Three Part Harmony - How, Why, What? Part I

Part I: "HOW"

 The question I get most often is: “How can I start a spiritual relationship with God?”
 
Many people think or believe the world is a place of goodness and light. Where evil and corruption have only a sliver of presence. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is the world is a place of evil and corruption under the guise and guidance of men. The sole glimmer of hope for the world is God’s spiritual presence.
 
It’s “the world’s ways” designed and implemented by men whose dictates are grounded in greed and cruelty determining much of humanity’s suffering, stress, struggle, and conflict. One might think God’s intervention would be decisive, with a finality for one’s life. A problem occurs with this false premise. The ways of the world run rampant against hope and desire for a relationship with God. It’s through suffering that many people often turn to God. And yet, because He doesn’t respond immediately to their protracted delusions or disappointments, they keep themselves even further from Him. 
 
Religions attempt to convince people to believe and accept God. However, instead of using love, compassion and mercy, religions often use images, language, and descriptions of ‘fire and brimstone’ coupled with damnation to extort allegiance. Threats of punishment from God for disobedience or ‘sins’ of daily living are common pronouncements by religions. Many think of religions as a cudgel against those “[who] lead lives of quiet desperation”.
 
The world wants us to think it’s one way or the other. All or nothing. All God or no God. God wants us to know and understand life’s essence is rooted in balance. Balance between who we are as humans in our physicality and who we are as spirited souls.
 
The world’s vices and volitions are purposed to entice, embolden or further encourage those who willingly embrace its wanton ways. The world promotes its own and rewards those who use its ways to control, coerce or cause victimization of others. Both the world and religions effectively use fear, shock, and punishment attributed to or from God as weapons against His love. It’s this conflict, this battle between the natural (wo)man and the spiritual (wo)man, between good and evil, that is a foundational discovery for each of us. Who we are, who we will be and where we fit into our world.
 
The more we participate and embrace exclusively the world’s ways with its layers of tests, trials, and challenges the more we (can) become complicit in and at the same time victims of its harshness. Many turn to God often as a last resort hoping for relief. It’s here the world redoubles its efforts. Even without knowing it we can become targets of attempts to dissuade us from establishing (or re-establishing) a spiritual relationship with God through Christ Jesus.
 
Our levels of comfort with the world can make ‘new’ spiritual life difficult. And yet, God waits. This may be one of the most underappreciated facets of life. That God waits on our response.  Will we (again) succumb to the challenges or old pattern options presented to us in the familiarity of the world we know? Will we give rise to its siren call of comforting misery? Will we abandon God’s path because we think He has abandoned us by not answering? Or will we gather ourselves to muster the strength of spirit needed to look closer at self-reflection?
 
The goal of the spirit is always to start (or re-start) upon the path and then stay the course. In so doing, to grow with and through hardship with His spiritual strength now abiding within our spirited soul. This is a dilemma point. We are (perhaps once again) ready and motivated. But how do we start on a Christ led path? What do we do? This is where so many have stumbled. How and what do we do? Go (back) to church? Falling into a well-trod cycle of disappointment amid accusations, guilt and shame? Are there alternatives we can take?
 
Here are five scripturally sound steps to (re)activate your spirit.
Matthew 7:7-8; Invite.
John 16:13; Embrace.
John 14:16,26; Engage.
John 14:6; Emulate.
Romans 10:9-10; Believe.
 
These steps are all you need. You don’t need to ‘know the Bible.’ You don’t need to ask permission of some church member or official. You don’t need to get approval from a family member. Read and understand these scriptures and you’ll be prepared to step on the singular path that will bring Christ’s spirit into your life. If you don’t have a bible, go here- https://www.biblegateway.com/

1. God’s love is so great, He asks nothing of us. He gives us ‘Free Will’ to determine our choices. He will never coerce, cajole try to convert or convince us to believe. It’s our decision. Activating a spiritual relationship with God through Christ must be voluntary. It’s a choice for each of us! It’s up to you to invite Jesus into your life. How? ASK; ask, seek, knock. (Matthew 7:7-8)
2. When you ask, Jesus will respond by sending His “Spirit of Truth” to be with you. From that moment on His Spirit will live with you. (John 16:13)
3. His spirit will now act as your guide, advisor, counselor, instructor, aide, and teacher. Every time you need Him simply ask. This may sound corny or trite but when you ask He will answer. That’s His promise. (John 14:16, 26)
4. Jesus explains one reason for His coming into our world is, He is ‘the way’. He is our example of responsible moral and ethical living. How to respond. The closer we come to knowing Him through His Spirit in us the more we understand how to emulate (copy, imitate) his actions and behaviors in real world situations we find ourselves. (John 14:6)
5. Chapter 10 in the book of Romans describes the affirmation for eternal spiritual salvation. (Romans 10:9-10,13,17)

 
These five provide clarity for understanding and practice. Clarity of the world, clarity of ourselves. A first step opportunity to change your life is here, right now.
 
The world’s ways are to distract us from cognition that God’s spirit of origination dwells within us. (“God is Spirit” [Jn 4:24]). Therefore, as our creator we too are of His Spirit. These two are to be acknowledged and reiterated. From the moment we invite and ask Christ into our lives, having received His Holy Spirit, our spiritual task is to walk a path that takes us closer to God. By accepting His spiritual guidance, counsel, or instruction while emulating His thoughts, words, and deeds we become living children of God.
 
With the spirit of truth within us our quest now becomes to learn and apply balance between our human and our spiritual selves. Balance between our physical needs and active spiritual grounding. In this way we become more complete. We become a ‘new’ complimenting combination of physical and spiritual. As we grow in completeness, we become more balanced and fulfilling as partners in our personal and career relationships.
 
This is part of the design and purpose of life. To come closer to God. Our relationship with Him will grow as we acknowledge and consider His lead to our responses with spiritual support for our actions. Through this burgeoning new spiritual awareness, we recognize a deeper level for future choices.
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With reflection comes better understanding for possible application of truth and love in our life. We are now able to understand more competently practiced compassion, mercy, and forgiveness. We also employ spirit inspired strength to turn from corruption and evil. No longer denying these exist. No, far from it. Knowing with certainty they do! Understanding they run rampant within and throughout our world. At every level, within every endeavor, industry, government, commerce, or religion.
 
Awareness automatically gives pause to the ways and influences of the world. By our spiritual grounding we now recognize truth’s presence in all we do, in all we are. Not only by our participation in the world at large, but by our now spiritually grounded personal and career lives.

Stay tuned for Part II.
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