Strengthening your faith

The past few weeks have been intense, not from activities, or the need to be busy, but decisions that have the potential to change our journey. While I rested with the Lord when I could, the sermons on strengthening faith help me to realize how important it is to exercise with the Holy Spirit. Scripture has a lot to say about how important spiritual health is to maintain, not just our mental and physical well-being.

After catching up with my church's sermon, I went for a walk with my dog. Both of us needed the exercise for different reasons, but it helped us to regain our peace. On the walk I saw a flourishing young tree full of blooms. However, the tree that was planted near it had been destroyed. Whether it was from vandalism or the strong winds, the other tree was too weak to stand.

The powerful image reminds us that a lot of essentials are ingredients for growth. Like the tree, spiritual health require nutrients. Prayer, worship, reading the word, fellowship, serving (mission and ministry), and living out a life in the Spirit, gives a great start. This is not an exhaustive list, but these are like a vitamin tablet that enable us to sustain our soul and improves our ongoing relationship with God.

As I reached home, I felt so much better, though some aspects of my situation has not changed. Regardless of how our lives appear, faith is an expression of what we cannot see, and the belief that God will always be there to fight the battles, big or small. The result is joy, not from any artificial place, but the Holy Spirit working through us, so that we can pass it on to others.