Avoid the slow leak

When you have a slow leak, it may go unrecognized until it is too late. All the necessary fluids are leaked out until seizing breakage happens.

This is the nature of our relationship and connection with the Father. Oswald "Ozzie" Chambers writes, "spiritual leakage begins when we cease to lift our eyes unto Him." We can allow this leak to continue over the course of days and weeks until life brings about that seizing breaking moment. Suddenly our lack of care to look to God with routine has caused our greatest breakdown. "Only when God brings you to a sudden halt will you recognize how you have been losing out [all along]."

When you look at your heart and life, is there already a slow leak beginning in your routine connection and entanglement with the heart of God? Do not wait for the screeching halt and ultimate break down to care for that slow leak. It will be too late by that time. You will have to only take on the bigger cost of repairing the broke down heart that could have been cared for with ongoing routine maintenance of the heart.

Barely scratching the surface on connecting with God in spirit

* This is a very humble wondering and searching, and not a perfect scholarly approach. Proceed!

Recently I have read a few amazing books on prayer that have challenged me.  It challenged my view of God.  God is a spiritual being, and he is not flesh like us.  We are flesh, but God created us flesh and souls with spirits.  I cannot be theological enough here to say I know how that all works out (the diagram above is created by Dallas Willard, and has served me greatly).

Sometimes, I try relating to God awaiting the right feeling and emotion, and it always fails.  I just know that I too often try relating to God while starting with my emotions, and I fail.  Then I try relating to God with my mind, and that humorously fails. Then I just try to learn more about the spirit, and that spirit is what was made perfect and blameless by God on the cross.  Now if that is the only part of me that is blameless, I have to learn how to come to grips with it.

I do not know how to describe that, but I do know it takes a lot of trust (faith); like more trust than anything in my life has ever required before.  As I strive to learn, I do know that when my spirit is engaged (another thing I don't have space to define here), I THEN feel closer to the heart of God.  That is because he is a spiritual being and that is the only way to be relational to him.  This is why I said that when I come to him in spirit, it often forms, changes, and engages my mind, my emotions and my flesh.

There is no way I have clarified anything for you. So what say you?

4 Spiritual Eating Disorders

Many Christians engage the discussion of "being fed", and I began to think of the following eating disorders in the church when it comes to "being fed": OBESITY: Only attend church so we can "be fed". "If I they don't feed me there, I'm leaving for another church with a better buffet." Always eat; no exercise. Constantly being fed but doing no work with the spiritual food taken in. Doing nothing outside the walls of the church. These are obese Christians!

ANOREXIC: do not need or want to be fed. never take the time to be nurtured spiritually. end up losing the strength and spiritual nutrition the spirit needs. ends up weak and despondent. ends up destroying and killing the spirit once it has gone too far. These are anorexic Christians!

OVER-EXERCISED: looks similar to the anorexic Christian, but a significant difference. often your Church leaders; obsessed with ministry. go hard all the time. never take the time to rest in connection with the heart of God. rarely fed, but going all the time...."but its fine because its ministry, right?" These are overexercised Christians!

BULEMIC: Often characterized by a binging of spiritual input. ends up expelling everything in an apathetic forgetfulness. goes to the church, gets fed (sometimes a lot), but forgets everything once it hits the door.

HEALTHY: ?