3 Things To Do For a Spiritual Tune-Up
“Search me, God, and know my heart: test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139:23-24
Everything requires a tune-up or some form of continuous maintenance. Our cars, computers, appliances, just about any and everything we use on a daily basis. This idea is no different when it comes to our spiritual life. In order for us to have a productive and fruitful spiritual life, we have to routinely check in with God. Asking him to cleanse our hearts and mind of hatred, unforgiveness, resentment, and jealousy. So that our life is truly a reflection of what’s in our heart.
My focus has been off.
As I continue to adjust to our new way of living, I find myself focusing more and more on things that have no substance. In the midst of chaos, I realize that God has blessed me with unusual circumstances. As a result, I’ve been able to pour my heart into my writing, 3AM, and many other things that seemed impossible to obtain due to time constraints. However, slowly my focus has drifted. I was putting so much into those things I was losing focus on the true goal, walking genuinely and uniquely in my purpose. As a result, I began spending less and less time with God. I was staying up late every night writing, creating content for social media, and editing photos. As a result, I was over-sleeping every morning and missing the time I set aside for prayer and devotion.
As time passed, I could see a shift in my mood, I began spending less time “working” on social media and more time comparing myself to everyone I saw on my timeline. Without adequate prayer time, I stopped praying for the guidance I needed when interacting with my children. I was running low on patience and they could see it.
Then it hit me…
While reading a car ad, God began to speak.
I was in desperate need of a spiritual tune-up. My focus needed to be realigned and my mind reset so that I could continue moving in the direction God needed me to move in. In the most effective and efficient way.
I decided to do a couple of things:
1. I did an evaluation.
I had to ask myself, is my spiritual life bearing fruit at this time?
I looked at my motives, ambitions, and goals and asked myself if they were still aligned with His kingdom.
2. I asked God to reveal to me everything that was in my heart that caused a spiritual disruption.
I made sure I wrote down everything that He spoke into my spirit:
· Comparing myself to others
· Focusing on the monetary payout vs the spiritual
· Doubting the end results of my purpose/ doubting His promises
3. I Recommited myself to God
I set a firm bedtime. By doing so, I was up on time and ready to spend uninterrupted time in prayer with God. I made sure I started my day with Him. Asking Him to allow me to see through a spiritual lens and remove distractions that would keep me from moving in the right direction.
After a week of making those things a priority, I could see myself being realigned with the path to my purpose. My mood began to readjust due to my focus being renewed and refreshed by the “search and seize” God completed on my heart. The comparison faded and God reaffirmed my faith in His promises.
I desperately needed that spiritual tune-up.
Being able to recognize that, is something I am now learning to do. I can’t live in the world that I am trying to change without recognizing how it can slowly change me. Recognizing those small but significant changes, allows me to maintain a genuine relationship with God. By continuously asking Him to search my heart and reveal to me anything that’s keeping me from having an authentic and effective spiritual life
How about you?
With everything that’s going on in the world, maybe a spiritual tune-up is something you need. try those same 3 things I listed above:
Evaluate
2. Search
3. Recommit
Ask God to search your heart today and reveal to you anything that’s keeping you from having an authentic and effective spiritual life.