feel a person is then ready to find a vital, living personal vision and, when this vision is fully realized, to walk in the full harvest of their personal glory.
Let’s take a little time a look at the how this flow normally takes place. Briefly, we can say that our growth into Christ-like character and into the optional version of ourselves moves through seven interrelated phases.
• Acknowledging and accepting our new identity “in Christ.”
• Understanding our “Seed Potential.”
• Discovering our “Call to Purpose”
• Living with “Vital Vision.”
• Our “Harvest of Glory.”
• Walking in “Spiritual Excellence.”
• Serving through Radical Compassion
Our New Identity in Christ
It begins with the acknowledgement that we are not functioning anywhere near our true potential and, at least initially, this stems from the fact that we believers have little idea of who and what we are “in Christ.” For many reason, the church has jettisoned the vital half of the gospel, choosing instead to focus on the blood and forgiveness at the expense of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
It is as if you own a house with an exquisite, one-of-a-kind door. You fell in love with this door and worship it so much that you never cross the threshold and go inside the house, which is even more beautiful. Likewise, many Christians become so immersed in Christ’s atoning work on the Cross and the cleansing of his blood they never grasp why he did this in the first place. He didn’t go through what he did so we could live life half-way, filled with doubt, inadequacy, and spiritual instability. Christ did not die just to get us into heaven my friend; he died in order to get heaven into us. Christ rose, met the disciples, breathed the Holy Spirit into them, gave them a Great Commission, and ascended into heaven, thus making the Pentecost possible.
In light of these realities, our first task is to understand and accept just what Christ accomplished with his death, resurrection, and ascension. We have a new identity and in the words of Paul, the old has passed away and the new has come. We are new creations in Christ and what’s more amazing, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Until we grasp the character and the ramifications of our new identity, we will only grow in fits and starts, if at all. It’s time to walk on through the door, grand as it is, and see what blessings have been placed inside.
Understanding Our Seed Potential
God has placed a potential on the inside of each of us and I am convinced this occurred before we were ever born. This seed has the fulfillment of our calling, purpose, and vision in its core, just as an acorn has a mighty oak hidden within its fibers. God-given potential is like a seed and, with the proper environment, that seed can develop, grow, and manifest those things hidden within its hull.
You potential is like a seed and, until you allow that seed to grow, your dream will remain just that – a dream. God gave you this potential and, with the right environment, that seed potential will grow and develop into something quite magnificent. Dr. Myles Munroe speaks of these issues cogently:
“The entire creation possesses this principle of potential. Everything has the natural instinct to release its ability. The plant and animal kingdoms abound with evidences of this fact. The Creator designed everything with this principle of potential, which can be simplified to the concept of a seed. The biblical document states that God created everything with ‘seed in it according to their kinds’ (Genesis 1:12). In essence, hidden within everything is the potential to fulfill itself and produce much more than we see.”
It is vital that every person understand that we are responsible for developing the potential stored within us. We must deepen our contact with our divine potential and do all that we can to nurture, feed, and actualize our true mission and purpose. Further, we must recognize that as we move forward in developing our optimal potential, we can never afford to stop. In essence, when we travel the spiritual journey, we are either moving forward or backward. There is truly no place to stand on the spiritual path.
Our journey of discovering and developing our divine potential must begin with a commitment to excellence – an agreement with our Creator that we will walk in cooperation with the Spirit to become the best version of ourselves.
Necessarily, this commitment will involve personal challenges and, at times, a degree of personal discomfort. Spiritual growth involves change and change always requires stepping out of our comfort zone. Still, the process of realizing and manifesting our divine potential is one of the greatest adventures we will ever undertake.
Discovering Our Call To Purpose
Three terms that are often heard when discussing our “purpose” in life are purpose, mission, and calling. These words often used interchangeably and can mean basically the same thing. I think the confusion comes in when an author or speaker uses these three expressions to mean different things. With that thought in mind, whenever I use these words, I take them to mean basically the same thing. Our mission, our purpose, and our calling refer to our God-given reason for being here on this planet at this time. In addition, I firmly believe that God has a highly specific calling for each of us that has three primary aspects:
• It is personal and specific to us;
• It is related to our spiritual gifts
• The realization and actualization of this mission is a major part of our spiritual formation and helps grow into the optimal version of ourselves.
In the next section we will talk about vision and it is important to understand how mission and vision are different. Our mission or purpose is far more general than our vision. Basically, you can say our vision is the specific way in which we will realize our mission.
We can say that your mission is your life calling, your reason for being here. It is not so much specific activities as it is the reason you perform those activities. Your mission gives your life meaning and gives you positive motivation to get out of bed each morning and, in positive faith, face the challenges that may come your way. Your true mission is a major motivator, something you enjoy doing, and something for which you have passion and enthusiasm.
Living With Vital Vision
As mentioned earlier, vision is intimately related to purpose but more specific. Put simply, vision is the method whereby you see yourself living out your mission to completion. Living with vital vision involves every area of your life and how those aspects of your life related to your personal mission. Your vision involves your family, friends, associates, and especially your choice of career. Ideally, all of these things come together in a harmonious orbit around the specific vision you develop for carrying forward your mission.
Arriving at your vision is a process, not an event. It requires much planning, organization, and flexibility. Most significantly, developing your vision involves deep, focused, and above all, consistent prayer. You cannot expect to discover what God wants you to do and the best way to do it without communing with Him on a regular basis. Pray that the Holy Spirit walks with you, guiding you, and challenging you to move forward with your vision, even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone. More than anywhere else in the process of growth into excellence, the phase of vital vision may require you to think out of the box.
A simple way to look at the relationship of vision and mission is as follows. Let’s suppose that three friends all have a mission to provide convenient, quality, fast-food to busy workers. One may decide to open a Burger King franchise, another a Pizza Hut. The third may have a vision of a Taco Bell. You see, the mission of quality fast-food is the same; the vision of each friend is different. I realize this example is overly simplistic, but I do think it serves our purposes of demonstrating how a vision is a specific plan for carrying forward a more general mission or calling.
Your Harvest of Glory
Your God-given potential began as a seed planted in you by the Creator before your birth. Further, he not only planted this great potential within you but also gave you all the talent you needed to discover this potential and, in concert with the Holy Spirit, connect your potential to a divine personal purpose – a call to a specific mission that was yours to carry forward. Once discovered, this mission hopefully gave you sufficient passion and motivation to develop and carry out a specific personal vision that allowed your talents and gifts to blossom and your personal vision to become a vital, living reality.
By realizing the manifestation of your mission you necessarily had to hone and develop your God-given talents and gifts and, in so doing, became more and more the optimal version of yourself. Now, walking in your personal excellence, creativity, and commitment, you are harvesting your personal glory.
We can see hints of this process in the Master’s great prayer in the 17th Chapter of John’s gospel when he expresses that as he is glorified, the Father is glorified. And the reality is my friends, when we walk in our excellence – when we manifest and live as the optimal version of who we are, we glorify the Master.
Walking in Spiritual Excellence
As a result of reaping our harvest, we are now able to manifest our true potential, realize our vital vision and in the process, become the optimal version of ourselves. We consistently walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh and in so doing, we are able to become more effective servants of the Light.
As you see, we move from our seed potential to walking in our manifest glory. We do this not to glorify ourselves, but to glorify our Master, our Father in heaven, and the Holy Spirit that has dwelled within us, walked along side us, empowered us, and made all this possible. When we come to walk in our personal glory, we are then able to be of true, selfless benefit to others while bringing glory to God.
This is our true aim and our ultimate calling – to be all that we can be; to give glory to our Creator; and to serve others with love. In the final analysis, we can ask for no greater destiny than this.
Serving With Radical Compassion
When the Master walked this earth, he did so as the prototype of a person who consistently walks in spiritual excellence. Jesus was the optimal version of who and what he was and it is to that goal we all aspire. Granted, we cannot walk as God’s Son walked – scripture tells us Jesus was the only one. However, we can walk as the optimal version of who we are.
Jesus gave himself completely to the Father so that he could do the Father’s will completely. And what was the ultimate will of the Father for his Son? The answer is simple: serve others!
Like Christ, we, too, are to give ourselves completely to God so that we can do His will completely. And what is God’s ultimate will for us? It should be obvious by now: we are to serve others.
Our service is the offspring of a heart of compassion, built upon our deep recognition of the pain and suffering inherent in this world and our interconnected unity with all people. You may not know it yet, but every man on this planet is your brother and every woman is your sister. You are made of the same combination of earth and divine breath. When one person suffers, at some level, we all suffer. This is not some New Age airy fairy fantasy; instead, it is scientific fact and theological truth.
From his opening salvo quoting Isaiah about bringing release to the captives and good news to the poor, to his dying plea of, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” Jesus exemplified a compassion far beyond what the world had seen before.
Indeed, it was and is a radical compassion.
Jesus’ stories about the Prodigal, the Good Samaritan, and his treatment of the woman caught in adultery all point to the need for a compassion that transcends the normal boundaries defined by contemporary culture, then and now.
Indeed, it was and is a radical compassion.
Friends, no matter what our station in life might be – no matter our race, our color, our culture, or our economic stature – we are called to the same.
Indeed, it is and will always be a radical compassion.
© L.D. Turner 2009/All Rights Reserved
At Sacred Mind Ministries and LifeBrook International we have a corporate mission to provide programs and materials that assist individuals and organizations to become the optimal version of themselves for the benefit of others. This has been our mission since the founding of our ministry and we have never wavered in our pursuit of creating opportunities for people to grasp a real sense of who and what they are, what their God-given potential is, and that to which they are called. Once this happens, we feel a person is then ready to find a vital, living personal vision and, when this vision is fully realized, to walk in the full harvest of their personal glory.
Let’s take a little time a look at the how this flow normally takes place. Briefly, we can say that our growth into Christ-like character and into the optional version of ourselves moves through seven interrelated phases.
• Acknowledging and accepting our new identity “in Christ.”
• Understanding our “Seed Potential.”
• Discovering our “Call to Purpose”
• Living with “Vital Vision.”
• Our “Harvest of Glory.”
• Walking in “Spiritual Excellence.”
• Serving through Radical Compassion
Our New Identity in Christ
It begins with the acknowledgement that we are not functioning anywhere near our true potential and, at least initially, this stems from the fact that we believers have little idea of who and what we are “in Christ.” For many reason, the church has jettisoned the vital half of the gospel, choosing instead to focus on the blood and forgiveness at the expense of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
It is as if you own a house with an exquisite, one-of-a-kind door. You fell in love with this door and worship it so much that you never cross the threshold and go inside the house, which is even more beautiful. Likewise, many Christians become so immersed in Christ’s atoning work on the Cross and the cleansing of his blood they never grasp why he did this in the first place. He didn’t go through what he did so we could live life half-way, filled with doubt, inadequacy, and spiritual instability. Christ did not die just to get us into heaven my friend; he died in order to get heaven into us. Christ rose, met the disciples, breathed the Holy Spirit into them, gave them a Great Commission, and ascended into heaven, thus making the Pentecost possible.
In light of these realities, our first task is to understand and accept just what Christ accomplished with his death, resurrection, and ascension. We have a new identity and in the words of Paul, the old has passed away and the new has come. We are new creations in Christ and what’s more amazing, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Until we grasp the character and the ramifications of our new identity, we will only grow in fits and starts, if at all. It’s time to walk on through the door, grand as it is, and see what blessings have been placed inside.
Understanding Our Seed Potential
God has placed a potential on the inside of each of us and I am convinced this occurred before we were ever born. This seed has the fulfillment of our calling, purpose, and vision in its core, just as an acorn has a mighty oak hidden within its fibers. God-given potential is like a seed and, with the proper environment, that seed can develop, grow, and manifest those things hidden within its hull.
You potential is like a seed and, until you allow that seed to grow, your dream will remain just that – a dream. God gave you this potential and, with the right environment, that seed potential will grow and develop into something quite magnificent. Dr. Myles Munroe speaks of these issues cogently:
“The entire creation possesses this principle of potential. Everything has the natural instinct to release its ability. The plant and animal kingdoms abound with evidences of this fact. The Creator designed everything with this principle of potential, which can be simplified to the concept of a seed. The biblical document states that God created everything with ‘seed in it according to their kinds’ (Genesis 1:12). In essence, hidden within everything is the potential to fulfill itself and produce much more than we see.”
It is vital that every person understand that we are responsible for developing the potential stored within us. We must deepen our contact with our divine potential and do all that we can to nurture, feed, and actualize our true mission and purpose. Further, we must recognize that as we move forward in developing our optimal potential, we can never afford to stop. In essence, when we travel the spiritual journey, we are either moving forward or backward. There is truly no place to stand on the spiritual path.
Our journey of discovering and developing our divine potential must begin with a commitment to excellence – an agreement with our Creator that we will walk in cooperation with the Spirit to become the best version of ourselves.
Necessarily, this commitment will involve personal challenges and, at times, a degree of personal discomfort. Spiritual growth involves change and change always requires stepping out of our comfort zone. Still, the process of realizing and manifesting our divine potential is one of the greatest adventures we will ever undertake.
Discovering Our Call To Purpose
Three terms that are often heard when discussing our “purpose” in life are purpose, mission, and calling. These words often used interchangeably and can mean basically the same thing. I think the confusion comes in when an author or speaker uses these three expressions to mean different things. With that thought in mind, whenever I use these words, I take them to mean basically the same thing. Our mission, our purpose, and our calling refer to our God-given reason for being here on this planet at this time. In addition, I firmly believe that God has a highly specific calling for each of us that has three primary aspects:
• It is personal and specific to us;
• It is related to our spiritual gifts
• The realization and actualization of this mission is a major part of our spiritual formation and helps grow into the optimal version of ourselves.
In the next section we will talk about vision and it is important to understand how mission and vision are different. Our mission or purpose is far more general than our vision. Basically, you can say our vision is the specific way in which we will realize our mission.
We can say that your mission is your life calling, your reason for being here. It is not so much specific activities as it is the reason you perform those activities. Your mission gives your life meaning and gives you positive motivation to get out of bed each morning and, in positive faith, face the challenges that may come your way. Your true mission is a major motivator, something you enjoy doing, and something for which you have passion and enthusiasm.
Living With Vital Vision
As mentioned earlier, vision is intimately related to purpose but more specific. Put simply, vision is the method whereby you see yourself living out your mission to completion. Living with vital vision involves every area of your life and how those aspects of your life related to your personal mission. Your vision involves your family, friends, associates, and especially your choice of career. Ideally, all of these things come together in a harmonious orbit around the specific vision you develop for carrying forward your mission.
Arriving at your vision is a process, not an event. It requires much planning, organization, and flexibility. Most significantly, developing your vision involves deep, focused, and above all, consistent prayer. You cannot expect to discover what God wants you to do and the best way to do it without communing with Him on a regular basis. Pray that the Holy Spirit walks with you, guiding you, and challenging you to move forward with your vision, even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone. More than anywhere else in the process of growth into excellence, the phase of vital vision may require you to think out of the box.
A simple way to look at the relationship of vision and mission is as follows. Let’s suppose that three friends all have a mission to provide convenient, quality, fast-food to busy workers. One may decide to open a Burger King franchise, another a Pizza Hut. The third may have a vision of a Taco Bell. You see, the mission of quality fast-food is the same; the vision of each friend is different. I realize this example is overly simplistic, but I do think it serves our purposes of demonstrating how a vision is a specific plan for carrying forward a more general mission or calling.
Your Harvest of Glory
Your God-given potential began as a seed planted in you by the Creator before your birth. Further, he not only planted this great potential within you but also gave you all the talent you needed to discover this potential and, in concert with the Holy Spirit, connect your potential to a divine personal purpose – a call to a specific mission that was yours to carry forward. Once discovered, this mission hopefully gave you sufficient passion and motivation to develop and carry out a specific personal vision that allowed your talents and gifts to blossom and your personal vision to become a vital, living reality.
By realizing the manifestation of your mission you necessarily had to hone and develop your God-given talents and gifts and, in so doing, became more and more the optimal version of yourself. Now, walking in your personal excellence, creativity, and commitment, you are harvesting your personal glory.
We can see hints of this process in the Master’s great prayer in the 17th Chapter of John’s gospel when he expresses that as he is glorified, the Father is glorified. And the reality is my friends, when we walk in our excellence – when we manifest and live as the optimal version of who we are, we glorify the Master.
Walking in Spiritual Excellence
As a result of reaping our harvest, we are now able to manifest our true potential, realize our vital vision and in the process, become the optimal version of ourselves. We consistently walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh and in so doing, we are able to become more effective servants of the Light.
As you see, we move from our seed potential to walking in our manifest glory. We do this not to glorify ourselves, but to glorify our Master, our Father in heaven, and the Holy Spirit that has dwelled within us, walked along side us, empowered us, and made all this possible. When we come to walk in our personal glory, we are then able to be of true, selfless benefit to others while bringing glory to God.
This is our true aim and our ultimate calling – to be all that we can be; to give glory to our Creator; and to serve others with love. In the final analysis, we can ask for no greater destiny than this.
Serving With Radical Compassion
When the Master walked this earth, he did so as the prototype of a person who consistently walks in spiritual excellence. Jesus was the optimal version of who and what he was and it is to that goal we all aspire. Granted, we cannot walk as God’s Son walked – scripture tells us Jesus was the only one. However, we can walk as the optimal version of who we are.
Jesus gave himself completely to the Father so that he could do the Father’s will completely. And what was the ultimate will of the Father for his Son? The answer is simple: serve others!
Like Christ, we, too, are to give ourselves completely to God so that we can do His will completely. And what is God’s ultimate will for us? It should be obvious by now: we are to serve others.
Our service is the offspring of a heart of compassion, built upon our deep recognition of the pain and suffering inherent in this world and our interconnected unity with all people. You may not know it yet, but every man on this planet is your brother and every woman is your sister. You are made of the same combination of earth and divine breath. When one person suffers, at some level, we all suffer. This is not some New Age airy fairy fantasy; instead, it is scientific fact and theological truth.
From his opening salvo quoting Isaiah about bringing release to the captives and good news to the poor, to his dying plea of, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” Jesus exemplified a compassion far beyond what the world had seen before.
Indeed, it was and is a radical compassion.
Jesus’ stories about the Prodigal, the Good Samaritan, and his treatment of the woman caught in adultery all point to the need for a compassion that transcends the normal boundaries defined by contemporary culture, then and now.
Indeed, it was and is a radical compassion.
Friends, no matter what our station in life might be – no matter our race, our color, our culture, or our economic stature – we are called to the same.
Indeed, it is and will always be a radical compassion.
© L.D. Turner 2009/All Rights Reserved
Friday, January 30, 2009
Keep It Simple, Sherlock!
L. Dwight Turner
Some of us have a tendency to over-complicate even the most simple truths in life and I plead guilty in the first-degree when it comes to taking an issue that is fairly basic and turning it into an exercise in speculative philosophy. By God’s grace, I have become somewhat less inclined to do this as I have grown older, but I full well recognize the tendency to over-analyze a situation is still there. If Paul were here, he would more than likely say that this is one of my “strongholds” and he would be correct.
One of the silver linings that emerged out of my confrontation with this problematic aspect of my character, however, has proved quite useful. In a number of ways, this point of light in an otherwise dark encounter with my own defects of character is the opposite of my tendency to turn placing postage stamp in the correct location an exercise in higher calculus. In fact, it involves making things less complicated.
Allow me to give you an example.
Whenever we take even a minimal view of the scope of issues involved in living a spiritually meaningful life in today’s world, it can surely be overwhelming. The fact is the world in which we live and move and have our being is far more complex and multi-faceted than the one where Buddha, Krishna, or Jesus operated. Granted, as limited humans we are dealing with most of the fundamental problems that the contemporaries of these great spiritual figures dealt with many years ago, but those problems surface in many ways and in numerous contexts that were unheard of in ancient times. To make matters more complicated, we have to find ways in which we can filter our faith experiences, especially as related to our growth or lack thereof, so that they make at least a modicum of sense. In other words, we need to find ways in which we can make our spiritual journey more comprehensible, particularly to ourselves.
This process is the opposite of my tendency to over-complicate things. Here we are talking about simplifying complex things, rather than complicating basically sensible things. Of course, it can be argued that any path of spiritual formation is a simple at its core, but I, for one, don’t buy that argument. As they say down here in the South, “…that dog won’t hunt.” The reality is, the spiritual path can be very confusing at times, particularly when it comes to personal ethics, making proper decisions, and engaging in spiritual disciplines. Making the situation more complicated is the cacophony of conflicting opinions on just about any issue on might raise. The need for something a bit simpler is critical, especially for the new believer.
At Sacred Mind Alliance we have explored numerous ways of mapping out the process of spiritual growth in a contemporary context and most have been genuinely effective. What I want to share here, however, is a map I developed for my own use. It has been modified somewhat over the years, but I still go back to these basic themes whenever I find I need more clarity and less confusion in my daily walk of faith. What I am about to share is in no way comprehensive, but it does work as a pragmatic outline of the faith, boiled down to four workable divisions. This particular way of looking at the faith has been effective for me, and it may be for you. Please keep in mind, however, I am not suggesting what follows is the best way, the only way, or that it will work for everyone. At the end of the day, I think each of us has to find our own way of making complex issues simple and more easily addressed.
The method I used for breaking the path of what I came to call “Faith Formation” into manageable units involved four divisions. In my personal journal I called these divisions “The Four Mirrors of Faith Formation” and came to see that this title fit perfectly for what I was doing. I used the word “mirrors” for several important reasons. First of all, this approach was not like a ladder, where you take one step after another. When put into actual practice, each division proved to be intimately connected with the other three. It was as if, like four mirrors on each side of an object, each mirror reflected not only the object, but the reflections in the other mirrors as well.
In order to deepen this analogy, I placed a small sculpture of Guan Yin, a Buddhist Bodhisattva of Compassion on a table and placed four identical mirrors on each side. Amazingly, as I looked in each mirror I did not see one dove, but many as each primary reflection contained the other reflections. I had the awareness that these four mirrors were like a spiritual hologram, with each part containing within it the perfect totality of every other part.
The Four Mirrors of Faith Formation, which I continue to use as my own personal model for applying the faith to my own life, are:
The Mirror of Connection
The Mirror of Comprehension
The Mirror of Cultivation
The Mirror of Contribution
As stated earlier, I could have come up with more divisions, many more. Further, with my propensity for alliteration, I most likely could have started all of them with the letter “C.” However, my goal was to keep this process as simple as possible and still have a workable, comprehensive matrix through which I could process my faith.
The Mirror of Connection is just that, connection with the Divine. In this mirror, I seek to deepen my connection with God through several practices. First, it involves prayer, the practice of meditation, spiritual reading, and contact with the natural world. This last practice has revealed itself to be one of the most powerful ways I have found to deepen the level of my contact with and experience of God’s presence.
The Mirror of Comprehension is concerned with the garnering of practical wisdom, particularly in regards to spiritual laws and principles in general and the pragmatic application of these laws to daily living. The primary aim in this mirror is gaining knowledge of the interface between the spiritual world and this physical world. Also central is deepening not only our understanding, but also our practical experience of the interconnectivity of all life and the birth of a transformational compassion in the heart.
In working with the Mirror of Cultivation my primary objective is to put myself into a spiritual posture of openness and receptivity to the work of Sacred Spirit. This particular mirror is aimed at the cultivation of what I have come to call “Sacred Character,” which in turn is built on the foundation of “Noble Integrity.” In addition, the formation of character and integrity is further made possible by the clarification and development of a comprehensive worldview and an internalized system of values based on that worldview.
As I work with these mirrors, I understand on an experiential level that my primary purpose in life becomes making a positive, spiritual contribution to the world in which I live. In brief, the Mirror of Contribution is concerned with the use of my talents, spiritual gifts, and whatever else God has placed at my disposal in order to make the world a better place. This does not necessarily mean some great, Noble Peace Prize winning contribution, although for a select few, this may be true. For most of us, the Mirror of Contribution is concerned with doing whatever we can to bring a high level of functioning to whatever setting we may be placed. This process could involve family, work, the environment, or any number of things.
Earlier, I mentioned that the spiritual journey can be explained in many ways and certainly in ways that are deeper and more complex than the four-mirrored approach I have just described. What I have attempted to do in this brief article is to present a model and matrix that has worked well for me. I am a person who thrives on exploring highly complex, difficult to comprehend models so things and, for this very reason, I have learned that it is precisely those things that I need to avoid. In an overworked but accurate slogan, I need to keep it simple.
© L. D. Turner 2009/ All Rights Reserved
Some of us have a tendency to over-complicate even the most simple truths in life and I plead guilty in the first-degree when it comes to taking an issue that is fairly basic and turning it into an exercise in speculative philosophy. By God’s grace, I have become somewhat less inclined to do this as I have grown older, but I full well recognize the tendency to over-analyze a situation is still there. If Paul were here, he would more than likely say that this is one of my “strongholds” and he would be correct.
One of the silver linings that emerged out of my confrontation with this problematic aspect of my character, however, has proved quite useful. In a number of ways, this point of light in an otherwise dark encounter with my own defects of character is the opposite of my tendency to turn placing postage stamp in the correct location an exercise in higher calculus. In fact, it involves making things less complicated.
Allow me to give you an example.
Whenever we take even a minimal view of the scope of issues involved in living a spiritually meaningful life in today’s world, it can surely be overwhelming. The fact is the world in which we live and move and have our being is far more complex and multi-faceted than the one where Buddha, Krishna, or Jesus operated. Granted, as limited humans we are dealing with most of the fundamental problems that the contemporaries of these great spiritual figures dealt with many years ago, but those problems surface in many ways and in numerous contexts that were unheard of in ancient times. To make matters more complicated, we have to find ways in which we can filter our faith experiences, especially as related to our growth or lack thereof, so that they make at least a modicum of sense. In other words, we need to find ways in which we can make our spiritual journey more comprehensible, particularly to ourselves.
This process is the opposite of my tendency to over-complicate things. Here we are talking about simplifying complex things, rather than complicating basically sensible things. Of course, it can be argued that any path of spiritual formation is a simple at its core, but I, for one, don’t buy that argument. As they say down here in the South, “…that dog won’t hunt.” The reality is, the spiritual path can be very confusing at times, particularly when it comes to personal ethics, making proper decisions, and engaging in spiritual disciplines. Making the situation more complicated is the cacophony of conflicting opinions on just about any issue on might raise. The need for something a bit simpler is critical, especially for the new believer.
At Sacred Mind Alliance we have explored numerous ways of mapping out the process of spiritual growth in a contemporary context and most have been genuinely effective. What I want to share here, however, is a map I developed for my own use. It has been modified somewhat over the years, but I still go back to these basic themes whenever I find I need more clarity and less confusion in my daily walk of faith. What I am about to share is in no way comprehensive, but it does work as a pragmatic outline of the faith, boiled down to four workable divisions. This particular way of looking at the faith has been effective for me, and it may be for you. Please keep in mind, however, I am not suggesting what follows is the best way, the only way, or that it will work for everyone. At the end of the day, I think each of us has to find our own way of making complex issues simple and more easily addressed.
The method I used for breaking the path of what I came to call “Faith Formation” into manageable units involved four divisions. In my personal journal I called these divisions “The Four Mirrors of Faith Formation” and came to see that this title fit perfectly for what I was doing. I used the word “mirrors” for several important reasons. First of all, this approach was not like a ladder, where you take one step after another. When put into actual practice, each division proved to be intimately connected with the other three. It was as if, like four mirrors on each side of an object, each mirror reflected not only the object, but the reflections in the other mirrors as well.
In order to deepen this analogy, I placed a small sculpture of Guan Yin, a Buddhist Bodhisattva of Compassion on a table and placed four identical mirrors on each side. Amazingly, as I looked in each mirror I did not see one dove, but many as each primary reflection contained the other reflections. I had the awareness that these four mirrors were like a spiritual hologram, with each part containing within it the perfect totality of every other part.
The Four Mirrors of Faith Formation, which I continue to use as my own personal model for applying the faith to my own life, are:
The Mirror of Connection
The Mirror of Comprehension
The Mirror of Cultivation
The Mirror of Contribution
As stated earlier, I could have come up with more divisions, many more. Further, with my propensity for alliteration, I most likely could have started all of them with the letter “C.” However, my goal was to keep this process as simple as possible and still have a workable, comprehensive matrix through which I could process my faith.
The Mirror of Connection is just that, connection with the Divine. In this mirror, I seek to deepen my connection with God through several practices. First, it involves prayer, the practice of meditation, spiritual reading, and contact with the natural world. This last practice has revealed itself to be one of the most powerful ways I have found to deepen the level of my contact with and experience of God’s presence.
The Mirror of Comprehension is concerned with the garnering of practical wisdom, particularly in regards to spiritual laws and principles in general and the pragmatic application of these laws to daily living. The primary aim in this mirror is gaining knowledge of the interface between the spiritual world and this physical world. Also central is deepening not only our understanding, but also our practical experience of the interconnectivity of all life and the birth of a transformational compassion in the heart.
In working with the Mirror of Cultivation my primary objective is to put myself into a spiritual posture of openness and receptivity to the work of Sacred Spirit. This particular mirror is aimed at the cultivation of what I have come to call “Sacred Character,” which in turn is built on the foundation of “Noble Integrity.” In addition, the formation of character and integrity is further made possible by the clarification and development of a comprehensive worldview and an internalized system of values based on that worldview.
As I work with these mirrors, I understand on an experiential level that my primary purpose in life becomes making a positive, spiritual contribution to the world in which I live. In brief, the Mirror of Contribution is concerned with the use of my talents, spiritual gifts, and whatever else God has placed at my disposal in order to make the world a better place. This does not necessarily mean some great, Noble Peace Prize winning contribution, although for a select few, this may be true. For most of us, the Mirror of Contribution is concerned with doing whatever we can to bring a high level of functioning to whatever setting we may be placed. This process could involve family, work, the environment, or any number of things.
Earlier, I mentioned that the spiritual journey can be explained in many ways and certainly in ways that are deeper and more complex than the four-mirrored approach I have just described. What I have attempted to do in this brief article is to present a model and matrix that has worked well for me. I am a person who thrives on exploring highly complex, difficult to comprehend models so things and, for this very reason, I have learned that it is precisely those things that I need to avoid. In an overworked but accurate slogan, I need to keep it simple.
© L. D. Turner 2009/ All Rights Reserved
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