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In Ephesians 1:15-16, Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
Are there other Christians who you are thankful for? Who has encouraged or challenged you in your faith, taught you spiritual truths, or faithfully prayed for you? Write a thank you card (home made is fine) thanking someone who has encouraged you in your faith. You don’t eat once a week and expect your body to be healthy. You would soon run out of steam. You can’t just do God once a week and expect your spirit to be healthy. Matthew 4:4 says, People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Ways to feed your spirit: reading the Bible, pray, fellowship with other Christians, fast, confess your sin, serve others, give, worship, be grateful, be still before God, and other spiritual disciplines.
You might not think that you have time to spend more time with God, but with a bit of self-discipline you can find time. I get up half an hour earlier so that I can read my Bible and pray. Here are some other ways you can make time for God: Go to bed fifteen minutes earlier to write in a gratitude journal and pray Join a Bible study group Start a prayer group at lunch time at school (see your school chaplain for help with this) Listen to some worship music instead of popular music Volunteer to serve at church - you could help in kid's church or greet people at the door Give some of your allowance or wages to the church Give up social media for a time so that you can pray Have a mini silent retreat - be still for fifteen minutes, talk to God, and listen to what he says What can you do this week to improve your spiritual diet? 1 John 1:9 says, if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away. I heard someone say that when God looks at you he doesn't see your sin, he only sees the blood of Jesus, and it was a mike drop moment. Not only does God forgive our sins but he forgets it too. Psalm 103:12 says, He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. If you're not sure how far that is, it's infinity!
Fellowship is more than just showing up to church or youth group. The Greek word for fellowship infers participation, sharing, and intimacy. It means sharing deeply with each other - both the wins and the challenges.
Romans 12:15 says, Be happy with those who are happy, weep with those who weep. Galatians 6:2 says, Carry each other’s burdens. Part of real fellowship is to help those who are struggling. It's the heart of God to help the weak. Jesus spent his ministry on earth helping those who were struggling. How can you do the same? The modern church tends to ignore the discipline of fasting, possibly because it causes us the most discomfort. Fasting in the Bible spoke referred to giving up food in particular and was often accompanied by prayer. I think the principle of fasting can be applied to many different things such as social media, your phone, sugar, chocolate, television, etc. You usually give something up so that you can focus on prayer.
What can you give up for a period of time to focus on prayer and worshipping God? |
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