The Inner Life

The Inner Life

We sometimes put a lot of emphasis on or bodies. Don’t take me wrong, we need to care for these bodies, but remember that we have a heavenly body promised to us. Our focus should be on our spiritual body, as we walk in this world. So tonight, I am going to talk about our spiritual bodies, or our inner self. And what we should we do to improve our spiritual health.

The Heart to be kept with diligence

Prov 4:23

Above all else, guard your heart,

for it is the wellspring of life.

NIV

Your spirit is the centerpiece of your very life. This physical body that we are encased in is just a shell that transports our actual essence of being. Our spirit is really who we are. Much like a vat of wine, the content is what is important. The container is just a means of carrying the product.

The writer in proverbs is telling us that we are to safeguard the contents. In fact, when the dead sea scrolls were found in the 1950’s, they were found in some very old and cracked clay pots. You did not hear anyone excited about the pots. But the CONTENTS of these pots were of unimaginable value. They were by far the most significant discovery of modern age.

Much like the discovery that we make when we discover our spiritual life. We sometimes put our own desires ahead of God’s. Solomon is telling us that we really need to curtail, or set limitations of our own desires, and keep His will, God’s will in our life.

If you are anything like me at all, that can be a very difficult thing to do. Because sometimes when we walk in this world, we want in this world. If our focus is on things of this world, they become important to us. Having a nice home becomes a priority. Having a nice car becomes a priority. Having some good, I mean really good pocket change becomes a priority. Things of this world become more important to us. That is natural.

We spend 24 hours a day in this world. We spend 8 hours sleeping, if we are lucky. We spend 8 hours a day, at least 8, working to support our families. What kind of example are we to those around us there? I Know I spend just over an hour a day driving to and from work. What do I listen to on the radio? I lose another hour for lunch breaks. I still must have at least 6 hours a day left over for Dr visits, shopping, visiting etc. Let’s say I average only an hour a day, overall, for those details? That leaves 5 hours a day where I can choose what to do. A lot of us watch 1-2 hours in front of the boob tube. Now there is a sermon in itself! What do we watch? Is it wholesome, or is it giving us “hidden” messages? That still leaves 3 hours. What else is there? Talking on the phone? Well, most teenage girls that fills the missing 3 hours, right? Just kidding.

My point is this, with well over 3 hours “extra in our day”, We should be able to fit in some good quality time with God, right? I am not talking 5-10 minutes, I mean a good Bible Study. The reason that is so important, is it helps us to develop our relationship with our creator. The more time we spend with Him and His word, the closer we become with Him! What makes that so important? Well, the closer we get to Him, the more we can discern His will for ourselves. The more we can relate to the kingdom, and the REAL treasures that we have there!

Even more importantly, we can protect our heart from matters of this world. If we stay in the word, if we stay in constant fellowship with God then we cannot be deceived by Satan. This is how protect our hearts. Our life is not meant to be focused on the world. It is meant to GLORIFY HIM to those around us.

Am I saying to sell your televisions, empty your bank accounts, live off the earth and so on? Absolutely not. What I am saying, and what Solomon said is that our heart- our feelings of love and desire- dictates to a great extent how we live because we always find time to do what we enjoy, don’t we? We need to guard our heart above all else, making sure we concentrate on those desires that will keep us on the right path.

Make sure your affections are pushing you in the right direction. We need to put boundaries on our desires, and not go after everything we see. We need to keep our eyes fixed on the goal. Let’s not get sidetracked on detours that lead to sin.