Each day we awake, we are all, to some degree, aware of many things around us. We typically place most of our own attention on those things highest on our priority list. If it is dark, we turn a light on. If it is cold, we put a on something more to keep us warm. The modern attention grab drawing our awareness focus for many has become cell phones or mobile devices. I am not saying this is good or bad, but each one of us must make this calculation for ourselves. I must say that from my own perspective it has created a completely new kind of people, “those who are distracted from the world around them!” Just yesterday, while walking down the hall at work an individual walked right into me, as he was completely absorbed in his cell phone. He simply said, “Sorry” and continued his reading. This happens far too often on the road by people who think they can read their phones while driving. I do not believe they intend to be a hazard and yet they seem completely unaware of the potential danger they are creating for others around them. We are creatures of habit and once we establish a norm through conscious effort we can, with little effort, perform these habits seemingly unconsciously throughout our day.
Moreover, the proper mentoring and discipleship that once helped societies to form and govern good habits coming from revered elders within has been replaced with continuous mentoring and guidance from self-centered media, fads, what other people think, what we feel will help us be accepted, based on what we like, etc. As a society, we have lost a great source of wisdom and replaced it with guidance from self-centered, and in many cases unlearned people, guiding us on a path far from where our Creator intended. Therefore, the true follower of Christ who has been spiritually reborn into a spiritual life with Christ must make this our priority and habit in our lives. We should all pause and ask ourselves, “Just how spiritually aware am I throughout my day?” Do I continuously seek the Lord’s help to disciple me when forming habits needed to be like Christ. Am I aware of my Lords presence throughout the day, or does this awareness appear only in the times when someone says, “Let’s pray.” Do I wake up and acknowledge that am not alone, because the Lord is right there with me all the time. I know I have far too many lapses throughout my day caused by distractions from countless day-to-day encounters.
Although I seek to include the Lord in many things throughout my day, once I look back and dissect my day, I find I do not include the Lord nearly as much as I thought I did. How about you? This is an integral part of our spiritual growth and the Holy Spirit (God) lives within us for this very reason. He is the bridge to help us fill the many gaps found in our spiritual lives. If you think about it, spiritual awareness is found in all people on this world. The pagan, new ager, religious, those in the occult, and even the atheist are all too aware of the spiritual world around us. They practice their own norms and habits to deal with this world by praying to statues signifying false gods, religiously practice manmade traditional forms of worship, or even work to remove this spiritual world so it is out of sight and out of mind. However, we who are spiritually reborn, separated from those who remain lost in this world, should embrace spiritual awareness as Jesus did. We are not called to have an intellectual relationship with our Lord, but instead we are called to grow deeply into a spiritual relationship guided by the Holy Spirit who lives within us. Regrettably, because this is something you cannot see or even explain many who claim to follow Christ reject establishing a spiritual relationship based on faith alone and substitute it with an intellectually based relationship with the Lord. Yet, “Faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1). We who are truly spiritual members of the kingdom of heaven must learn to become spiritually mature if we are to be like Christ.
From the first part of the day, to the last, Jesus, through the intervention of the Holy Spirit, was in constant contact with our heavenly Father. Even when distracted by this world, Jesus proved to be anchored in His spiritual life through prayer. That same spirit lives within every born again follower of Christ. Jesus constantly had to deal with the opposing forces in the spiritual world around us, why should we think our lives are any different from His in that respect. We are HIS Body here on earth! Paul tells us, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12). And yet many who make the claim to know Christ either ignore this truth of try to write it out of their own spiritual lives falsely believing that this realm does not exist in today’s would. We need to be spiritual grounded throughout each day, not just for an hour or so on a Sunday, and learn to live as Christ did. “Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked.” (1 John 2:6).
Moreover, the proper mentoring and discipleship that once helped societies to form and govern good habits coming from revered elders within has been replaced with continuous mentoring and guidance from self-centered media, fads, what other people think, what we feel will help us be accepted, based on what we like, etc. As a society, we have lost a great source of wisdom and replaced it with guidance from self-centered, and in many cases unlearned people, guiding us on a path far from where our Creator intended. Therefore, the true follower of Christ who has been spiritually reborn into a spiritual life with Christ must make this our priority and habit in our lives. We should all pause and ask ourselves, “Just how spiritually aware am I throughout my day?” Do I continuously seek the Lord’s help to disciple me when forming habits needed to be like Christ. Am I aware of my Lords presence throughout the day, or does this awareness appear only in the times when someone says, “Let’s pray.” Do I wake up and acknowledge that am not alone, because the Lord is right there with me all the time. I know I have far too many lapses throughout my day caused by distractions from countless day-to-day encounters.
Although I seek to include the Lord in many things throughout my day, once I look back and dissect my day, I find I do not include the Lord nearly as much as I thought I did. How about you? This is an integral part of our spiritual growth and the Holy Spirit (God) lives within us for this very reason. He is the bridge to help us fill the many gaps found in our spiritual lives. If you think about it, spiritual awareness is found in all people on this world. The pagan, new ager, religious, those in the occult, and even the atheist are all too aware of the spiritual world around us. They practice their own norms and habits to deal with this world by praying to statues signifying false gods, religiously practice manmade traditional forms of worship, or even work to remove this spiritual world so it is out of sight and out of mind. However, we who are spiritually reborn, separated from those who remain lost in this world, should embrace spiritual awareness as Jesus did. We are not called to have an intellectual relationship with our Lord, but instead we are called to grow deeply into a spiritual relationship guided by the Holy Spirit who lives within us. Regrettably, because this is something you cannot see or even explain many who claim to follow Christ reject establishing a spiritual relationship based on faith alone and substitute it with an intellectually based relationship with the Lord. Yet, “Faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1). We who are truly spiritual members of the kingdom of heaven must learn to become spiritually mature if we are to be like Christ.
From the first part of the day, to the last, Jesus, through the intervention of the Holy Spirit, was in constant contact with our heavenly Father. Even when distracted by this world, Jesus proved to be anchored in His spiritual life through prayer. That same spirit lives within every born again follower of Christ. Jesus constantly had to deal with the opposing forces in the spiritual world around us, why should we think our lives are any different from His in that respect. We are HIS Body here on earth! Paul tells us, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12). And yet many who make the claim to know Christ either ignore this truth of try to write it out of their own spiritual lives falsely believing that this realm does not exist in today’s would. We need to be spiritual grounded throughout each day, not just for an hour or so on a Sunday, and learn to live as Christ did. “Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked.” (1 John 2:6).
