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How to Improve your Spiritual health(Part 2)

How to Improve your Spiritual health(Part 2)

by Toyosi Adegunle
 
My hands have itched to quickly share this with you, you have no idea. 😩 Okay! I'm here already. I hope your week has been all that you planned and more. We are currently on the second part of a series on how to improve your spiritual growth. Remember, growth is an important aspect of your life as a believer. The overall goal is that we grow to become who God wants us to be. Here is part 1: How to Improve your Spiritual health (Part 1)

As promised, here is another pillar to improving your spiritual health.

People/Community 

We have a blogpost here on friendship where we emphasized the need to be intentional about the people that surround you. Humans are mostly influenced by people they love and respect. I bet you know this already because you may have noticed at some point in your walk with someone that you start to imitate their attitude or pattern of doing something. It is important to be friends with people of like mind - at least the basics - values, lifestyle and a host of other things.

This would aid your growth and make other things easier for you. Imagine you feel the need to share the gospel with someone while hanging with your friend, and suddenly they feel irritated by the need to do that and start to question you. There would be several issues at some point. Your friends should lead you to God as much as you lead them to God too. They should remind you of the things of God, they should encourage you in God, not pull you 10 times backward. They should be able to remind you of your identity in Christ when you're in crisis and not lead you into vices. 

Here is what the bible says about friendship and people generally: 

  • Proverbs 18:24 NIV 'A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.'
  • Proverbs 13:20 NIV 'He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harms'
  •  John 15:13 NIV 'Greater Love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.'
  • Proverbs 27:17 NIV 'As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.'
  • Proverbs17:17 NIV 'A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.'
  • Proverbs 22:24-25 NIV 'Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.'
  • Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NIV 'Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!'
  •  James 4:8 NIV 'Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
  •  Proverbs 12:26 NIV A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
  •  Proverbs 15:22 NIV Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers, they succeed

The Old Testament is not the only place that warns us about the danger of ungodly friendships. There are verses in the New Testament that warn us about the danger of ungodly relations and teaching us to be intentional about the quality of our friendships.

People think differently. As a Christian, you should live your life for a purpose different from the purposes of non-Christian acquaintances. Remember that your life belongs to God. That is why friends who pull you in a direction that is different from the way the Lord wants you to go are dangerous for us.

The tricky part of your relations with people is that the fact that someone is a Christian doesn't mean you have to be close to them, doesn't mean they have their spiritual journey in place, doesn't mean they are the right fit for emulation. Understanding the dynamics of friendship and human relations is understanding that you can't be close to everyone.

You also need to constantly work on yourself enough to be a good friend or someone worthy of being close to. Hence, this series on the 5 pillars of spiritual growth. 

 Be watchful, be prayerful, be intentional about:

     Who you call a friend

     Who you take advice from

     Who leads you

     Who talks to you

     How you relate with people 

We have two more pillars to go. I hope you are enjoying this series as much as I am. This week, what are you doing better?🎉


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