Focus
The four areas that we all need to focus on are spiritual health, mental and emotional health, relational health, and physical health. We start with spiritual health because our doing must flow from our being. The good news is there are many resources available to restore, grow, and maintain our spiritual health. The most obvious ones are reading the Bible, prayer, and use of devotional books, but there is a special practice that can awaken your relationship with Jesus.
Superpower Secret
A great practice to develop is “practicing the presence of Jesus.” This is not new, in fact, Brother Lawrence wrote Practicing the Presence of God almost 400 years ago in the 17th century! It is, however, a practice that does require great determination and intention to cultivate. As with most new habits, start small and build from there.
Begin with what I suggested last month by carving out five or ten minutes a few times a day to slow down and do nothing but settle yourself in the Lord. Say to him, “Jesus, I give everyone and everything to you.” Did you try that? What did you notice? This is a great start from which you can build. Once you are consistent with this practice, begin to extend your time to sit with Jesus in the morning and evening . Give everything to him and spend time loving him and being loved. It might help to ask, “Jesus, what do you like about me?” or “Jesus, what do you most enjoy as you watch me during the day?”
Listen in your spirit to what he says and let it sink in. Absorb his love for you. Write down what you hear so you are reminded of what he thinks about you whenever you need a reminder or encouragement.
Try It
This practice does take effort and intentionality, but the fruit is well worth it! Try it for a couple of weeks and you will notice a hunger to be with Jesus more throughout the day. To take this further, you can try a few apps that help with developing attentiveness to Jesus: the Pause App and Lectio 365.
Next month, I’ll share about mental and emotional wellness, but both of these start with spiritual wellness, so be sure to develop your spiritual self-care. There’s no better time to start than today!
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels; In-text photo by Olivia Snow on Unsplash
Have You Heard About The Follower of One Community?
Join a community of like-minded believers who believe in being full-time ministers in the marketplace. You can also take part in a virtual Marketplace Mission Trip. Sound exciting? Head over to the Follower of One community!
Learn about Follower of One’s Marketplace Mission Trip here.
