Sleeping Through Life

A good friend recently shared with me that she feels like she's "sleeping through life." I quickly assured her that I knew how she felt! I study the Word and spend time in prayer daily. I attend Bible study and church services several times a week. I fill my ipod with my favorite worship songs by Leeland, Hillsong United, and Chris Tomlin. Yet my heart ceases to burn with the all-consuming passion for the Lord I felt when I first believed. I SO desire to feel His powerful presence in my life again- yet I continue along my merry way, acting the same way in my relationships with those around me and failing to consider re-prioritizing my school and work schedule. And though I profess that I want to give my life completely to the Lord, I walk by countless opportunities to spread HIS glory and do HIS works daily, assuring myself that my current task at hand needs to be fulfilled before I get sidetracked by "that."

I came across a blog post this morning (and no, I absolutely don't believe that it was irony or coincidence) entitled "Spiritual Obesity." In it, a blogger responds to the question, "Why don't I feel God anymore?" In summary, the blogger explains that God provides us with all this spiritual nutrition needed to go and do His works when we attend church, share in fellowship with other believers, study the Word, and spend time in prayer, to name a few. But when we fail to USE that spiritual nutrition to share the amazing gospel of Jesus Christ, to reach out to others when it's inconvenient, to give until it hurts, or to go places and do things in Christ's name that make us nervous and uncomfortable, our spiritual life becomes unhealthy, just as our physical bodies become unhealthy when we stop exercising. We aren't challenging ourselves! We aren't doing anything that calls for us to cling to Jesus for our strength and joy! How can we expect to realize our own human weakness, our own failure, and  to experience Jesus's AMAZING grace and power if we're living lives that reflect a determination to rely (unsuccessfully) upon ourselves and to stay within our well-established comfort zones? 

I've pasted the link for that article at the end of this post. I'd encourage you to read it! As for me, I know that I am in need of some serious prayer. I truly desire, above anything else, for Jesus Christ to be my reason for life. After all, He is the only way to life, so aligning my heart with His is the only way to go! So let's pray for the Lord to reveal opportunities for us to exercise- to utilize the ample spiritual nutrition that the Lord has so graciously provided- so that we will be left in need of His fulfillment, and able to EXPERIENCE the extent of His perfect power again as we grow in spiritual maturity!

"You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness."  1 Peter 2: 2-3 (NLT)

"Are you called to be a speaker? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given all the glory in everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belong to him forever and ever. Amen."  1 Peter 4:11 (NLT) (emphasis added)

-T

http://h3sean.com/feel-god-anymore-spiritual-fatness/