Speaker: Sis. Techie Rodriguez ,Elder, The Lord's Flock Catholic Charismatic Community

“ Christians' Spiritual Stability ”

Part 3 – “ How To Develop Spiritual Stability”

I ntroduction: One of God's commands is for us to be firm and steadfast. (Joshua 1:6, 1:9). God wants us to stand firm in the Lord. (Philippians 4:1). God asks us to pursue Christlikeness. ( Growth Digest Volume 8, No. 13, dated May 3, 2006 ).

Steps to Develop Spiritual Stability

A s renewed Catholics, we should all strive to develop spiritual stability.

T he four steps in order to develop stability and standing firm in the Lord are the following:

1. K now That You Were Called By God – We should know that He has chosen us and appointed us. “It was not you who chose, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.” (John 15:16).

L et us not forget that we were consecrated for a certain office or ministry. We were set apart to do God's work. We must realize that God's call is very important.

J oshua was appointed Moses' commander; he successfully repulsed an Amalekite attack. (Exodus 17:9). God, 40 years later, appointed Joshua as Moses' successor. (Numbers 27:18).

J oshua knew what God wanted him to do. He received a divine promise of assistance and obeyed God's command to be firm and steadfast. (Joshua 1:1-10). He stood firm and continued the work of Moses, brought the Israelites into the Promised Land, and captured the whole Canaan country. (Joshua 11:16-23).

K nowing that we have been chosen by God to do his work, we need spiritual stability and strength. We need stability; otherwise, we might not finish God's work that we have started. We should cling to God's promise not to leave us nor forsake us. (Joshua 1:5)

B y knowing that God had called him to finish a particular work, Joshua had absolute faith in the Lord and in his promise. He trusted God; he did not fear; he was steadfast. He [and Caleb] stood firm despite the discouraging reports of the ten others scouts who reconnoitered the land of Canaan . (Numbers Chapters 13 and 14). He eventually executed the God-directed siege of Jericho and destroyed it. (Joshua 6:1-24).

L ike Joshua, we should know we were called by God for a particular work or ministry. We should have complete confidence and faith in our Lord and in his promises.

2. F ollow The Will Of God – In order to develop our spiritual stability, we should also follow the will of God. We should accept God's plans for us.

? “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

? “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your kind spirit guide me on ground that is level.” (Psalms 143:10).

? “There is none who can deliver from my hand: who can countermand what I do?” (Isaiah 43:13).

G od has good plans for all of us. No one can change what God wants to do for us. Whatever is the will of God will happen. Let us follow God's will!

O ur spiritual stability will be manifested by our obedience. Our stability is shown when we know how to obey. We are stable if we accept God's plans even if He has not revealed the entire script of our life. Sometimes, we refuse to accept God's plans simply because we do not his script. We should not behave in this manner. God does not lay down a script of our life for presentation to us and our approval. Only God knows the script of our life. He asks us to obey him first and to trust that He will guide us in our day-to-day steps.

W e should believe that God's plans, even though we do not see them, are always beautiful. (Jeremiah 29:11). Let us not forget, however, that the outcome will be good only if we obey God! Obedience is essential.

O bedience is usually hard to achieve; but with God's grace, we can learn to obey. Even St. Paul wrote about slavery to sin: “What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate.” (Romans 7:15).

W hen we ourselves do things that God does not want or when we don't do things that God wants us to do, then we have some other gods who control us. Instead of our true God, we might have within us the flesh, the world and Satan.

W e must love and obey only one God:

? “Therefore, you shall love the Lord your God, will all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37).

? God is a jealous God. (Exodus 20:5).

J esus is the perfect example of an obedient person who followed the will of his Father. “because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So what I say, I say as the Father told me.” (John 12:49-50).

F or all of us, especially our teachers and preachers, do we consult our Lord on what He wants us to say? Do we ask the Lord not only about what we want to say but also about what we are planning to do?

3. A sk According To God's Will – People use different methods in asking God for guidance and in making day-to-day decisions one after the other . For us who are renewed Catholics, we have the promise of the Lord; “And we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” (1 John 5:14). We have this assurance of the Lord that whatever we ask that is according to God's will shall happen in our life. God always keeps his promises.

G od is always willing to let us know his will and plans for us. He is ready to give us guidance. He is available to counsel us.

G od promised to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. (Genesis 12). He told Gideon that he would lead his people against those who enslaved them. (Judges 6). Abraham, Gideon and the other great biblical characters followed God's will.

G od told the Blessed Virgin Mary, through an angel, about the birth of Jesus. (Luke 1:26-38). Mary obeyed and accepted God's will.

I n order to know the will of God, spiritual discernment is needed. It is an asset that is not acquired instantly. It is grown out of a consecrated life of obedience and total dependence upon God. It requires wisdom which the Holy Spirit will give us only if we have a personal relation with God and after we have confessed our sins and repented. We cannot have discernment if we disobey God with our motives, words, and actions. We cannot have wisdom if we are separated from God because our sins. We cannot communicate with God unless we confess first our sins and ask for forgiveness!

A common sin we commit is anger. God said: “Be angry but do not sin.” (Ephesians 4:26). Unforgiveness, like anger, can be statics that disrupt our communications with God. With sins in our heart, we will not hear any clear message from God. We will get distorted sound and we will not know what He is telling us. We will also struggle between our own will and God's will.

T o find God's will for us, let us listen well . Let us clear our mind and be still before God. Let us hear his voice and do exactly what He says. Especially when we encounter trials in our life, we should listen to the Lord in order to find and obey his will, receive strength, and be victorious.

4. F ind Out The Word Of God For The Situation

? “Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12).

? “Only then shall you succeed, if you are careful to observe the precepts and decrees which the Lord gave Moses for Israel . Be brave and steadfa st; do not fear or lose heart.” (1 Chronicles 22:13 ).

T he wall of Jericho collapsed after the Israelites listened to God and carefully followed all of his instructions. (Joshua 6).

T oday, we face our own “Jerichos” and barriers to our Promised Land and goals. We will be unsuccessful overcoming these obstacles if we depend on our own limited ways and efforts. We need wisdom from God. We need the Word of God.

H ow do we find the will of God and the Word of God most effective for our particular situation. The best method is to spend time listening to God. We should keep still and quiet. We should talk less, be quick in listening, and be slow to speak. We should listen to God's voice. We ask the Lord to give us his Word! Then we obey!

W e may also seek advice from other persons like our elders, counselors, ministers, and priests. We have to make sure that Christ is dwelling in these persons. We consult only those authorities who are living the Word of God.

W e can also claim the Word of God that we have learned from previous teachings in our Community. Our personal storehouse of biblical verses from years of hearing Community teachings should be rich enough to provide us the Word that we need for our particular situation!