Spiritual Drought (Pt.2)
27 09 2014
A lack of hydration and increased exposure to the elements can leave a person in a dangerous physical condition. As we noted in the previous article, heat exhaustion carries many parallels to spiritual exhaustion. A lack of spiritual hydration (the Word) and increased exposure to the elements (our worldly culture) can leave a person in a dangerous spiritual condition.
Let’s look again at Psalm 143 this week for a quick thought. Note verses 3-4: “For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.”
The word therefore in verse four signals a connection between the external pressures of life that are happening in verse three and the Psalmist’s overwhelmed spirit in verse four. There is no question here that life circumstances can contribute to a parched soul. With that in mind, here are two simple things that I want to remind you of today concerning the life circumstances affecting your soul.
1. Don’t become so preoccupied with the life circumstances that you neglect your own soul. Adversity in our lives is inevitable, because we live in a fallen world. It is difficult for us to navigate through any given day without encountering some type of difficulty. It may vary from as a difficult as a car accident to as minor as a broken shoe lace. Ephesians 6:11 reminds us that Satan is a wily force who is skilled in trickery. One of his common tricks is the fine art of diversion. He attempts to divert our attention from our own souls and place them on external things. We combat spiritual exhaustion by keeping our attention on the eternal part of our being (soul) rather than keeping our attention on the temporal part of our lives (circumstances).
2. Don’t be tricked into thinking that the absence of adverse circumstances on the external will produce a nourished soul. Thinking that the absence of adversity will bring nourishment for your soul is as absurd as thinking that the absence of sun will automatically bring moisture to the soil. We cannot control the adverse circumstances in our lives. Our sovereign God is the One Who is in control of those. We can control the amount of nourishment our soul receives through properly exposing it to the Word of God. Combat spiritual exhaustion in your life through a daily exposure to the Word (your daily devotions) and a weekly exposure to the Word (your attendance in church).
Give attention to your soul today! Respond to its exhaustion with an intensive exposure to the water of the Word.
