What are the symptoms of spiritual illness? How can you know if your religious and life activities are squeezing out your spiritual vitality? Here are some symptoms you may find in your own life.
Shortness of breath – this indicates you are able to spend only a minute or two in prayer at a time; wandering thoughts and a short-lived attention span are key characteristics.Spiritual obesity – this symptom occurs when you spend too much time in religious activity at the church so that you have no time to minister to those Jesus has called you to serve. Other symptoms include knowing more names of church friends than those without Christ or spending more time at potluck dinners at church than at neighborhood block parties to meet your neighbors.High blood pressure – this is a result of trying to maintain a schedule so full of activities that you simply can’t find the time to seek out quiet places to build your relationship with God.Clogged arteries – these occur when you have eaten from the plate of entertainment and drunk from the cup of pleasure to the point that your spiritual veins are virtually impassable. When you can’t receive and enjoy the life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit, you can’t pass it on to others.High cholesterol – if you eat more fatty spiritual food spoon-fed to you by others than you work off through exercising your heart and mind to study God’s word on your own, your blood tests will reflect dangerous levels.
Recognize any of these in your life? Maybe it's time for a spiritual checkup and a focused look at your relationship with God.
We are currently walking through the Book of Acts at Legacy Church. If you need a spiritual exercise plan, join us on our LifeGroup page.
The above symptoms were taken from my book, A New Way of Living: Practicing the Beatitudes Everyday, on the chapter "Those Who Hunger and Thirst," 140-141. It, too, is a way to burn some spiritual fat from your life.