The spirit is exercised when we are consciously saying to the Lord everyday in every situation we face: "Not my will but Your will".
To me, this is the single greatest potential for spirit/inner man growth, apart from the typically understood stuff like scripture meditation, prayer, church, etc. It is often the missed aspect of the Christian life. When we decrease, He increases.
Now here is a practical application: every morning I get up and am dismayed at the condition of my living room and kitchen. I just have alot of mess from the night before from family members who leave their dishes from the night before or a newspaper they were reading strewn about. I've made appeals to them but to no avail. Here I have a choice. I can grow bitter and resentful, or I can yield to God's work in me through this situation, even though I could get 10 people to say that they are wrong and need to stop doing this! I've come to see the value of these everyday occurrances for God to transform me. I believe it's that detailed.
I recently heard a preacher say, "Stop asking God for more of Him...He wants more of you." Our will is strong and gets in the way alot more than we realize. We can't serve two masters. When we see how God works in our lives each day, and what He is trying to get at, our spirit grows. It grows not because we are "learning lessons" with our minds. It grows like a garden would grow when the weeds are gone.
To me, this is the single greatest potential for spirit/inner man growth, apart from the typically understood stuff like scripture meditation, prayer, church, etc. It is often the missed aspect of the Christian life. When we decrease, He increases.
Now here is a practical application: every morning I get up and am dismayed at the condition of my living room and kitchen. I just have alot of mess from the night before from family members who leave their dishes from the night before or a newspaper they were reading strewn about. I've made appeals to them but to no avail. Here I have a choice. I can grow bitter and resentful, or I can yield to God's work in me through this situation, even though I could get 10 people to say that they are wrong and need to stop doing this! I've come to see the value of these everyday occurrances for God to transform me. I believe it's that detailed.
I recently heard a preacher say, "Stop asking God for more of Him...He wants more of you." Our will is strong and gets in the way alot more than we realize. We can't serve two masters. When we see how God works in our lives each day, and what He is trying to get at, our spirit grows. It grows not because we are "learning lessons" with our minds. It grows like a garden would grow when the weeds are gone.
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