Our One New Year's Goal | Spiritual Health
Spiritual Health
91% of people who set New Year’s resolutions fail. Before you let that derail your goals for 2024, remember the fact that you’re already someone who’s in a SMALL percentage group who defies lofty odds. You’re a Christian. Well if if you’re not a Christian and you’re reading this, I’d guess you’re curious and I’d guess that’s because God is pulling on your heart. Go ahead and let Him have it, best choice you’ll ever make.
It’s impossible to gauge this, but many folks who study mental and emotional health suspect that the MAJORITY of Americans are operating with many unhealthy habits. The key word here is MANY. Let’s be honest, we all have a number of issues and things we’re trying to get better at. Scripture tells us that we ALL fall short of the glory of God that we all have sinned. But as Paul reminds us, should we just throw up our hands and say, “forget it”, and keep on living in sin? Of course not. So one goal I think we should all carry with us into 2024 is to shrink the number of unhealthy spiritual habits we have. First we’ll need to identify them.
One of my goals for 2024 is to preach better. Equip us all to better live in a rhythm of spiritual and emotional health. But after 15 years of sitting in your chair I know this to be true, the pastor can preach and teach his literal face off, but if the SAINTS (you) don’t take the words that are preached from the pulpit to heart and then chew on the topics that are preached with careful consideration, you’re robbing yourself of growth as a follower of Jesus.
To help you better chew on the message each week, this blog will serve as a way to get sermon notes to you, verses from the message, and any other articles or resources that are mentioned.
Scriptures from Sunday’s message:
Proverbs 9:10-12 ESV, John 3:16-17 ESV, Ephesians 5:1-8 NLT
10 Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health
These 10 questions are taken from Donald Whitney’s book, “Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health”.
In the distractions of daily life, it can be hard to evaluate how we are doing spiritually. But monitoring your spiritual health is just as important as monitoring your mental and physical health. No matter where you are in your walk with Christ, meditating on these questions and prayerfully applying scripture to your weaker areas, you’ll see immediate improvement in your spiritual health.
Rate yourself 1-10 on the following questions.
Do you thirst for God?
Do I still grieve over sin?
Am I quick to forgive?
Am I more loving?
Am I sensitive to God’s presence?
Am I concerned for others?
Am I governed by God’s word?
Do I delight in the church?
Are the spiritual disciplines important to me?
Do I yearn for heaven and to be with Jesus?
Spiritually healthy people:
Want God’s word in their life because they see it as the ultimate guide to know who God is.
Love community with God’s people.
Have a heart for the lost.
You serve in God’s kingdom through your church and outside of your church.
Seek out discipleship and guidance from spiritual leaders.
Love to worship.
Understand that prayer isn’t a burden, but the answer to our burdens.
Have the fruits of the Spirit in their life – Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, grace, gentleness, self-control.
Spiritually unhealthy people:
There is no real value of God’s word in their day-to-day life. When they hear it, they don’t mind, but they don’t pursue knowing and understanding it.
Don’t mind God but they don’t see any value in getting to know people and building relationships.
No burden for the lost who are broken and hurting, and on a path of destruction.
No desire to serve in the church in any capacity, no desire to give towards anything.
Have no interest in submitting to spiritual authority or answering to anyone when it comes to their life and their decisions.
Would rather listen to music for entertainment than for praise and connection to God.
Pray like it’s a visit to the dentist. You’re there because you need to be, not because you want to be.
Instead of the fruits of the Spirit being on display, it’s the fruits of the flesh.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. - 2 Timothy 2:15 ESV
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” - John 14:15 ESV
But he answered, “It is written, ”Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” - Matthew 4:4
“Every Christian would agree that a man’s spiritual health is exactly proportional to his love for God.” - C.S. Lewis
Blessings,
Pastor Steve McCleary