Planning for spiritual success
ACCORDING to popular belief, “failing to plan is planning to fail”. When it comes to planning, most emphasis is put towards financial and emotional success.
Yet, there is one overlooked area that plays an important role on how our plans of success turn out, and that is our spiritual lives.
The inability to plan for spiritual success has left many people in the valley of defeat, while others gave up because they were not spiritually equipped to deal with the challenges they met. Life is full of troubles, as Jesus proclaimed, “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” [Matthew 6:34, NLT].
It is evident that everyday has enough troubles and tomorrow as well. We are bound to face these troubles, and people who overcome are those who take time to plan physically, financially, emotionally and spiritually.
Planning for spiritual success means to put together a strategy for worship, prayer and living a life that pleases God.
In doing so, we receive and provoke the power for protection, provision and victory over the challenges we face.
It entails setting goals on how and what we need to do to maintain our relationship with God and continue a progressive graph in our spiritual growth so that we can withstand troubles.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” [Ephesians 6:12-13, NKJV].
Most people can relate to this scripture as we draw closer to the end of the year.
Many are gone, others are barely making it. Many have taken blows they never thought they will survive. However, there are some, who can testify that if it had not been for God, they would not have made it through.
This makes it necessary for us to plan on how we can spiritually succeed every year. When one’s spiritual life is not maintained, it begins to dwindle and starts to lose weapons of spiritual defence such that when faced with a crisis, their chance of success is minimum because they cannot expect a God they have forsaken to come to their rescue.
Having understood the necessity of a vibrant spiritual life, let us move further and learn how best one can establish and succeed spiritually:
Prepare for quiet time
Having a quiet time is a terminology used to define the process of waking up early in the morning and finding a conducive place for uninterrupted personal prayer, study and worship established by Jesus Christ.
“Very early the next morning, long before daylight, Jesus got up and left the house. He went out of town to a lonely place, where he prayed.” [Mark 1:35, GNB].
We do not have to wait to get to church to pray, neither was prayer reserved for pastors or church leaders only. Every professing Christian is required to wake up early or at least start the day with a prayer. We must lay a foundation for spiritual success with a prayer plan and stay committed to it.
It would even work better if we are able to add a fasting day as well as this will help us win our spiritual battles as Jesus advised; “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”[ Matthew 17:21, NKJV].
A quiet time will build a solid spiritual relationship, help us grow in our prayer lives and establish a bible study system that will enhance our knowledge of the word of God thereby making us a formidable spiritual force.
Join a local church
God established a system for us to worship him. In as much as he requires us to spend a personal quiet time with him, he never expects us to remain alone. The church is established for fellowship and covering. Many have been wounded by the dynamics of church politics and bickering, others have stopped going to church altogether. People have different tangible reasons to leave or stop going to church, however those reasons will never reverse the instruction given to us about fellowship.
“Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another all the more, since you see that the day of the Lord is coming nearer.” [Hebrews 10:25, GNB].
God warned us that some people will walk away from fellowship, however, we should not emulate such people. The reason for going to church must never be overridden by the mistakes and weaknesses of humanity.
Everywhere people gather, there is bound to be offence, disagreements and even wickedness. Satan uses some people in church to drive others away from church. Do not allow him. Whether we are among the people that left church because of offence, or we just do not fancy going to church, the voice of God is calling us back to his house.
King David said, “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord” [Psalm 122:1, NKJV] and in another place, he said “A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.” [Psalm 84:10, NLT].
As we plan for success in the future, we must bear in mind that there is help waiting for us in the sanctuary.
Dr Nick Ohizu is the senior pastor of the Empowerment Ministries and the president of the Empowerment School of Wealth both located in Graniteside Harare. He is a successful entrepreneur with vast experience in leadership, mentorship, business and marriage consultancy with a mandate from God to change lives and bless people. Feedback: 0772304917.