What's Your Current Spiritual Season?

I have had the opportunity to live in the Midwest, West and Southeast. Most of the States I have lived in have seasons, some more severe than others. For instance in the Midwest where I grew up, went to College, and where I served in some local churches, there were some record setting Winters. I mean like -60 degrees, snow piled so high you had to get on your roof to shovel it off so it would not cave in. I lived in Atlanta one summer where we had 30 plus straight days of 95 degrees and hundreds died. I lived in South Florida, where there really are not seasons but it does rain hard in the summer, gets very hot, and there are hurricanes to contend with.

I also believe we have seasons in our spiritual lives too. Let me explain. Based on your life with Christ right now would you say you are in Fall (cool towards the things of God) and moving toward Winter (cold toward God and giving into sin willingly)? Or are you moving out of Winter and toward Spring (your heart is warming up to the Word of God, toward Prayer and sharing your faith)? Or perhaps you are in the peak of Summer and spiritual matters like tithing, serving and sharing your faith, along with deep and intimate prayer is your norm? We know that weather seasons change. But you do not have to wait out the seasons spiritually. No, you can change the condition of your heart simply by confessing where you are and asking God to help move you to a "warmer climate". I encourage people to have a spiritual mentor who has learned how to live closer to the "Son", and how to stay on fire for God. Spiritual fervor can be sustained but that takes being really intentional and having others walk with you. Repentance is a spiritual word that means changing direction. It's not being sorry, but actually doing something different. If you are sensing you are in a cool place and it's getting colder toward God, stop and ask God to help heat things up.

A British Pastor named Gypsy Smith who spoke to me powerfully on revival. In essence he said this;

"Many people want revival but few know how. Revival is quite simply a personal thing. Here's how you start a revival, take a piece of chalk and go into a private room. Draw a circle on the floor and then get down on your knees in the middle of that circle. Begin asking God to reveal any sin you have in your life, confess it, repent of it and don't get up until you are confident that you have confessed it all. You will immediately feel the joy of forgiveness and you won't be able to contain yourself. That's how you start a revival."

My wife and I live in North Carolina now, the leaves are beginning to peak and the temps are beginning to fall, but....our hearts don't have to. How about yours?

It is Well with My Soul - or Not!

I grew up in the Midwest in the 60-70's and my family attended a Main line Denominational church where we sang hymns Sunday after Sunday. Most of them I didn't understand or even question, I just sang along like everyone else. I became a born again believer right before graduating from High School and headed off to one of the Best Christian Universities in the United States,(www.taylor.edu) and we had Chapel Monday, Wednesday and Friday's at 10:05 in the morning. This was long before the Modern Praise music era we have now, and so we sang more hymns, accompanied by either the piano, the huge Pipe Organ or both. Sometimes for a special treat, the brass ensemble would join in giving the hymn a sort of regality about it. One of the many hymns I remember singing was "It is Well with My Soul". As I said I was a new believer, and I hadn't yet learned to stuff down or hide my duplicity when I came across a hymn that wasn't true of my life, (that would come later). I remember a specific chapel one morning and singing the chorus "It is well, it is well with my soul" when I stopped singing, I stopped because it wasn't true. I couldn't sing the words because my soul was in anguish over many things, instead I pushed the huge lump in my throat down as far as it would go, fought tears but finally gave in. I didn't wail but my face had a slow stream of water streaming a straight line under both eyes, down each cheek and dripping off of my jaw. I hoped no one saw me, I was a college wrestler after all, and a guy. Never mind that last sentence. I knew I had to do something about this and not singing this hymn in the future was not the answer. I needed wellness of soul. I wasn't sure how to get it, was there an Rx for that? Yep, come to find out there is. 1. Be open, honest, transparent and admit it to yourself, God and a trusted friend. Psalm 32, 51 and James 5:16. 2. Figure out how you got there in the first place. 3. Remove the source of angst, lack of peace - Get right/nearer with God! 4. Do your best not to repeat it again, and choose to live under the direct influence of the Holy Spirit and by living out the Bible. Now on Sunday mornings at church and whenever I listen to praise/worship music I occasionally come to songs I know are not completely true of my heart/soul/life. Rather than continue singing them, it's best for me to address the issue. I don't want to live with a lack of peace when I do not have to. Proverbs 4:23 says to

" guard your heart/soul above everything for it is the well-spring of life."

The important thing for me was and is to be honest and get to the heart of the matter and never give the enemies a foothold by waiting until later. It is also important to be well in my soul because I need peace and it's available. Living with peace also allows me to show those I come in contact with what it looks like to be at peace for others lacking peace. And today there is a lot of robbing, killing and destroying of the peace God desires for us. (see John 10:10).