Keeping Spiritually Engaged in times of confusion

Although things are always changing, making them confusing and hard to understand, we should keep our faith in God’s promises.

A good promise to remember is in Hebrews 13:5 (NIV), "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'"

Another one is in Matthew 6:25-26 (NIV),“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

This verse reminds us that as long as we have faith in God, follow His word, and keep our spiritual relationship with Him, He will take care of our needs. We don’t need to worry about what will happen in the future, or how we will survive. By living our lives in a way acceptable to God, He will ensure that He will be with us, supporting and guiding us every step of the way.

Keeping spiritually engaged can be a struggle through all the stages of life. Firstly, it requires a personal connection with God. This can be hard to maintain as we go through life with many priorities and requirements. Often, we lose sight of God, buried under chores and other work. We should always set time aside to remember our roots.

In Revelations 2:1-4, the church of Ephesus lost their first love despite their ongoing efforts in deeds, labour and perseverance. Are we falling away because we have too many things in our lives? Are we tired of church work, putting in our time and labour while forgetting our relationship with God? We should always take the time to take a look back and see if we have strayed.

Ways to keep spiritually engaged:

1) Keep the Sabbath day holy. In Exodus 20, God gave us the 10 commandments as the law we should follow. Out of the 10 commandments, the first 4 are about our behaviour towards God. The 4th commandment is one that helps us to remember and appreciate God by giving us a command to take the seventh day off the week to rest.

Exodus 20:10 states, “But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.”

The Sabbath is a time which should be set aside and sanctified for God’s purposes. Rather than rushing to finish that last assignment or make work calls, perhaps it would be better spent catching up with family or engaging in Bible study.

2) Have a time set aside for Bible study. Even if we know our Bible well, over time, memories will fade. It is important to constantly think about and refresh our memories of God’s word when we can. In the last days, we will likely be without the Bible. Although it may not be possible to memorise the whole Bible, we should still be prepared to remember and hold fast to our beliefs when the time comes. Therefore, it is important to keep searching for the truth and setting its principles to memory.

It is also important to understand where your beliefs come from, and be able to back up your claims with your understanding of what and why you live your life the way you do. By doing personal Bible study, you better understand the Bible and why you trust what it says. You will also be able to persuade others better when your own beliefs are well grounded.

3) Set a time to reflect, and plan the next step. Where are you on your spiritual journey? What aspects of the Bible or of your life have you not yet understood? How could you have managed a recent conflict better? Is your character ready to meet God in heaven?

There’s a lot to account for when it comes to our spiritual lives. However, Jesus made an example when He came to Earth to die for us. His sacrifice showed us that through close communion with God, it is possible to lead a holy life on Earth, which we as Christians should always strive to do. Although it will be difficult, let us remember and be ready for His second coming together.