Rules For a Spiritual Life

My recent post 'Rules For Life' contained rules I *try* to abide by to keep myself from getting into too much trouble with people here on earth.
What's way more important is my relationship with God.
This post, I want to share some of the things I do to keep myself walking with God in the Spirit.
As long as I am walking with God, I am effortlessly able to keep myself from unnecessary trouble and maintain all my personal rules.

1) Read your bible and pray everyday.
This is a no brainer. Everyone knows you cannot have a relationship with someone without talking and listening to them. A relationship with God is the same way- reading your bible is reading His Word, praying is talking to Him. Yes He knows everything, but He wants us to talk to Him about it. Praying strengthens you in ways you'll never know until you start making a decisive effort to bend your knees and pray.

And Jesus answered him, saying, It is

written, That man shall not live by bread

alone, but by every word of God.

Luke 4:4

That's not hard to understand: we need the Word of God to live.

As newborn babes, desire the sincere

milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

1 Peter 2:2

We need it to grow. The more you read it, the more you desire it, the more you grow. Nothing bad comes out of reading God's Word.

This is something, my pastor's wife's father pointed out-

And it came to pass in those days, that

he went out into a mountain to pray, and

continued all night in prayer to God.

Luke 16:12

Jesus found praying more comforting than sleep! That is our example! If you are a Christian that does not think it's necessary to set time aside for prayer, there's something wrong.

2) Study your bible.

Reading is great! It is great for a baby Christian, it is great when your mind is tired, it is great to read as a family, but an older Christian needs strong meat. Strong meat comes from studying.

For when for the time ye ought to be

teachers, ye have need that one teach you

again which be the first principles of the

oracles of God; and are become such as

have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

For everyone that useth milk is unskillful

in the word of righteousness: for he is a

babe.

But strong meat belongeth to them that

are of full age, even those who by reason of

use have their senses exercised to discern

both good and evil.

Hebrews 5:12-14

Studying the bible means cross referencing, line upon line, comparing spiritual things with spiritual to find out what the bible really says. Something Paul may write two lines about in Ephesians may be given a full chapter in Romans.

In 1 Peter it says, 'for charity shall cover the multitude of sins', you wouldn't know the depth of what charity is unless you read about it in 1 Corinthians 13.

Lastly, and most importantly, God tells us to study:

Study to shew thyself approved unto

God, a workman that needeth not to be

ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15

3) Apply what you've learned

Submit yourselves therefore to God.

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

But ye, brethren, be not weary in well

doing.

And if any man obey not our word by

this epistle, note that man, and have no

company with him, that he may be

ashamed.

2 Thessalonians 3:14

But be ye doers of the word, and not

hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

For if any be a hearer of the word, and

not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding

his natural face in a glass:

For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his

way, and straightway forgetteth what

manner of man he was.

James 1:22-24

Those are just a few verses of many that talk about obedience, submission, and following after God.

The fact is, you cannot grow if you refuse to apply what you've learned. The more you exercise self control, the more 'natural' it becomes.

Tools to help with the three things above:

1- Set a specific time to read, study, and pray

You will not do it if you leave it up to 'if I have time'. You'll never have time. You'll keep coming up with things to do.

Get up early and do your devotions. If you can't, set aside a specific time during the day to study.

You must come to the realization that your relationship with God is THE priority in your life. If you have your relationship with God straight, all other areas of your life fall into order. My life is a testament to this; my pastor, pastor's I've listened to on this internet have preached on this.

2-Write down prayer requests and collect missionary prayer cards

I have a little book I write down prayer requests in and I get a hold of as many missionary prayer cards as I can. This helps me put thought and effort into praying for others. If I don't write it down I will forget. I've noticed too, if I'm not particularly interested in praying, I can't help but pray more and more because of all the requests given to me. I am constrained to pray about all of them. Make it a particular priority to pray for each request that comes up.

Praying always with all prayer and

supplication in the Spirit, and watching

thereunto with all perseverance and

supplication for all saints;

Ephesians 6:18

Confess your faults one to another, and

pray one for another, that ye may be

healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a

righteous man availeth much.

James 5:16

Those verses say it all.

3- Fast

This is actually a whole blog post in one point- one I do intend to write. For now, suffice it to say that fasting helps teach you to control your flesh. A great chapter on fasting is Isaiah 58. Here is a bit of it:

Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to

loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the

heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go

free, and that ye break every yoke?

Isaiah 58:6

Notice what fasting does: loose bands of wickedness, undo heavy burdens (are you hurting about something? fast), let the oppressed go free, break every yoke- fasting liberates us and builds our relationship with God.

4-Listen to sermons

I have learned so much from listening to sermons while doing chores, knitting, and so on. I've learned how to pray from hearing preachers pray, I've been reminded of hymns I once knew, I've been reproved, rebuked, exhorted, edified, strengthened, and blessed through preaching. If nothing else, it keeps my mind from wandering to places it should not.

5-Sing praises

If you're wondering how to make melody in your heart to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19), this is how. I take time, ideally every day but that hasn't been possible lately, to sing songs to God. Sometimes I go through a hymn book, sometimes I sing scripture songs, but I make sure to listen to what I'm singing and mean it. I find that at least one of the songs I sing remains in my head the rest of the day or through the week.

If you think this isn't important then you haven't read the book of Psalms at all.

Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto

the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy

endureth for ever.

Psalm 106:1

6-Memorize scripture

Knowing scripture will get you through every situation you will come across. The first year of my marriage I memorized Proverbs 31:10-31. I intend to be a virtuous woman and that passage has it all. I quote it to myself a lot because sometimes I really need to remember it.

I've quoted scripture to myself during scary situations in doctor's offices and hospitals, when I have trouble sleeping, and when I don't know what to think.
When I was in labour and my contractions were getting unbearable I would close my eyes and quote Proverbs 31. The pain was still there but it kept me from going crazy.
The more you read the bible the more you will know it the more it will come up every day.

Don't underestimate the power of knowing scripture. 

7-Go To Church

This isn't just a Sunday thing, it's a Wednesday thing, and every other time there is an activity or service at church.

Fellowship helps keep you faithful. If you don't believe me, stay away from church for a month and see what that does to your relationship with God. There is a lot you cannot control at church, and that is a good thing. To be exposed to preaching that God gave a preacher to preach to you is special. Not only that, there are people there willing to pray for you. Prayer is powerful and we all need as much of it as we can get.

There has been many times I have not felt like going to church but I've gone and never regretted it. God gave church to us for our benefit and His glory. Don't shun it.

BEWARE!!! If you find yourself too tired or busy to have personal time with God because you're too involved with church, cut down your church activities. It is very easy to go through the motions and look spiritual when you are actively involved at church but if you don't have a relationship with God that goes before those things, your work is dead. Being faithful to God and being faithful to church are two separate things.


I hope this was a help to you in some way!