The Prayer Factor 2.4

As we continue from yesterday...
We must commit to Total Spiritual Discipline
The ingredients of spiritual development include: “Self -Control or Efficiency”

 

1 Corinthians 9:25 “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”  He clarifies that statement with 9:26 “Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

There are a couple areas we can work on in in our personal development.

Let’s look at two:

Temple Care

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

 How do you honor Him?

1.    Eating…something I’m working on in my life. A box of cookies is not a meal.

2.   Sleeping…make sure you are doing right to your body by what it needs. Go to bed…sleep is the healing process your body needs.

3.    Exercise…I go to the gym 3 to 4 times a week because it makes me feel good. Under the first layer is some rocking muscles. My wife was mad at me, (fun Mad) because she made me go get a physical and guess what? I’m healthy…PTL! Now she didn’t want me to be sick. This was a fun banter with each other. But we must take care of ourselves.

 Blessing Care

1 Corinthians 4:2 “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” You want God’s blessings, be faithful!

 Be faithful with you’re:

1.    Time…balancing everything you do have to be God led.  

2.    Treasures…if this is your church you should be supporting it with the tithe. All this doesn’t happen on its own. It takes money to have a building and pay the bills and to have a fulltime pastor. We all have to be a part of keeping the ministry going here. I believe that God will move in your hearts, things will get paid, because God did it inside of you.

3.    Talents…all of you have been gifted with talents and abilities that you need to be using for Jesus. Stop making excuses that you can’t when you have been gifted to Do Great things!

 When we are operating in these major control areas for personal development…

It Equals us becoming a Balanced Christian.

 If you go back to our opening scripture in Romans 6:11, “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” What is the makeup of a Balanced Christian? It is “the man or woman who has died to self…has no ambitions and has nothing to be jealous about. They have no reputation and so has nothing to fight about. They have no possessions and therefore have nothing to worry about. They have no rights so therefore they cannot suffer any wrongs. They are already dead so no one can kill them.”

Only as we learn to die can we really live in Christ. More tomorrow...

 

You are Loved!