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Exercising Our Spirit!

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Be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18b, NASB).

If someone told us that they wanted to add muscle or increase endurance in their physical body, we might ask, “What plan are you using?” If they responded, “Oh, I’m waiting, being patient, and staying humble while letting God take care of everything.”

We would think that they lack sense.  

And yet that’s the plan I hear when people talk about their spiritual growth. I hear words like patient, waiting, humble, and trust, as if God then magically transforms their spirit into a dynamo of miracle-working power.

Let’s consider how God made us — we are body, soul, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Our soul (mind, will, and emotions) makes daily decisions that improve or hinder our physical capacity.  

How we eat and exercise determines physical health, and in the same manner, our soul makes decisions that improve or ruin our spirit. I’m not teaching a works-based doctrine as we are saved spiritually by faith and anything we do spiritually must be empowered by His Spirit — but we do turn the switch of neglect or growth in our soul (mind, will, and emotions) by making decisions that release either health or disease to both our spiritual and our physical beings.

We must exercise our spirit! How?

First: Increase your faith!

The apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith in Luke 17:5. Faith is the essential nutrient of a growing and productive spirit. Paul tells us in Galatians 5:25 to keep in step with the Spirit.  

This is our faith-growing plan: He leads, we obey and follow, then our faith grows!

Second: Know your assignments!

Our spirits are uniquely designed by God. No one else has the same type, quality, or gifting of the Spirit in our spirit. So, individual tasks work for us, but not for anyone else.

If we don’t know our faith-building assignments, we can’t walk in a manner worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1).

The best lesson for finding your calling can be summed up as running at your fears. Our Satanic-trained flesh resists Spirit-originated assignments by inoculating us with fear. Often, when the Spirit speaks to our spirit, we resist out of ungodly fear.

Third: Relax and rejoice!

Since God created us for a special purpose before time began, He has a vested interest in helping us find and keep His will in our lives. As James says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8a).

We can rejoice knowing that God empowers our lives, His grace overcomes the flesh, and His peace defuses our hesitancy.

We need a strong and growing spirit because in the last days, our trials will increase. If we know that sometime in the next two years we will be required to run a marathon without stopping or we die, we’d begin training and keep ourselves in shape for that moment.

The same is true with spiritual warfare; when the evil one approaches (and he will), our trained and exercised spirit brings victory!

Let’s exercise our spirit.

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