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A Devoted Spiritual Walk

In Matthew 22:35-38, Jesus identified what is to be the passion of every believing Christian, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment.” If we truly believe this is the great and foremost commandment and make an honest attempt to follow it, it will be life-transforming. As our love for and commitment to the Lord matures, so will our life priorities. It is not possible to love someone without spending time either with the person or at least thinking about the person. If we truly love the Lord He will be a priority in our life. We will delight in spending time with Him in His Word and in prayer. We will want to know Him and understand His will for our life. As Paul asked at his conversion, “Who are You, Lord?” and “What would You have me do?” (Acts 22:8,10). For the Christian, these are the most important questions in life, and he or she will be occupied with discovering answers to them.

In today’s instant society, everyone is searching for a quick fix. There is no quick fix for knowing God. We can know about God or we can know Him. We know God as we walk with Him, as we trust Him with every detail of our lives, and as we experience His sovereignty in our lives and His power in our circumstances. The devotional life of the believer is not only the barometer of his or her spiritual life, it is the very basis of the spiritual life. If you are consistently meeting the Lord in His Word and seeking His will for your life as you meet Him there; if you are continually talking to Him in praise, adoration, thanksgiving, confession, and supplication; if you are trusting Him to accomplish great things in your life; you will be growing in your relationship with Him. How does this happen? It starts with a commitment to spend time with Him in His Word and in prayer. The amount of time is not the issue. It is the quality of time that is important. It is to be regular (Daniel 6:10), unhurried and uninterrupted (Mark 1:35).

It is vital to understand that the power source of our spiritual walk is God, not ourselves. The Christian life is not a list of dos and don’ts we struggle to obey; rather, it is the life of God flowing in and through us. Jesus said of His followers, “From their innermost being shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38-9). He was describing the effect of the Holy Spirit, whom every believer would receive. Bill Bright, founder and president of Campus Crusade for Christ, states in his book, The Holy Spirit: Key to Supernatural Living:

No truth is more important to the believer than an understanding of the ministry of the Holy Spirit and how to be filled and controlled by Him. As I often say, if I had only one message to share with the Christian world, it would be on this subject . . . Every day can be an exciting adventure for the Christian who has discovered the key to supernatural living, for such a person knows the reality of being filled with the Holy Spirit and lives constantly, moment by moment, under His gracious guidance and love. . . . When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are filled with Jesus Christ. Thus, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, a power much greater than our own is released within us and through us for victorious living and a fruitful witness for the Savior. Without the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, a Christian cannot experience the joy and wonder of the supernatural life. . . . This amazing supernatural power of the Holy Spirit—the life of Christ in every believer—is released in our lives by faith as we surrender the control of our lives to the Holy Spirit. Since it is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to glorify Christ, Jesus Christ now has unhindered opportunity to work in and through us to perform His perfect will” (pp. ii, 7, 11, 18).

Character Attributes

A number of character attributes distinguish the Christian professor in his or her personal spiritual walk, including:

1. Experiences a close, personal walk with Christ. The Christian professor loves the Lord with all of his or her heart, soul, and mind; the relationship with God is the central focus of life. His or her priorities are clearly discerned from the use of time, finances and other life resources.

2. Sufficiently knowledgeable of the attributes of God that he or she is able to refer to these qualities in conversation or in prayer.

3. Involved in regular, quality quiet time and effective, fervent prayer life. The mature believer enjoys an invigorating devotional life in which he or she is seeking the Lord through His Word, applying Scripture personally, talking with God about life issues, and experiencing the energizing power of God’s Holy Spirit.

4. Engaged in regular memorization of and meditation on God’s Word. In the four gospels, Jesus quoted 66 different passages of Scripture. If the divine Son of God in His humanity knew and applied Scripture in life situations, should the believer not do so as well? David counseled us to store up God’s Word in our heart to keep from sinning against God (Psalm 119:9,11).

Training Modules

Experiencing God. This study course based on Henry Blackaby’s book, Experiencing God (Nashville, TN: Life Way Press, 1990), covers principles which enable a believer to experience God doing through him or her what only God can do. Topics covered include hearing when God is speaking, identifying the activity of God in one’s life, adjusting one’s beliefs, character, and behavior to God and His ways. The study comes with a textbook, a workbook and a leader’s guide. (Available from most Christian bookstores)

How to be Filled with the Holy Spirit. This video, which features Dr. Bill Bright, President of Campus Crusade for Christ International, answers five important questions: Who is the Holy Spirit? Why did He come? What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Why is the average Christian not filled with the Holy Spirit? How can one be filled with the Holy Spirit? (Available from Christian Leadership Ministries; also available as a Transferable Concept booklet from Campus Crusade for Christ, on line at www.ccci.org/transferable_concepts)

How to Have a Quiet Time. This video presents a simple, but practical, eight-step approach for experiencing an exciting devotional life in God’s Word. Many people have commented that this simple approach has revolutionized their devotional lives. (Available from Christian Leadership Ministries)

How to Pray. In John 14:13, Jesus declared, “And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” We need to be praying for God to open doors and soften hearts if there is to be any prospect of seeing Christian thought and Christian ideals and ideas returned to the marketplace of the university. This material presents a number of practical prayer principles. (Available as a Transferable Concept from Campus Crusade for Christ, on line at www.ccci.org/transferable_concepts)

Scripture Memorization. One of the oldest and most effective Scripture memorization plans is the Topical Memory System of The Navigators. Following this simple plan on a consistent basis, one can memorize dozens of Scripture verses for use in a variety of life situations. (Available through The Navigators, www.gospelcom.net/navs)

Action Points

The following are useful exercises for the Christian professor who wishes to enhance his or her spiritual walk.

1. Start having a regular quiet time (if you are not already doing so). You may find it useful to keep a quiet time journal to record the things the Lord is teaching you in your devotions. It may also be helpful to keep a prayer dairy of requests and answers.

2. Begin memorizing Scripture on a regular basis. It is helpful in this endeavor to have an accountability partner who can hear you recite your verses and encourage you to continue.

3. Read systematically through the Bible. A number of Christian Leadership staff have been challenged and inspired in this area by the grandmother of one of the staff members who read through the Bible each year for 70 years before her death!

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