From the desk of Steve Shultz:
This is a vast word by my friend John Belt in how we can increase our "spiritual momentum" in Christ.
In this article, John gives specific keys that we can be proactive in doing our part to draw closer to the Lord and always be moving forward in our momentum.
John starts out with:
We all need spiritual momentum in our lives. God always wants us to keep moving forward. What is the other option? Moving backward—which is not a valid option. God has created us for flow, to be in sync with His river of life. As we find that place of sync with His presence, there is a momentum that is created in our lives.
Amen...be encouraged as you read John's word to move forward and build more spiritual momentum in your calling! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
Enjoy! And thanks for forwarding this to your friends! They can subscribe here.
Steve Shultz, Founder and Publisher
The Elijah List & Breaking Christian News
http://www.elijahlist.com
P.S. – Oh, and a Quick Note to our readers: To EXPLORE our more than 2,500 Christian Prophetic books, CDs, and gifts go to: elijahshopper.com.
"Keys to Increasing Your Spiritual Momentum"
by John Belt, Cincinnati, OH
I. The Power of Momentum
"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it." (1 Cor. 9:24)
We all need spiritual momentum in our lives. God always wants us to keep moving forward. What is the other option? Moving backward—which is not a valid option. God has created us for flow, to be in sync with His river of life. As we find that place of sync with His presence, there is a momentum that is created in our lives. We want to stay on the offense, keep the ball, and move down the field.
The other day, I was watching some football with my kids. The team we were watching had all the momentum going in their direction then they suddenly fumbled the ball. The commentator said, "This may shift the momentum of the ball game to the other team."
In life, no one does things perfectly. Nor does God have some false expectation of this. He knows us inside out. Yet the fact remains that we are always learning in the Lord, walking in greater wisdom and growing to experience that greater place of victory. That is where His grace helps us. Grace is the ability of God within us us, His divine influence upon our hearts, and His power to live from His heavenly places.
II. Staying the Course
The enemy tries to slow or shift your momentum by bringing distractions to get you off course. We are called to "stay the course". God gives us the goals, the vision and the blueprints, but we also have to stay the course. Adam and Eve were in a great place with God – the best, actually. They had communion with God in the garden being clothed in His glory. Then the devil came to take them off course by appealing to their flesh, even their souls (Gen. 3). Then they slipped and took the bait. This story has been repeated over and over through history as the flesh is constantly at war with the Spirit.
| "God is looking for a consistency of momentum of our lives moving in the right direction as we grow in our love for God, living in His presence." |
When Jesus said He had to go the Cross, Peter responded saying, "Not You Lord, You don't have to do that" (Matt. 16:22). "But He turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind Me, satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.'" (Matt. 16:23)
Peter was a whole-hearted follower of Jesus, very close to the Lord. He was a part of the inner circle of Jesus with James and John. This just goes to show us that anyone can be vulnerable to the tactics of the enemy. Prior to Jesus' rebuke, Peter had just told Jesus that He was the Chosen One of God. It quickly shifted to what man wanted and was completely contrary to what God had planned. It was the fleshly mind trying to take down that which was of the Spirit. It was the enemy using Peter to appeal to Jesus to preserve Himself and save Himself. You could even say this was a "good, nice and thoughtful" gesture.
The Holy Spirit and the selfish nature of man are always in opposition to one another. The enemy wants to get people off course with God. He knows that if he can get you into your own flesh, make you the most important thing in your mind, and rob you of the reality of God's presence, he has you where he wants you.
Isn't this why Jesus said for us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33)? When we put Him first then everything is in His order. When we neglect to put Him first we are putting something else first or even ourselves. Our souls have to come into alignment with the heart of God, to walk by the Spirit, and follow after His voice.
III. Counterfeit Grace
I had a dream just recently were I was shown a five dollar bill. In it, I could see that it was a fake or a counterfeit. In prophetic symbolism the number five represents grace. This was a picture of counterfeit grace. There is a lot of counterfeit grace being taught today. True grace teaches us sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, not to grieve the Spirit (Eph. 4:30).
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works." (Titus 2:11-14)
God's grace is not there to enable a lifestyle of sin. God's grace offers us forgiveness when we confess and repent, transforming our hearts desires, changing us from the inside out and making us like Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Photo via Unsplash)
This is not everything, but here are a few of the errors in... (continue reading)
