Deep Thoughts…….

So God gives me some strange analogies. But, they make perfect sense to me. And, I guess that is all that matters. These analogies often have to do with athletics/working out. So today when I was working out I got this analogy about how I tend to be in my relationship with God.

I enjoy working out, the way it makes you feel, the energy that you have, and even the way it makes you look, as vain as that may sound, but it is a reason most people work out. Moving forward with the point. There are times when I will get on a really good streak of eating well, working out consistently and seeing results. So, I will start to feel good about myself, and become content with how I feel/look. I then hit a streak of weeks where I don’t do a lot physically, work out sparingly……Results gone. The results that I had don’t really matter after this period because they are gone.

It doesn’t take a genius to see where this is going. But my spiritual life has a tendency to be very similar to this. I will have weeks where I am in God’s word, in prayer, reading books,serving others etc. you know the drill. I will start to feel ‘holy’ if you will, so I’ll feel like it will be okay for me to not read for a day, not pray for a day, that turns into days which turns into weeks. This is a pattern that I am currently breaking in my life. I cannot become the Man God designed me to be if I keep on with this pattern. I will keep starting over from the same point. I have to get over this hump in my life.

I was just thinking about this too specifically about my prayer life. Consistency is going to yield results that are lasting. I cannot just workout for a week or too and expect results to stay. And I can’t expect results in my prayer life if I am not consistent in that. The Bible says over and over again to “seek” after God. Seek is more than praying for something once, asking for something once. It is a constant, consistent asking, wanting, desiring. Seeking, takes time, it takes discipline and patience. Patience not to bail out when it seems like God isn’t moving, when you are not seeing immediate results. And it goes back to working out, when you feel like you are working your butt off in the gym and seeing nothing it can be discouraging and you’ll often throw in the towel for a bit, I know I do. In my life God has very very rarely been about immediate results. He really opened my eyes up to that today in the gym, if I really want Him to move and answer prayers I am going to have to stick in there with consistency and discipline.

And another quick analogy, also having to do with working out………..

If it isn’t hurting, if you aren’t challenged and pushing yourself  to your limit in the gym or running then most likely your muscles aren’t growing. Going through the motions may maintain your body, but when you really get after in and push through the tough part then you are going to see the results. You can relate that spiritually however you want. But I feel like this principle is true for me spiritually as well. So my prayer for me and for you if this applies to you, is that God would discipline us to be consistent in our walk with Him, in reading and in prayer. To not become satisfied with where you are, and to not be discouraged when things are happening immediately. To challenge yourself and allow God to challenge you. To push through the tough parts so we can see the results, so we can enjoy the growth and the fruits of that.