Searching for Truth

There are often hard to handle issues in our soul that keep us from relating to others deeply and constructively, and it is easier for us to ignore them, and cover them up with social courtesies and appropriate language. We then, allow superficial behavior to suffice as a barometer of spiritual health. Yet superficial behavior and relationships divert attention away from the troubling realities that exist within our soul. Superficiality helps us get by spiritually because we think that conforming our behavior to whatever standards we set creates spirituality. But change in this case is largely external. It is not from the inside out. And its effect is to increase a deep sense of pressure, not freedom. Change is usually based of human effort, more information, greater knowledge, and more determined attempts at obedience do not necessarily draw us more deeply into relationship with Christ. But Jesus made it clear that doing right in His eyes required far more than the performance of cer...

In our search for intimacy with Christ, we are transformed into Jesus’ likeness and grow into a closer walk with Him through our relationship with the body of believers, the family of God. As Christians, we are members of the body of Christ. Every aspect of our life as a Christian is a body issue. Being a part of the body necessitates community. We are a society of believers in Jesus Christ: the Jesus society. The community of people around us is the incubator in which we grow. The depth and quality of our growth will depend on the community that surrounds us. In living the Jesus way of life together with others in the local body of Christ, we encourage, empower, and enliven one another. In Christ, we share a common life together. One of the most important aspects of community is growing in our relationship with Christ through knowing and being known by others within the body. Nearly everyone seems to have an inherent need to know and be known. The body of Christ supplies the environme...

“In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for you.” He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons. There are some very important lessons we can learn from our Lord in this passage regarding prayer. First, if Jesus realized the necessity and importance of spending time alone with God in prayer, certainly His feeble disciples, such as we are, will greatly benefit from the same. Sometimes it is important just to get away from everyone and everything for some uninterrupted time alone with God. In the passage above, it seems as if Jesus’ praying helped remind Him of His purpose and reason for coming to the earth: to preach the gos...

Few things trouble us more than what appears from our perspective to be unanswered prayer. We struggle with doubt, confusion, hurt, and even sometimes anger, when wrestling with the fact that our requests are not being fulfilled. During such times, we may feel distanced from God, alone, powerless, or perhaps even trying to figure out what we may have done that would cause God’s silence regarding our requests. The word of God encourages unrestrained asking in prayer (Matthew 7:7; John 14:14). But why are we sometimes disappointed after having asked? First, it may be helpful to remember that we are products of the instant gratification society. We are used to getting what we want when we want it, which is usually now! Although there certainly are times when God works instantly, there are more times when He works slowly, at least from our perspective. Whenever we plant seeds in the ground to make our gardens, we understand that it takes some time before the seeds sprout into grown plants ...

We generally enjoy talking to those whom we love deeply. In prayer, we should enjoy God. It is important when we pray, to pause and remember the wonderful reality of Who it is we are talking to. Whenever we are in the presence of the One who fulfills the deepest longings of our souls, wonderful things can happen. The concerns of our little world pale in comparison to the One who made the heavens with its billions of stars spanning endless light years. Allow yourself to focus on God alone. We should be completely awestruck in the presence of God. He is the most fascinating, amazing, intelligent, powerful, wonderful, holy, loving, compassionate, gentle, kind, and perfect person we know. It is sad when people are enamored with athletes, politicians, actors, musicians, and scholars, yet are so seldom enamored with God. When we come to God in prayer we should bow in amazed reverence. Not only should we remember what God has made, what He has done, and what He is doing, causing us to pray to...

As we consider Jesus’ life and activities, we soon learn that He was a man of prayer. Since Jesus thought it important to His soul to pray, it is good for our souls as well. Prayer is perhaps one of the most popular spiritual disciplines, but too often, praying has not had the transforming effects that we might hope for. Prayer can help us connect with God, but we may need to be open to learn to pray. It is likely that Jesus’ disciples were praying men whenever they asked Him to teach them how to pray. Perhaps they had begun to realize that Jesus’ prayers seemed different than their own. Paul affirms that there are times when “we do not know how to pray as we should” (Romans 8:26). It is doubtful that we pray as often as we should. Sometimes we go through periods where we may become negligent in our praying. Sometimes whenever we do pray, we don’t feel comfortable, or don’t know what to say. Each of us can learn how to pray more like Jesus prayed. Prayer is about getting to know God. P...

In solitude, quiet meditation and reflection frequently leads to confession of our sins, which very naturally leads to prayer. Prayer helps us to connect with God, to know Him, and to build a deep, intimate, and abiding relationship with Him. In meaningful relationship with God, our souls are transformed to be more like Jesus. Learning and growing in prayer, then, is an important part of the process of spiritual transformation. The best way to begin a meaningful prayer life is to simply start now with who you are, wherever you may be, and with whatever you can give. Augustine once prayed, “Lord, you stir us to take pleasure in praising you, because you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Our current situation often drives us to pray. Recognizing our needs turns us to God for help, comfort, guidance, endurance, and strength. We often pray about those things that fill our everyday lives. We usually pray about our family, our job, our financial ...

In our quest for spiritual intimacy, there are often some difficult, but necessary challenges along the journey. We have discussed in previous segments the importance of being alone with God. Just as Jesus found it necessary to spend time alone with God, we also will enhance our relationship with Him by being with Him. As we meditate in solitude and silence in the presence of God, we cannot help but at some point be confronted with our sinfulness as we bask in the presence of His holiness. As we contemplate God, the brilliant light of His truth shines completely through us, illuminating, revealing, and eliminating all self-justification, hypocrisy, self delusion, and blame. As our hearts are laid bare, we openly and honestly admit our sins to our Father. It becomes quite natural, therefore, to desire the forgiveness, cleansing, healing, and sanctification found in God’s love, mercy, and grace through the blood of Jesus. Confession is truly good for the soul. We must allow God to probe...

In one of the past articles, I discussed the spiritual disciplines of solitude and silence. Some spiritual disciplines that very naturally grow out of solitude and silence are meditation, reflection, and confession. Solitude and silence help God to clear our minds of all that distracts and hinders us from developing a loving relationship with Him, which will transform our hearts. Whenever we spend time alone with our Father experiencing His presence and learning to not only be comfortable with Him, but also to enjoy our time with Him, our relationship will deepen. As our minds gradually become clear in solitude and silence, we naturally begin to focus our thoughts on God and our relationship with Him. As we meditate our spiritual sensitivity and awareness becomes heightened. Once our minds are clear from the clutter, worry, and cares of the world, we see ourselves as we are, and recognize our need for God. As we meditate on the vastness of God’s greatness, magnanimity, power, love, mer...

God created us to have an interactive relationship with Him. Our primary focus in the relationship is to connect with God and stay connected with Him. In previous articles, I've been discussing with you the importance of prayer. Prayer is certainly a vital activity that helps us stay connected with our heavenly Father. As long as we are connected to Him, He will transform our hearts in order that we may become like Jesus. Imagine being the kind of person who points out the successes of others and promotes their wellbeing rather than promoting yourself. Think about being a person who gives praise and credit to others rather than seeking to receive credit from people. What if we became a person that prays for our enemies rather than condemning them? Or how about being someone who is more likely to give up power rather than taking control of it? As God changes our hearts, we can be like Jesus. We actually become kind, gentle, tenderhearted, patient, compassionate, and conscienti...

When Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan, one of the temptations recorded in scripture is the temptation for Jesus to turn stones into bread in order to satiate His hunger after forty days of fasting. Jesus’ response to the temptation is, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). After feeding the 5000 in John 6, Jesus said in verses 26-27, “You seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” He continues in verse 32, “It is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven… and gives life to the world.” Then Jesus states in verse 35, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in ...

Having decided that we will follow Jesus, we are determined to learn as much about Him as possible. We get a clear picture of the kind of person He is by studying intently the Gospels, learning from other disciples, and praying to our heavenly Father, asking for His help to enable us to become like Jesus. As we learn the kinds of behaviors and activities found in Jesus’ life, we can emulate them in our own lives. The first behavior, or spiritual discipline, if you will that we will consider from Jesus’ life is a study of God’s word. Rather than being a student of God’s word, we could actually say as John did that Jesus is God’s word (John 1:1-3, 14). Jesus not only came to save us from our sins, but also to reveal the Father to us (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus came to show us God, and He did so by living out in a human body the very nature and character of God. Jesus was a living manifestation of the word of God. He was the word of God lived out in a real human life. This, of course, is how it ...

The cultural norm of our society is busyness, action, hurriedness, and often chaos. In fact, our society is so bent toward a fast-paced, hectic, rushed lifestyle that being incessantly busy has almost become a status symbol that people sometimes boast about. Solitude and silence breaks the power of stress, anxiety, and haste over our lives. In being alone with God we find meaningful, experiential interaction with Him. Many people are often uncomfortable with being alone. They ask, “What do I do in solitude?” The answer is “Nothing!” Just be alone with God. A life filled with chaos, worry, and hurry seldom takes time to listen to God. When we tune out God, we ignore His teachings and become disobedient children. The word obedient comes from the Latin word audire, which means to listen. In solitude and silence, we get away from our hectic paced lifestyles, slow down, and allow our spirit to meet with God. Solitude has many rewards. Peace, focus, reorientation of purpose and goals, self-e...

While Jesus walked on this earth, being with Him was simply a matter of literally following Him, observing Him, and listening to Him. Jesus prepared His followers for the time when He would not be with them in bodily human form. In John 14 He explained that He would no longer be with them in the same way He had been with them to that point in time, but He had made provision to be with them nonetheless. He promised them that He would send “another comforter” or strengthener, i.e., One who would be alongside them to help them. He also told them that the world could not have this abiding Presence alongside them as His followers could. In fulfillment of His promise, the Holy Spirit came to the disciples in Acts 2 on Pentecost day. They were immersed or engulfed by the Spirit. These Christians came to understand that Christ continued to abide with them through His Spirit. Life in God’s kingdom is, in fact, a matter of experiencing the practical reality of the presence of Jesus in our lives....

I'm sure many people who are interested in becoming more like Jesus are to some degree concerned about where they are on their spiritual journey toward being transformed into Christlikeness. I have recently become aware of a new program that is still being designed actually, that is a kind of a spiritual formation assessment or diagnostic tool. I have completed the assessment and am awaiting the results. The idea of the program is to provide for each person their own individual program with various recommendations. Perhaps the best thing is just for me to give you the link, and you can check it out for yourself. www.monvee.com Go to the link and click on the "videos" tab and learn about the program and how you can participate.

I hope he doesn't mind, but I have copied and reposted a comment from mp that I hope will generate further discussion: I find that we like to talk about the disciplines & we are fascinated by their effects to some degree, but our practice often collapses into compulsion. Our practice of the disciplines often becomes just another compulsive category of our lives—we desire compulsively, we eat compulsively, we work compulsively, and, when we come to the disciplines, we find that they too can be another fuel to keep our compulsive engines running. Feeling down? Eat. Feeling worthless? Work. Feeling dry? Fantasize. Feeling bored? Watch a movie. Feeling “not good enough”? Pray, Read, Fast, Serve… What would life look like without compulsion? What if we could live from a different source? What if “fountains of living water” from the Spirit is a reality we can enjoy? If so, it must involve escaping the cycles of compulsion—the roller coaster of our lives. Living from another Source im...

Spiritual formation is not simply for the spiritual elite. Actually, preachers, teachers, elders, and others who are sometimes viewed as such are normal people, like everyone else. Some have ventured farther on their spiritual journey than others, but growing into Christlikeness is for all Christians. God predetermined and foreordained that we would all become like Jesus (Romans 8:29). Paul strove mightily among the Galatian churches to encourage and assit their becoming like Christ (Galatians 4:19). The journey to become like Jesus takes patience, determination, and most of all grace. God brings us along teaching and changing us as we go. Spiritual formation is not going to happen the same way or in the same time for everyone. It is not a cookie cutter approach that God takes, but He hand-crafts each one of us, carefully using His Spirit, His word, other Christians, and life's experiences to bring us to be like Jesus. Spiritual disciplines are important to the process, but they ar...

Spiritual formation involves learning to live and grow in the abundant life that Jesus came to give (John 10:10). John says, “In Him was life” (John 1:4). Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). This abundant or eternal life comes through knowing Jesus (John 17:3; 3:16). Once our sins are forgiven in Jesus’ blood, we have new life in Jesus (Romans 6:5). We are placed in a new relationship with Christ, and we must learn to live our life in His kingdom. Much changes regarding the state of our spirits in relation to God, and we sometimes struggle in learning, developing, and maturing in this new relationship. The journey or process of growing in this relationship with Jesus is what is often referred to as spiritual formation. Coming from the world and having lived according to the world, we now learn how to live life to the fullest in Jesus Christ. Life in God’s kingdom means living constantly in the presence and power of God. It means living a life of love. It m...

Spiritual formation is the process or journey through which our human spirits are developed. Just as our physical bodies change over time, our spirit is constantly being formed. Our desire as Christians is that our spirit will be shaped by the character and teachings of Jesus- that we will actually become like Him. True life comes from God and is found only through Jesus. He has life in Himself, and only He can infuse our lives with spiritual power: God the Holy Spirit. Paul speaks of those in the church at Corinth who are “spiritual,” and conversely, those who are “carnal” (1 Corinthians 3:1-4). Those who are referred to as “carnal” are also called “mere men.” It is implied then, that those who are called “spiritual” are not “mere men.” What is the difference in Christians who are “spiritual” or “carnal?” A spiritual Christian is one whose life is integrated into and dominated by the Spirit of God. The “carnal” Christian’s life is not yet under the complete direction of God, nor is hi...

By God’s amazing grace and infinite love, we can be disciples of Jesus. Following Jesus means we are with Him. Walking with Jesus, we are constantly learning how to live our lives in God’s kingdom: the Jesus way of life. The whole idea is that His life flows through our life. We learn to live as if Jesus were living our life. Through His Spirit we can become the kind of person that He is and be capable of doing the things that He did. What kind of things did Jesus do? How might we become better adept at doing the things He did?

What are some of the spiritual activities that Jesus did while He was on earth? As we search through the gospel accounts of His life, we can observe the things He did, some of which are often called spiritual disciplines: activities that Jesus Himself participated in. These are actually things that we can do in our lives that invite God to work changes toward Christlikeness in our spirits: changes that we otherwise could not make with our own strength or power. Once a person has decided to follow Jesus, he is determined to learn as much about Him as possible. One is able to get a clear picture of the kind of person Jesus is by studying the gospels intently and purposefully, learning from other disciples, and praying to our heavenly Father asking for His help to enable us to become like Jesus. As we learn the kinds of behaviors and activities found in Jesus’ life, we can emulate them in our own lives.

Becoming a true follower of Jesus is not going to just happen. It takes a conscious decision on our part and a determination, conviction, and zeal to seriously follow Him. Unfortunately, we are living in an era where being a Christian and being a disciple of Jesus are not necessarily viewed as being synonymous. Superficial or nominal Christianity has pretty much become the norm in most churches. Many have the attitude that since Jesus was perfect; we can never really be like Him, so discipleship is unrealistic. Yet the scriptures make it abundantly clear that following Jesus, learning from Him, and becoming like Him, is the true essence of Christianity. Therefore, I commit myself to learning from Him so that I can emulate His actions and become the kind of person He was and is. I must simply be convinced that being an apprentice of Jesus is the greatest thing I can do with my life. Discipleship, then, is a conscious choice; a decision made with faith and conviction that I will follow ...

Jesus told people to follow Him. Peter said that Jesus left an example of how to live our lives, and that we should follow in His footsteps (1 Peter 2:24). How can we be true disciples of Jesus? How can we actually be as if Jesus Himself inhabited our bodies and lived our lives? What would that look like? How can we truly follow Jesus? There are definite steps we can take. Perhaps the first thing we can do is to sincerely and repeatedly pray to see Jesus just as He really is in order that we may have a clear understanding of what His life looked like. Not only should we see Him in the gospels, but we should also see Jesus as He has lived in the lives of many of His disciples in the past as well as the present. It may even be helpful to write out our prayer or to journal our thoughts regarding our desire to truly see Jesus as He is. The next step to take is to use the means that God makes available to us that will allow us to see the reality of Jesus. In John 8:31-32, Jesus makes it cle...

Our being transformed to be like Christ is not a merely human attainment, but rather the work of God: a gift of grace. Grace is God acting in our life to accomplish what we cannot do on our own. Grace does not make us passive, and in the process of spiritual formation, human effort is indispensable. Paul, who perhaps understood grace as none other says, “By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me” (2 Corinthians 15:10). 2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us that “we are being transformed into his likeness… which comes from the Lord.” God is the One who changes our hearts to be like Jesus.

Each one of us is a disciple of someone, or perhaps even several people. They helped to shape our spirits and determine who we are. We are the disciples of our various teachers, peers, parents, or others with whom we have established relationships and influenced our lives. As Christians, we are to be disciples of Jesus. If we are to be disciples of anyone, we are going to have to be with them. A disciple or apprentice seeks to be like the person they are studying. Whether one learns the piano, baseball, fishing, a foreign language, sewing, or almost anything, they have to be with the one who teaches them. For me to be a disciple of Jesus Christ is for me to determine that I am going to be with Him, so that I may become the kind of person that He is and be capable of doing the things that He did. We should live our lives with Jesus in order to learn to be like Him. Jesus is so wonderful in every respect that we delight in Him and seek His presence. We enjoy being taught and helped by Hi...

God is spirit, and He seeks those who worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). He is looking for people who devote their whole being to Him. True life comes from God, and is found only through Jesus. He has life in Himself, and only He can infuse our lives with spiritual power - God Himself. Paul speaks of those in the church at Corinth who are “spiritual,” and conversely, those who are “carnal” (1 Corinthians 3:1-4). What is the difference between Christians who are “spiritual” or “carnal?” A spiritual Christian is one whose life is integrated into and dominated by the Spirit of God. To be a “spiritual” person in the biblical sense, we must become people whose spirits have been formed to be like the very Spirit of Jesus Christ, having a love relationship with God and one another. Christianity is experiencing life with God. Too many have wrongly assumed that spirituality is accomplished through the correct mode of baptism, the scriptural observance of the Lord’s Supper, or th...

Most of us desire a relationship with Jesus that is growing and maturing, hoping and praying we are actually becoming more like Him! Our relationship with Jesus will develop the more we understand how much God loves us. Psalm 103:11 tells us that God love for us is as high as the heavens. This is amazing when we realize that astronomers and scientists only speak of the “known” universe, fully admitting that no one knows how far it actually reaches. As new and better technology and equipment enables us to look farther and farther into outer space, and as new discoveries continue to be seen, still it just goes on and on. And that’s how much God loves us- more than we can know! Deep and abiding relationships usually take time to develop. We’ll never truly know Jesus until we learn to recognize and live in His abiding presence. God transforms us through every day life experiences as we live them in the presence and power of Jesus. We should live our lives with Jesus in order to learn to b...

If we are going to develop an intimate relationship with Jesus our Lord and Savior, we are going to have to realize how much He loves us. Love and intimacy go together. Love and intimacy grow together. We don’t become intimate with someone we do not love, nor someone who does not love us. In our search for intimacy with Jesus, we begin by asking you to think about how much He loves you. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 says, “And may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God...” You are loved by God. But do we really understand what that statement means? Sometimes love is difficult to define. In fact, love virtually defies description, so much so, that most attempts to capture its true essence in words inevitably fall short. Love is powerful and transforming. Love is amazing, incredible, and awe inspiring. When we experience true love, how is it possible to describe all the wonderful feelings and thoughts that simultaneously converge in the depths of our heart? In fact, we may sometimes stru...

Our spirit is the part of us that is like God. Our spirit is the center of our consciousness: It is who we are – our person. The spirit is the source of all that we think and do, having the ability to choose, resolve, or determine. In the Bible, this “will” or consciousness is often referred to as the “heart.” Spiritual formation is the process we go through in which our spirit is given a definite form or character. We all have become or are becoming people with a certain kind of character and personality. Many things have helped to determine how our spirits have been formed up to this point in time in our life. Just as our physical body is constantly changing, our spirit is always being formed as well. Jesus came to show and teach how God intends for us to live. He is the Son of Man who explains everything that a human being is supposed to be. In the New Testament, spiritual formation is the process of forming our inner man so that it takes on the character of the inner being of Jesus...