Category Archives: Spiritual Growth

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The Indispensable Role of Tests in the Christian Life

Tests. Ugh. Sometimes I wish I had finished with them when I graduated from school. No more homework. No more tests. Sounds great right? Unless there is more to it than that when it comes to the spiritual life.

Recently I re-read some words from The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard that helped me rethink this approach again:

“First we must accept the circumstances we constantly find ourselves in as a place of God’s kingdom and blessing. God has yet to bless anyone except where they actually are, and if we faithlessly discard situation after situation, moment after moment, as not being “right,” we will simply have no place to receive his kingdom into our life. For those situations and moments are our life.”

These tests and situations are opportunities. Though well stated, Willard did not come up with this idea. The brother of Jesus did:

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” – James 1:2-4 (NASB)

Comfort is not God’s goal for my life–wow that is even painful to type! Being a disciple means doing homework and taking tests–not to earn God’s favor or merit his grace, but to grow. Growth is not comfortable but it is good, necessary, and what we were made for. This is another reason why theology matters.

God help me receive todays’s circumstances–as husband, father, friend, co-worker–as an opportunity to grow. Help me pass the test for your glory and my ultimate benefit. Help change my perspective.

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How have you experienced receiving circumstances as opportunities in your life? Share how God has met you in them below in the comments section to encourage one another.

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How to Keep Your Heart and Relationship with God Spiritually Healthy

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. – Proverbs 4:23

If we are to flourish as human beings, our hearts must be guarded, cared for and tended to. But who has the time? I certainly don’t. Do you? I mean, we have work, studies, families, relationships, and other responsibilities. We entertain ourselves non-stop and are habitually plugged in to a digital universe that subtly reshapes our desires and expectations of reality (most of the time, not in a Godward direction).

And yet, if we don’t take the time to tend to our hearts, life will not go well. And we will miss out on God’s best for us. We will not be healthy and we will not grow. Our souls will shrivel up and our relationships will suffer. Our humanity will be diminished and our passions enslaved.These are the natural consequences of a life in a fallen world if we do not engage our hearts (Gen.3).

What follows is my attempt at reminding myself from God’s Word how to deal with the sin that so easily entangles our hearts. You are welcome to read over my shoulder.

1. Confess your sin

  • Agree with God that what you did was actually wrong / sin (Ps. 51)
  • Admit you were wrong to the offended person and ask for their forgiveness (Matt. 5:23-24)
  • Tell your closest Christian friends that you have sinned in this way (cf. James 5:16)

2. Accept God’s forgiveness

  • Receive the forgiveness God has already provided you in Jesus Christ (1 John 1:9)
  • Reject the lie that you are not forgiven and the guilt that goes with that (cf. Rom. 8:1)

3. Renew your mind

  • Tell yourself the truth about this behavior / attitude / situation (i.e., what the Bible says cf. Rom. 12:1-2; Ps. 119:9-11 & 2 Tim. 3:16-17)
  • Ask the Holy Spirit to help you change your thinking regarding this behavior / attitude / situation. (Gal. 5:16-23 cf. Eph. 5:16)

If helpful, remember the acronym C.A.R. for this process. This is not a exhaustive to be sure. But it is a good (and throughly biblical) place to start.

*Learn how to become an everyday ambassador as we live out our faith.

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Dallas Willard on the Ruined Soul and How Not to Live

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Recently Dallas Willard went to be with His Lord. I miss him already. Here is just one of the many sobering and insightful passages from his writing (Renovation of the Heart).

Thus no one chooses in the abstract to go to hell or even to be the kind of person who belongs there. But their orientation toward self leads them to become the kind of person for whom away-from-God is the only place for which they are suited. It is a place they would, in the end, choose for themselves, rather than come to humble themselves before God and accept who he is. Whether or not God’s will is infinitely flexible, the human will is not. There are limits beyond which it cannot bend back, cannot turn or repent. One should seriously inquire if to live in a world permeated with God and the knowledge of God is something they themselves truly desire. If not, they can be assured that God will excuse them from his presence. They will find their place in the “outer darkness” of which Jesus spoke. But the fundamental fact about them will not be that they are there, but that they have become people so locked into their own self-worship and denial of God that they cannot want God… We should be very sure that the ruined soul is not one who has missed a few more or less important theological points and will flunk a theological examination at the end of life. Hell is not an “oops!” or a slip. One does not miss heaven by a hair, but by constant effort to avoid and escape God. “Outer darkness” is for one who, everything said, wants it, whose entire orientation has slowly and firmly set itself against God and therefore against how the universe actually is. It is for those who are disastrously in error about their own life and their place before God and man.—Dallas Willard

Learn more about the life, work, ministry, and writings of Dallas Willard

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What Has Captured Your Imagination?

C.S. Lewis once said:

It is not reason that is taking away my faith: on the contrary, my faith is based on reason. It is my imagination and emotions. The battle is between faith and reason on one side and imagination on the other.

I think this is a powerful insight. Whether you are struggling or flourishing, a very important question to ask is this…what has captured your imagination? What do you dwell on? What do you think about most? (and for the more daring) What do you love?

Paul offers some sage and Holy Spirit inspired counsel:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. – Phil. 4:8

Our emotions follow our focused thoughts. In a world of distractions, its easy to drift. It might be worth adding this question to your mental playlist–What has captured my imagination lately? Either way, the question will be rewarded. It can snap you back to reality or help you experience true reality in a deeper more God-saturated way.

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