But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit (Jude 20, ESV)

As believers, the days are here that our spiritual lives need to be strong to make it through.The phrase “build-up” is figurative language that uses the idea of a house being built from the foundation upwards. Our life is like a house that can be built, on a solid foundation and with durable material. We all long for a strong, established, and thriving spiritual life. How do we get there? Let me quickly point out what I often call the “three-fold cord” for building up your spiritual life. They are the Word of God, prayer and fellowship with other Christians. The Word of God is the substrate for growth. There are two parts to establish: receiving the Word and doing the Word. You need both for growth. You need to feed on the Word to receive it, and then choose to live by it and therefore establish your life upon it as the foundation.

The second is prayer, as noted in Jude 20 above. Prayer builds us up like a skyscraper. 1 Cor. 14:4 clarifies that praying in tongues is a divinely-given tool to achieve this:  “The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself” (1 Corinthians 14:4, ESV). Praying in tongues builds up our spiritual life. This is one of the reasons against the thought that praying in tongues is a gift that is used just to bless other people. It has a personal spiritual benefit. All prayer will build you up, but praying in tongues will amplify the effect.

The third fold of this cord is fellowshipping with other Christians, including the  context of the local Church. Fellowship here simply means interacting with other believers that God will use to groom and bless you. For example, reading this devotional is partaking of the wisdom God has given me for you. Fellowshipping at your local church is partaking of the blessing of the Christian community.

You cannot afford to be weak spiritually anymore in these days. Build up your faith!

MEDITATE

What is the meaning of “building up” your spiritual life?

APPLY THE WORD

You need all the three cords mentioned above: no one can replace the other.Each has its place. A rich, pleasant and enjoyable intimacy with the Holy Spirit does not come cheap. You do not buy it with money. You buy it by paying the price to feed and do His Word, fellowship with Him regularly in prayer and with other believers.

APPLY THE WORD

Ask the Father to help you build a strong and healthy spiritual life. 

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Please use the Coupon code   BUILDUP  at our online store at https://patrickoben.com/shop/ and select the PDF format. Coupon expires April 19th, 2020!

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