Spirituality is a popular subject these days. Whole stores are filled with books and various gadgets that are sold to help one get in touch spiritually. There is just so much out there and at times one can feel confused about it all.

In these days of growing awareness in the spiritual and the supernatural, God gives us guidance as to what to watch for. He tells us how to grow in our spiritual life without confusion. He spells it out for us quite simply:

“Grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18, NIV).

True spirituality moves you toward knowledge of Jesus as the Influencer of your heart. If something or someone other than Jesus takes front and center stage in your search for spirituality, be on guard. Guard your heart from merely knowledge of religious facts or focusing on special powers or energy. True spirituality is allowing Jesus’ influence on your heart to reflect change in the way you handle yourself. It is His power at work in you.

If you desire to develop spiritually, allow Jesus to influence your heart and your choices in a greater way today. Allow His influence to cause you to turn from the choices that exclude Him, and to accept His forgiveness. Ask for His wisdom to help you determine if a particular activity or source of information will increase your understanding of how Jesus can influence your heart and your life. Anything less is a cheap counterfeit.

Father God, there is so much out there today on spirituality. Please help me to grow in my knowledge of Jesus and His strength in my life as my Savior. Help me to grow in allowing Your influence upon my heart in such a way that it changes how I live. Forgive me for the times when I have focused on spirituality that was not centered on Jesus. Help me to be discerning and wise as I grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior. In His strong name I pray, amen.

Questions: How will you allow Jesus to influence your heart and your choices in a greater way today? Do you know what it means to live a spirit-filled life? Let’s talk about it.

About the Author Gail Rodgers

Spirituality is a popular subject these days. Whole stores are filled with books and various gadgets that are sold to help one get in touch spiritually. There is just so much out there and at times one can feel confused about it all.

In these days of growing awareness in the spiritual and the supernatural, God gives us guidance as to what to watch for. He tells us how to grow in our spiritual life without confusion. He spells it out for us quite simply:

“Grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)

True spirituality moves you toward knowledge of Jesus as the Influencer of your heart. If something or someone other than Jesus takes front and center stage in your search for spirituality, be on guard. Guard your heart from merely knowledge of religious facts or focusing on special powers or energy. True spirituality is allowing Jesus’ influence on your heart to reflect change in the way you handle yourself. It is His power at work in you.

If you desire to develop spiritually, allow Jesus to influence your heart and your choices in a greater way today. Allow His influence to cause you to turn from the choices that exclude Him, and to accept His forgiveness. Ask for His wisdom to help you determine if a particular activity or source of information will increase your understanding of how Jesus can influence your heart and your life. Anything less is a cheap counterfeit.

Father God,
There is so much out there today on spirituality. Please help me to grow in my knowledge of Jesus and His strength in my life as my Savior. Help me to grow in allowing Your influence upon my heart in such a way that it changes how I live. Forgive me for the times when I have focused on spirituality that was not centered on Jesus. Help me to be discerning and wise as I grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior. In His strong name I pray, amen.

Question: How can you seek to grow spiritually in the next week, month, and year?

About this Author: Gail Rodgers

“My sister cannot keep this baby can you take her?”

As we considered the question of adopting baby Cassie I learned much about God our Father.  I know we were called to the path of pursuing Cassie, even though we did not adopt her.  Another home was chosen for her.  But the lessons learned in that experience will stay with me for a lifetime.

The first thing I learned is that God cares and is working on our behalf way beyond our understanding. This child was wanted by several families, yet God very specifically chose one family for her, in His time.  She was well cared for and happy in her temporary home and oblivious to the many people making decisions, praying for her, and choosing her future.  Our family alone had a prayer team of 30 people praying for her placement into the right home for her.  How often does God work on my behalf unbeknownst to me?  I only see a small piece of the picture not the larger whole.

I have a new understanding of adoption being about being chosen and wanted.  We wanted that baby to be a part of our family, so did other families.  This was a very wanted child.  So are we as children of God.  As we thought about taking Cassie into our home, we considered the challenges we would face.  We knew that she had been exposed to drugs in utero, probably had an attachment disorder, and certainly faced emotional issues.  (Her current home was her third home).  We faced the reality of raising a very difficult child, yet we wanted her, and we hadn’t even met her.  We chose her.

God as a perfect father accepts and wants us with all our issues.  He chooses me as I am, knowing  all the potential for difficulty and lovingly works with me to be the best I can be. He loves me and encourages me all the time, with unconditional love.

The difficult lesson was learning the difference between expectation in what I think the outcome will be and expectancy in what God will do. These are two very different things, as I came to understand.  I know God called us to the journey of adopting Cassie, but I came to understand it was for the lessons learned, and not to add to our family.

I was disappointed, hurt and disillusioned, when the social worker told us another home had been chosen.  I was expecting  a certain outcome.  I expected to have a daughter named Cassie.  Over time as I came to peace with God’s plan, I accepted the rich and valuable lessons I gained from my journey of adoption that did not end with another child. God called us, and He did work, just not how I expected.

My relationship with God is much richer and deeper in understanding because of adoption. First, because he adopted me.  I am His child with all the benefits of being a child of the king. Ephesians 1:4-6 says, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”

Second, I now have new understanding of how God works in my life through my journey of adoption.  God works on my behalf, even when I cannot see it.  I now know the difference between expectation and expectancy in God’s plan.  There are several other lessons I learned and count that time as a significant time of growth in my life.  I gained new insights into both my husband’s and children’s hearts also.  God is good and used this time to continue to grow me as His daughter.

Read More
Devotional by Max Lucado: God’s mission is adoption
Adopted for a purpose
Sign for daily email devotionals from Power To Change

A few weeks ago, my wife sat with me and listened to a downloaded sermon while traveling to visit family. We listened to inspired words of hope from a message presented by Erwin McManus, an informative and refreshing voice of truth.  I was able to remain in this reflective environment for a few hours, and think on how God was at work in my life.

During my morning commute, I often start my day with a great community of like-minded individuals who revive me in my faith.  Sometimes I am deeply challenged by the interaction; other times I am encouraged through shared laughter.  I am in the subway, listening to a Christian podcast that I enjoy.

There is a considerable movement within Christian ministries to venture beyond having a static online presence to creating an online ministry that extends beyond the walls of traditional church.  Many ministries and church leaders are making use of iTunes, Twitter, Facebook, RSS feeds, blogs, and podcasts (to name a few) as a way to reach a greater audience.  While it’s not meant to replace the local church (remember, God wants community!), it is a great way to spend a few moments each day interacting with the online community of God.

I am encouraged by the fact that ministry leaders are undertaking such a creative venture.  Efforts to reach a generation connected by the internet should continue to be applauded and encouraged (even if they fail!).  However, it is important to keep in mind the purpose for the technology.  While it’s outstanding that there are resources available to help me deepen my faith, I need to be careful not to become engrossed in the consumerist mindset.

In the age of technology, it is easy to search out the most charismatic, polished, informative speaker or most elaborate worship band and regard my local church as the “amateur hour” (although my church is great at what they do).  Anything less than the most innovative worship bands or keynote speakers can quickly cause us to be discouraged and write off the local church’s efforts.  In addition, Christian podcasts or chat groups can easily become just another way to fill my spiritual “need”, when instead I need to be focused on Jesus’ calling on me for the world.  During my morning commute, I enjoy listening to the Relevant podcast  (look it up on iTunes) and tuning out the crowded train.

As my fellow passengers jostle and bump each other (and me), I can lose sight of the fact that I am surrounded by people. I am surrounded by inner city, with its apparent needs and brokenness. As Brian McLaren once wrote, “we should always use it [technology] with care, remembering that Jesus modeled personal incarnation, not projection and amplification.”  I believe that my Christian faith needs to remember to take off the headphones and engage the world around me. Otherwise, I have bought in to the deception of consumerism, where it’s all about me and my needs.

The gospel, with its eternal truths, needs to continue to be presented through culturally relevant methods that point new generations to Jesus.  Because after all, it is not about rolling out the edgiest podcast, or the most up-to-date Twitter feed.  It’s about the One who gave me the ability to think of new ideas, and impact those around me in fresh ways. It’s about the message of hope, and life, and belonging – things that each individual and every generation desires to fully realize in their own life.  The message of hope that comes from One source – Jesus Himself.

What are ways that technology can add to our spiritual lives?  Where are the pitfalls of spirituality in the age of the internet?

Get involved: Explore how you can be involved in your spare time from your own home, with a growing Internet ministry, TruthMedia!

TheLife.com is now PowerToChange.com!

This site is maintained by TruthMedia, a division on Power to Change. Over the next days and weeks this site, along with several others will be moving into a new format branded as Power to Change.

All of your favorites will still be here along with a bunch of new features we’re excited to share with you. Now all of our audiences will have access to blogs, comments and videos along with more frequent updates, bigger images and a wider range of content.

What does your Soul Crave?
What does your soul crave? Remember this, what can settle your mind will not settle your soul. It will stir it up. You are a unique creation made by God to live and not simply exist. Your soul longs to find its ultimate purpose. It will not rest until you do. Your soul craves its destiny. Your soul desires. It always will. You were created as a creative being. You were made to grow, to dream, to achieve. Your soul is letting you know you come from God and your life is intended to be God-sized and God-inspired. Read more

Take action: The beginning of a new school year is often a time to try new things. Why not try our Investigating Spirituality online interactive life lesson?

You said it: This week, vins commented on Why is There Suffering in the World?, saying “selfishness of all causes problems.” Agree? Disagree? Read the article and add your own thoughts: Read more

Feature: Back to School Survival Guide
The campus is a new world, and here, it is not the strong but the teachable who survive. Here are some tips for student survival based on the experiences of those who have already survived. Read more

Article: Gaining Confidence as a Public Speaker
Being a good speaker and communicator is essential to having success, not just in the workplace, but in life. Public speaking may seem scary to some people. In most cases, this is due to not believing you have enough content, confidence or credibility. Read more

Coming up next week: One of the topics of our upcoming online chats is “When God Seems Hidden” Join us in the chat room September 8th 2009 @ 9:00pm EST for this chat or see also our full chat calendar for other upcoming topics.

We are filled by the Holy Spirit by faith; we can experience the abundant life which Christ promised to each Christian. You have to ask yourself: Is this the life for me?

Every day can be an exciting adventure for the Christian who knows the reality of being filled with the Holy Spirit and who lives constantly, moment by moment, under His gracious direction.

God has provided for us an abundant and fruitful Christian life so why is it that most Christians are not experiencing the abundant life? Jesus promised the abundant and fruitful life as the result of being filled (directed and empowered) by the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit-filled life is the Christ-directed life by which Christ lives His life in and through us in the power of the Holy Spirit (John 15). You too can know the adventure of a full, abundant, purposeful and fruitful life in Christ!

What does the Spirit-filled life look like?

It’s the key to a powerful Christian life and the source of joy, victory and fruitfulness and yet, many believers neither comprehend or experience the Spirit-filled life.  Just how do we follow the command to “be filled with the Spirit?” (Ephesians 5:18b) And how does it affect our daily life? Here are videos of three “word pictures” that you can use to deepen your understanding and illustrate for others what it means to be empowered by our Helper, the Holy Spirit.

The Chocolate Milk example
The Spare Tire example
The Guest or Resident example

If are considering starting a faith adventure, have questions, or just want a listening ear, we’d love to hear from you. Just go the mentoring page and one of our email mentors will respond. All emails are responded to personally and privately.

Questions about your faith

What does my relationship with Christ look like?
How can I walk in the power of the Holy Spirit?
How can I grow in my faith?
Questions about the Holy Spirit
How do I share my faith?
I have lost hope. Is my life worth it?

My faith adventure
Millions of people the world over have made the decision to allow the Holy Spirit to direct and lead their daily lives and start a faith adventure.  Here are some of their stories.

Success to Significance – I was challenged to think about what I had accomplished in my life and what I would do over the remainder of the years I may be allowed to live.

My Dreams Were too Small – When I was a young girl, my dreams weren’t much different than most girls. But the Lord graciously showed me that my dreams were too small.

New Beginnings – I wasn’t really sure of my own opinion on the existence of God, and honestly, I didn’t care but something was missing from my life.

Starving for Life and Loveliness – Have you ever felt like losing five pounds? I have -and it turned out to be the beginning of a 10 year diet which nearly killed me.

Broken on the Back Row – I felt very far away from God. It was not a comfortable place to be but it was nobody’s fault but my own.

Finding Healing After Betrayal – I was desperate, dissatisfied and in great despair. For 12 years, my wife and I had been hiding our broken and dishonest marriage.

What changes do you think churches can make to be more appealing to today’s society without compromising their beliefs? In what ways are the church and the bible relevant in your life?

More on the church:
Why do we go to church?
Church is for sinners, not saints

As a Sunday school teacher I’ve tried to equip my students with sound doctrine (knowledge), a discerning mind (wisdom) and good moral values (character). I hope I’m being successful.  Judging from a study by sociologists Christian Smith and Melina Lundquist Denton, the church as a whole is doing a poor job of equipping its young people.

They interviewed nearly 4,000 American teenagers, and when they “asked these teenagers to describe the particulars of their religious faith, they were “incredibly inarticulate” about even the most basic tenets of their beliefs and practices.” Smith & Denton conclude that “a significant part of ‘Christianity’ in the U.S. is actually only tenuously Christian in any sense that is seriously connected to the actual historical Christian tradition.” (Journey with Jesus blog)

Remembering our recent post about the shocking beliefs of a large number of American Christians, we shouldn’t be too surprised young people in America aren’t “getting it” either. I think the first step to good education of youth is proper education of their parents and church leaders. The second is to come up with creative ways to communicate eternal truths effectively to modern (or “postmodern”) young ears and minds.

Do you think your church does an effective job teaching its young people? And what role should the church play and parents play in creating disciples?

Related resources:
Online Life Lessons for teens.  Topics include the media,  getting along with parents, the fear of food, dating, staying strong in your faith and friendships
Teach Your Children to Study the Bible

With many forms of media available to our culture, community is now found in different venues. Emerging generations may not find themselves sitting in a church pew on a Sunday morning, but yet have an awareness of the greater church community. According to Christianity Today, “Emerging generations may not see themselves as churched, but neither do they see themselves as any less committed.” Podcasts, magazines, online radio, and television are innovative methods being employed by churches and church leaders across North America to reach these emerging generations.

Whether you’re meeting in an organized church, or online with a community of like-minded believers, how do you approach church? Too frequently we join a group because it gives us something without asking too much in return. Is your “church event” a time to receive from your community, or are you there to serve and contribute?

Even more importantly, ask yourself this – am I part of an affiliation of believers, or am I attempting to do faith on my own? Christianity is a communal faith. It’s not meant to be lived in isolation. If you don’t have one, look around for a place of belonging , whether it’s in your local community, online, or in some other venue. Your faith will be deepened for it.

“Fill ‘er up.”

“Yes, sir.”

As a high school student, my first job was a mystifying experience. I was officially a gas emissions technician, but you would recognize me as the guy walking up to your car to fill your gas tank.  If you were really nice, I might have even washed your windows.

“Hey, can you check the fluids?” What a question.

That’s like asking a zookeeper to make you a deluxe pulled-pork sandwich (go heavy on the barbecue sauce, please). The extent of my automotive prowess extended to gasoline and windshield wipers, but I never let that hinder me from going further. That never stopped me from trying to learn more.

With your car.

The helpful secret of automotive engineering is that there are only three or four openings into which one can pour fluids. With faith invested in me as a gas emissions technician, I would pick one of those openings and pour in a can or two of engine oil/windshield wiper fluid/transmission gunk. And then happily fill your gas tank and, perhaps, wash your window.  Nobody ever came back with a greasy windshield.

I was savvy enough to know that oil was important to an engine. I just didn’t know where to put it.

Praying through the seventh inning stretch

I often approach prayer in much the same manner. I know prayer is important. I know that if there isn’t much heart behind my words, or if I’m not praying at all, then my spirit seems to jam up. My relationship with Christ struggles. The difficulty comes in knowing where to “put” prayer within the continuum of my day.

Looking around our culture, the most heartfelt prayers I have publicly witnessed seem to occur during the World Series. Fans, usually dressed in their team’s jerseys, plead with God to give their team the victory. They pray into their baseball gloves in agony and tears, as though somehow God will hear better through the telephone line of broken-in genuine leather.

Stumbling around the unsearchable

In Jeremiah 33:3, God encourages us to call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

Really?

I look through the Old Testament, and I see that prayer is a big deal. People cry out to God.

I often stumble over this phrase – crying out to God. It makes me feel guilty or somehow less-than-adequate when it comes to prayer. I watch as other people are able to manufacture tears when they pray, or pray in wonderfully spiritually-moving paragraphs of unbelievable depth. (It helps if they have a deep voice too!) I see great people around me praying throughout the day, or starting and ending their day with prayer, or devoting significantly important portions of their day to prayer.

Meanwhile, in my world, I default to sludging through my telemarketed prayer life. I do my part, say the words, and then end the conversation. (With my kids, I confess that often the ‘amen’ is the most exciting part because we sing it at various pitches and decibel levels). There have been moments of meaningful engagement in prayer — but they are rare enough that they have become highlights in my prayer life. So how do we achieve a deeper prayer life? How does the guy sitting next to me in prayer meeting do it?

Fishing for the shore

Unlike oil, there’s no perfect formula in putting prayer together. Prayer, in its truest form, is not about stringing together perfect phrases, or praying during a certain time (although that can be helpful to make it consistent). Prayer is about conversation with the One who knows your life more intimately than you do. Prayer allows me to tap in to a Spirit who is loving, all-knowing, all-powerful. As one theologian wrote, “Prayer is surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. When I throw out a fishing line from a boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to His.”

Perhaps that’s just it. I’ve approached prayer as a merit badge, similar to how boy scouts earn fire-making badges. Maybe the time that prayer demands is something I need to let go of in my own life. Not that I achieve 12 hour prayer sessions, or only pray with words that have more than ten letters in them, but I need to simplify my approach to prayer.

Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to His.

Perhaps I need to grow up, allowing my faith to grow into a Christianity that extends beyond my demand for time. My one-sided appeal needs to stretch to listening for the sound of the shore.

Over the years, I’ve found a few insights that have abundantly helped to deepen my own prayer life. (Please note, these tips don’t include a list of words that will make you more eloquent.)

> Don’t feel guilty for missing a prayer time. Take a deep breath. When you miss a prayer time, the double-edge of guilt will appear. “Not only did I not pray today, but I also missed my prayer time!” How many times have we beaten ourselves up over this? Don’t let guilt become your motivator (or discourager) to pray!

> Don’t restrict prayer to a specific time. Yes, scheduling events into our life does help with consistency, but allow your prayer times to happen throughout the day. Begin by saying “thanks” when you’re walking through the park or looking at a great piece of artwork. Saying thanks doesn’t necessarily mean a ten minute prayer…it’s just one word. It’s a great way to keep a conversation going!

> Don’t restrict prayer to words. When we’re walking with God, often words are not enough. When you’re in a meaningful moment, let your spirit bask in the wonder. Let your heart cry out to God a spirit of thankfulness.

So I continue to walk each day, hoping to learn how to pray a little less eloquently. I hope for a little more conversation, and a little less monologue. I glance the shore and see that it is a little closer today than it was last week.

For further information and helpful tips in deepening your own prayer life, read Gregory Koukl’s 10 Tips to Help Your Prayer Life.

If you’d like prayer, we would love the opportunity to pray for you. Talk with a prayer mentor today.