Can you imagine eating a good meal—but your body never digested it?
The food would just sit there in your stomach. While the food would age, nothing positive would come from it.
You would get sicker over time because your body never received the nourishment it was meant to receive.
Just like in our natural bodies, our spiritual “bodies” depend upon integrating our intake into who we are.
However, I believe that many people in the church today are spiritually constipated.
Such people may know God’s Word, but it just sits in their minds, stagnant. Because they never digest and assimilate it, it doesn’t become part of who they are.
As a result, the body of Christ is not as effective as it could be.
You might be vulnerable to spiritual constipation if you:
- Do not make time to fellowship with the Lord daily
- Are not putting what you learn from God’s word into your daily practice
- Don’t know or are not using your spiritual gifts to help others
Forgive me if this is TMI (too much information), but when I was a child and found myself in a constipated condition, my mother would say, “You need some ‘working medicine.'”
While the “working medicine” didn’t taste good, it certainly got my digestive system moving!
Here are three things to consider if you suspect you are dealing with spiritual constipation:
1. Anchor yourself in God. Let’s face it—life is rough. Sometimes, you may feel like a ship trying to navigate stormy seas, helpless, at the mercy of the waves rising against you.
But when you are anchored in God, you feel secure in the midst of life’s storms. “Anchor yourself in God” is actually the first step of TBYT because in doing so, your emotions are not tossed about with every situation that comes your way.
How do you anchor yourself? You seek the Lord first in starting your day. Your quiet time together may include prayer, praise and worship, journaling, study or whatever you are led to do that particular day.
After that empowering start, continue to fellowship with God as you go about your day. Seek His presence in which you’ll find joy; seek His truth in which you’ll find wisdom.
Decide that your relationship with the Lord supersedes all others. Therefore, you will take time to nurture that relationship every day.
2. Appropriate God’s Word. When I’m studying God’s word, I typically ask myself five questions:
- Who is speaking in the passage?
- To whom are they speaking?
- Where is God?
- Where am I?
- How can I apply this to my life today?
Appropriating God’s word means that you want to grab hold of it and make it your own. So you ingest it, meditate upon it and ask the Lord to bring understanding. Finally, you look for ways to practice what you learn.
With practice and time, God’s word will mold and shape your character into Christ-likeness so that you display His character to a world that desperately needs to see Him.
3. Assess and use your spiritual gifts. Did you know that each Christian receives one or more spiritual gifts at the time of salvation? We are meant to use these gifts to help meet needs in the church and out of the church.
Proverbs 18:16 says, “A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.”
If you want God to open doors for you that no man can close, using your gifts is a great place to start.
You can learn more about spiritual gifts, including taking a free test on how you can discover yours and how to use them.
In summary, we do not practice a dead religion. We practice a living relationship with Jesus Christ. That means forward movement.
So consider those three areas to help ensure your walk with the Lord remains strong and vital! {eoa}
Kimberly Taylor is the author of The Weight Loss Scriptures and many other books. Once 240 pounds and a size 22, she can testify to God’s goodness and healing power. Visit takebackyourtemple.com and receive more free health and weight-loss tips.
For the original article, visit takebackyourtemple.com.
