REVIEW
 
So a couple of weeks ago we started a new series on how to get spiritually fit. And when I am talking about getting in shape spiritually, I am not referring to what a lot of people consider to be “spiritual.” No, I am referring to our inward man, called our spirit, getting fit and in good shape. And the fact is, the real us that lives on the inside of this flesh desperately needs to be nourished & exercised just like our body needs these things.
 
We see this in First Timothy 4:6-8 where the apostle Paul makes the comparison between physical nutrition & exercise and spiritual nutrition & exercise. These verses say, “If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. But reject profane and old wives fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”
 
So we can see how the apostle Paul likened how we get in shape spiritually to how we get in shape physically. And as I told you in the beginning – that is how we are going to tackle this subject of getting spiritually fit. We are going to look at how this works in the natural and see how it works the same way spiritually. 
 
So in week one, we looked at the first and most foundational part of being spiritually fit and that is becoming spiritually alive by being what the Bible calls “born again.”
 
We looked at the various Scriptures where being born again is described and saw that this is how one is made spiritual. But we saw how being born again is not just some metaphorical way of describing someone having a new life. No, it is a literal transformation that takes place in the spirit where the Holy Spirit impregnates us with the Father’s seed, and we become a new creation in Christ Jesus.
 
But we saw that the awesome part of all of this is that when you are born of God, you’ve got all the spiritual genes that you need to be fit, in shape, and strong in your spirit! In other words, you inherited your spiritual DNA/genes from HIM and, therefore, have His nature and potential.
 
Now in the natural, not everyone is born on the same playing field. That’s because we inherit whatever our parents inherited physically & mentally. However, spiritually speaking, we are all on the same playing field, being born again from the same Heavenly Father. Yes, for everyone who has experienced the new birth has been born with ALL of the characteristics & qualities that they need to be strong and fit in the spirit just like their Heavenly Father. So since you’ve got God’s divine nature, you’ve got His potential when it comes to getting fit.
 
But last week, we looked at just because one is born, that doesn’t automatically mean that they can develop like an adult can. No, even though a baby is born with all of the bones and muscles that it is ever going to have, the child has to grow up and mature physically in order to unlock their full potential in fitness.
 
So we talked about how just as we all must be born again spiritually, we all likewise must grow up spiritually. Sure, we might have all experienced a lot of grace right after we were born again to where it felt like the Lord was carrying us & feeding us, but that usually doesn’t continue forever. And I believe that’s because the LORD wants us to grow up – learning to walk on our own and feeding ourselves.
 
But we learned that just like it is in the natural, just because we’ve been saved for decades doesn’t mean we’ve automatically grown up. Think about it from the physical: There are a lot of people that even though they have become 20, 30, or 40 years old, they still haven’t grown up a lot. Sure, they might have gotten bigger physically, but mentally & emotionally they still act like a 10-year-old.
 
Well, I believe that same thing happens to a lot of born again, Spirit-filled Christians. Sure, they might be spiritually alive, but they haven’t grown much over the years. That’s on us, church! It’s up to us to grow up and hit the gym. The LORD is not going to do this for you. We all must decide how to become spiritually mature and to get in shape in our inward man. 
 
So we saw that the Bible actually talks a lot about spiritual infancy and shows us that it is a much more widespread epidemic in the Lord’s church than most realize. Yes, there are several New Testament passages of Scripture that talk about being babes in Christ and most of these verses are not commendations.
 
So we looked at most of these and learned what spiritual maturity looks like and how we grow up out of spiritual infancy …
 
Some of the things we learned included that the fruit of being spiritually mature is the fruit of the Spirit, not the gifts of the Spirit. Yes, we learned that what made the Corinthians carnal was that they were walking in things like strife and divisions. So even though they had an abundance of gifts, the fruit of the Spirit wasn’t as developed, which kept them in spiritual infancy.
 
So we learned spiritually mature people learn how to clothe themselves. Yes, they will choose certain spiritual behaviors even when they might feel like something else just like a naturally mature person learns how to both dress and behave in this world.
 
We also learned how another trait of maturity is learning how to talk, and how that is exactly what the word for “babes” meant – unable to speak. So evidently God considers a mature person as someone who knows how to use & control their tongue.
 
Also, the New Testament teaches us that a spiritually mature person discerns what to eat. Yes, just like a baby doesn’t have the filter of knowing what it should ingest, likewise spiritual babies tend towards eating whatever doctrine that appeals to them.       
 
So what is the solution to spiritual infancy? How do we grow up spiritually? We saw that this comes through both crying out (i.e. hungering & thirsting for) pure spiritual milk that comes through both fellowship with the LORD and through His Word.
 
When we put our whole heart into getting to know God better and becoming disciples of His Word, we can’t help but grow up in our salvation. Amen?
 
JUST GET TO THE DOOR
 
Now then … Now that someone has been born again and has matured spiritually, they are in that place in life where they can truly get fit and in shape spiritually.
 
So what is the first thing someone who desires to start exercising and getting in shape needs to do? What is the best way to go about getting started to get fit? Well, a lot of physical fitness experts will tell you that the first step to getting in shape physically starts right between the ears. In other words, it is cultivating the right attitude and mentality that goes into getting in shape.
 
Well, I believe that is also true with getting in shape spiritually. Yes, there are certain mentalities and attitudes that go into becoming spiritually fit.
 
So over the next couple of weeks, I want us to look at some of the ways of thinking that propel us to go into health & fitness so that we can learn how our frame of mind also impacts our spiritual health & fitness.
 
Let me start out this week by giving you a good example of what I’m talking about:
 
One thing I remember hearing my wife, Shannon, say (who has a degree in health & fitness, mind you) is that if someone who has decided to start working out can just “get to the door” of the gym, they have overcome the first obstacle.
 
Anyone in here who has either endeavored to get in shape or allowed themselves to get out of shape will tell you that there is a lot in this flesh that will try to keep you from going to the gym. It’ll try to convince you that it’s too tired, it doesn’t have the energy, it was a hard day at work, it doesn’t want to roll out of bed, etc., etc., etc.
 
But just as consistent as those obstacles are, is the following statement people make who press through and exercise anyway when they didn’t feel like it: They will say, “Man, I’m so glad I went to work out today! I feel so much better!” 
 
Now I am going to get a little ahead of myself, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard something similar right here – People tell me all the time about how they were tempted to not come to church, but they pushed through and came anyway. And when they left, they told me – “Pastor, that service was just for me! I needed to hear what you had to say.”
 
So when it comes to working out spiritually, the lesson I learn from this is we have to overcome the flesh’s tendency to try and talk us out of doing what we need to do and what’s best for us – and this all starts between the ears, right?
 
BROTHER VERSUS BROTHER
 
Church, you have to know that this flesh that we have is diametrically opposed to nourishing & exercising our spirit. Our bodies will actually war against us doing what we have to do to get spiritually fit.
 
We learn this in Galatians chapter 5 where the apostle Paul teaches us that the flesh is opposed to the spirit and the spirit is opposed to the flesh – these being contrary to each other. Let’s look at this verse …
 
Galatians 5:17 says, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
 
Now regarding this term “Spirit” remember – there are no capitalized words in the original language. Capitalizations were added by the translators based on whether they feel this word pnuema was referring to the Holy Spirit of God or some other kind of spirit such as an evil spirit or our human spirit. Therefore, I believe the battle that is being described here is our new nature in Christ versus our old nature in the flesh.
 
So when we see the phrase “the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh,” we are talking about our born-again spirit versus our old man of the flesh. In fact, this word “lusts” literally means “desires or longs for.” So, what does this mean that the flesh “desires” against the spirit and the spirit “desires” against the flesh? The key is in understanding what the word “against” means here. Both times it is used in this verse, they come from the Greek word kata which carries the idea of something that is suppressing and dominating. So, for example, what the phrase “the flesh lusts against the spirit” literally means is “the flesh desires to suppress the spirit.” Likewise, Paul goes on to say that “the spirit desires to dominate the flesh.”
 
And then Paul goes on to say that “these are contrary to one another.” This means that they are “opposites” and, therefore, “opposed to” one another.
 
Oh, there are so many different analogies I could use to describe the opposition that we have between our spirit and our flesh. They are the world’s biggest “rivals”—like two sports teams or “adversaries” who are constantly “warring” against one another. The competition is fierce. The hatred is evident. And the rivalry will never end. Like two amateur wrestlers who are pitted against one another, both trying to pin the other down. That describes the flesh and the spirit—both in us, desiring to drive and control us.
 
And notice what the apostle Paul says at the end of this verse – “… so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
 
Do you know why you have had those points in your Christian life where you didn’t seem able to do the things that you really wanted to do—meaning, you had a desire to do the right thing, but there was a part of you that seemed to drive you in the other direction? We’ve all been there.
 
In fact, the apostle Paul described this frustrating condition in Romans 7:15-25 – “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
 
You see, Paul realized that the flesh is utterly corrupt and bent on sin. Therefore, this flesh is always going to try and pull us away from godliness, righteousness, holiness, and spiritual growth. But the truth, that Paul brought out in Romans chapter 8, is the reason we have those times where we seem unable to do the good, righteous and holy things that we desire in our hearts to do, is because we are walking in the flesh and not in the spirit.
 
That is why Paul encouraged us in the previous verse (Galatians 5:16) to walk in the spirit to where we will not do the things our flesh lusts for. In other words, if we walk by the spirit, we won’t walk by the flesh and, as a result, will be able to do the things we wish! Amen!
 
You see, there is a war on the inside of us—flesh versus spirit. It is the nature of God against the nature of Satan. Yes, it is Isaac versus Ishmael; Jacob versus Esau; Cain versus Abel. It’s brother against brother. And through this battle on the inside of us we are doomed to live a roller coaster Christianity if we do not learn to live by the spirit, which comes through developing our spiritual nature to where it runs the show.
 
WHO IS THE ARBITRATOR?
 
But let me remind you – you are not just a two-part being. You don’t just have the inward man and the outward man, a spirit and a body. No, you are a THREE-part being, also possessing a soul.
 
And the truth is that the soul is the variable in all of this. Yes, whichever nature – spiritual or carnal – that can get the soul to team up with it is the part of us that is going to win and run the show.
 
Let me show you an insightful teaching by Jesus that echoes this, found in Luke chapter 12:
 
It starts off in verse 13 by saying – “Then one from the crowd said to Him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ ”
 
So notice our teaching starts off with enmity between two brothers – sounds eerily similar to the situation between Jacob & Esau doesn’t it – as they warred over their birthright & blessing. Again, like we just saw in Galatians chapter 5, there will always be this striving between the two natures we have – given by our earthly father and our Heavenly Father, our earthly mother and our Heavenly Mother, the Holy Spirit.
 
And because of this striving within us, we do the same thing that this young man from the crowd did – we go to Jesus about it, hoping that He will fix it.
 
But notice Jesus’ response in verse 14 – “But He said to him, ‘Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?’ ”
 
So Jesus’ response to this man’s plea was simple – He said that He wasn’t called to be their judge or arbitrator. Now what is an arbitrator? It’s an independent party officially appointed to settle a dispute between two or more. Jesus said that He was not that.
 
So what we can learn from this is that Jesus isn’t the one that’s going to fix this struggle between our two brothers. Yes, Cain will always want to kill Abel, Ishmael will always mock Isaac, and Jacob will always want the birthright & blessing. This struggle will continue until the Great Judgment at the Second Coming of Christ. But until then, He is not the Judge or Arbitrator.  
 
But what He will do is teach us the why’s behind the struggle. And in this case, it was this brother’s covetousness that fueled the strife between he and his brother. Notice the rest of verse 14 … “… And He said to them, ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.’ ”
 
Then in Luke 12:16-19 Jesus gives them a parable, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”
 
You see, the soul is kind of like the middle-man - or you could say, the soul is the “yes man.” In other words, the soul is the third part of us that determines the direction of our life – because whichever part of us it agrees with, is the part of us that will dominate our life.
 
Notice in verse 19 that Jesus quotes this fleshly man as saying, “And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’ ” First of all, notice that this man said that he was going to say something to his soul. Now what part of this man do you reckon was trying to persuade his soul to take it easy and hoard up these treasures? That’s easy – that was obviously his flesh!
 
So what would the regenerate, righteous part of this man desire (if he possesses the new nature)? It wouldn’t be hoarding up treasures for himself. It would be looking for ways to give to others. In short, it would be love, goodness, kindness, etc.; not covetousness.
 
So whichever part of us can convince the soul to team up with it is the part of us that will win. So, if the flesh is persuasive enough saying, “Hey soul, let’s take this path right here. It is best for us and it’s easier. Come on, let’s go this way …” and then the soul obliges by thinking in that direction, that is the path your life is certain to take. But, on the other hand, if the spirit man can convince the soul to go the other direction – by getting the soul to think like it thinks – then the spirit and the soul will override the lusts of the flesh.
 
I guess we can then say that our soul is the arbitrator. Yes, it is the part of us that calls the shots and determines what direction we will take. Amen?
 
That’s why the attitude & mentality that we possess is the first and most important variable – because this victory in becoming spiritually fit begins with the soul.
 
So that’s when we have to just “get to the door” – that is, decide that we are going to do what we need to do more than what we want to do. And once you and I press through the adversity & struggle of our flesh and do the right thing, it’ll start getting easier.
 
But for most of us, we’ve given our flesh what it wants when it wants it for so long. So don’t expect it to just roll over and play dead and let us get in shape spiritually. It will dig its heels in and resist those spiritual exercises.
 
That’s when we have to say, unlike this man did in Jesus’ parable – “Soul! You have been laid up for far too long! No more taking it easy! It’s time to eat & drink right! It’s time to get happy about some spiritual exercise!”
 
So let’s get our soul on board, church! Let’s start thinking like a fit person! Let’s have the attitude of someone who is bound to get in shape and quit letting this flesh run the show!  

INTRODUCTION
 
So last week we started a new series on how to get spiritually fit. We did this because during this time every year, people are making all kinds of New Year’s resolutions to start exercising, eating better, and getting in shape physically. So I felt led for us to start out the New Year focusing on what is much more important than getting physically fit and that is getting spiritually fit.
 
Now when I refer to getting in shape spiritually, I am referring to our inward man, called our spirit. And the fact is, we are not just our outward man; we have a spiritual nature on the inside of us, and it’s this hidden man of the heart that is going to live forever. Therefore, our spiritual condition is of even more importance than our physical condition. 
 
But most people don’t even realize that they are a spirit, much less know that it needs to be developed. However, the fact is, the real us that lives on the inside of this flesh desperately needs to be nourished & exercised just like our body needs nourishment & exercise. And from what we saw last week, we do this the same way spiritually as we do it physically.
 
Let’s look again at our golden text that describes this – First Timothy 4:6-8. It says, “If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. But reject profane and old wives fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”
 
Now of course, we know that Paul was not talking about eating right & exercising physically. No, he was talking about being nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine as well as exercising ourselves toward godliness. So what Paul was referring to was eating right and exercising from a spiritual standpoint.
 
But you can see how the apostle Paul likened being in shape spiritually to how we get in shape physically. Yes, in order to be strong & in shape in spirit is the same way we become strong & in shape physically according to the Holy Spirit who inspired Paul to write this.
 
So as I told you last week, that is how we are going to tackle this subject of getting spiritually fit. We are going to look at how this works in the natural and see how it works the same way spiritually. Amen?
 
So last week, we looked at the first and most foundational part of being spiritually fit and that is to become spiritually alive by being what the Bible calls “born again.”
 
We looked at the various Scriptures where being born again is described and saw that this is how one is made spiritual. But we saw how being born again is not just some metaphorical way of describing someone having a new life. No, it is a literal transformation that takes place in the spirit where the Holy Spirit impregnates us with the Father’s seed, and we become a new creation in Christ Jesus.
 
So no, this is an actual new life that is birthed within us that came from the incorruptible seed of God which totally changed the nature of our spirit man to reflect the nature of our Heavenly Father.
 
But we saw that the awesome part of all of this is that when you are born of God, you’ve got all the spiritual genes that you need to be fit, in shape, and strong in your spirit! In other words, you inherited your spiritual DNA/genes from HIM and, therefore, have His nature and potential.
 
Now in the natural, not everyone is born on the same playing field. That’s because we inherit whatever our parents inherited. Some of us are gifted in certain areas, while others are gifted in other areas. So in this case, some of us sure got the short end of the stick when it came to some of these physical and mental things.
 
However, the same is not true spiritually – for everyone who has experienced the new birth has been born with ALL of the characteristics & qualities that they need to be strong and fit in the spirit just like their Heavenly Father. No, in Him, we are capable of both developing into His image and according to His likeness (Genesis 1:26)!
 
Therefore, there is no excuse for any of us who have been born from above to not become as good looking, smart, and successful as we can possibly be because the genes of our Heavenly Father are all extraordinary! Yes, you’ve got God’s divine nature, my friend! Spiritually speaking, you’ve got His eyes! You’ve got His hair! You’ve got His physique! You’ve got His giftings & His capabilities! Praise the LORD!
 
TIME TO GROW UP!
 
BUT now that we are born again, that doesn’t mean that you and I are good to go. Sure, the new birth might have granted us entrance into the kingdom of God and gave us some eternal security, but there is more to be had. 
 
Just like a baby is born into this world alive and with all of the bones and muscles that it is ever going to have, the child must still grow & develop. Yes, both its bones have to grow, and its muscles have to develop. However, all of this is not automatic. That baby has to be properly nourished and certain physical things have to start happening so that it can build itself up the way God designed it.  
 
Now a lot of what is done for a baby in order for it to start growing up is provided by grace, right? No, a baby can’t survive on its own - if it was born and it was all left up to him or her to feed itself, that baby would die. So it needs its parents, not only to survive but to thrive.
 
And did you know that it works this way spiritually as well? I think a lot of us have had this as a part of our testimony – that when we were born again, it was as if God carried us for a period of time. Yes, there was extra grace on our lives where it’s easy to read & study the Word, go to church, to pray, etc.
 
So it was like the LORD was carrying us & feeding us like a parent takes care of their child during its infancy. Some call this early season of being married to the LORD right after we were born again, our “honeymoon” experience.  But as I’m sure we’ve all experienced, the honeymoon always ends. Yes, that same kick start grace doesn’t always seem to remain throughout our Christian walk.
 
People have speculated as to why this seems to be the case, but the obvious conclusion that we come to is this: We cannot expect the LORD to carry us through our entire spiritual life just as we wouldn’t expect a mother or father to continue doing everything for their baby as it grows out of infancy. No, the child has to start learning how to feed itself. It has to learn how to walk on its own. It has to GROW UP!
 
And I believe that is what our Heavenly Father wants from all of us – that we would grow up in our salvation and tap into that grace for ourselves. This is where our getting spiritually fit comes into play. It is us intentionally & deliberately deciding to grow up & develop spiritually.
 
Now just like it is in the natural, just because we’ve been saved for decades doesn’t mean we’ve automatically grown up. Think about it from the physical for a moment: There are a lot of people that even though they have become 20, 30, or 40 years old, they still haven’t grown up a lot. Sure, they might have gotten bigger physically, but mentally & emotionally they still act like a 10-year-old.
 
Well, I believe that same thing happens to a lot of born again, Spirit-filled Christians. Sure, they might be spiritually alive, but they haven’t grown much over the years. That’s on us, church! It’s up to us to grow up and hit the gym. The LORD is not going to do this for you. We all must decide how to become spiritually mature and to get in shape in our inward man. 
 
So that’s what I feel led to talk about this week – growing up out of spiritual infancy.
 
Did you know that the Bible actually talks a lot about spiritual infancy and shows us that it is a much more widespread epidemic in the Lord’s church than most realize? It sure does! There are several New Testament passages of Scripture that talk about being babes in Christ and most of these verses are not commendations.
 
So let’s go through some of these New Testament verses that talk about spiritual immaturity and glean from them both what are the symptoms of being babes in Christ and how to grow up into maturity.
 
Again, all of these things are what are going to cause us to grow to the place where we can become spiritually fit – for you cannot take a 5-year-old and develop them like you can someone who is 25. There’s just something about maturing & blossoming physically that enables one to enter into the full potential of their physical condition.
 
WHAT SPIRITUAL MATURITY LOOKS LIKE
 
Now the first Scripture I want us to look at is found near the same ones we looked at last week – First Peter 1:23.
 
Again, the apostle Peter talked to his readers presuming that they had been born again by saying, “having been born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever” (Verse 23). Then after he makes this statement, he quotes an Old Testament verse that talks about how God’s Word indeed never fails and will outlast all of these natural things.
 
But notice what he goes on to say at the beginning of the following chapter (First Peter 2:1) – “Therefore (So because you have been born again of God’s incorruptible seed which will live and abide forever), lay side all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking …”
 
So notice that the very first exhortation he gives to the born-again believer is to lay aside some vices (i.e. works of the flesh). Therefore, a big part of growing up is to what? To stop wearing certain things.
 
You see, the word that is used for “laying aside’ here describes putting something off or taking it off and throwing it away. It’s used in Acts 7:58 to describe how those who were about to stone Stephen “laid down” their clothes at the feet of Saul.
 
And isn’t this a big sign of immaturity in this natural world as well – how people dress? An immature person who is behaving childishly will say, “Well, I’m just going to wear what I feel like wearing.” Well, wearing what you feel like is generally going to be a characteristic of an immature person.
 
But someone will say, “Yeah, Pastor, but I just believe in being real.” Well, what they really mean by saying they are just being real is they are being real carnal because how many of you know a characteristic of being childish is to do and say what you feel like doing and saying. These people don’t hold jobs well. They don’t make many friends. And they certainly don’t prosper in this world.
 
Well, the same is true in God’s kingdom. We have to clothe ourselves in what the LORD deems appropriate, not the way our flesh wants to. My flesh will want to speak its mind, give its opinion, etc., etc., etc. But my spirit chooses the opposite wardrobe.
 
How many of you know that when you grew up, you had to learn how society works? You had to dress appropriately. You couldn’t just say everything you thought. No, in order to thrive in this world, you can’t just do everything you want to do and say everything you want to say.
 
Now the Book of First Corinthians shows us a lot more about what being spiritually mature looks like.
 
Most of us know that this church was rich in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Yes, they had an abundance of spiritual gifting, but as Paul goes on to say in First Corinthians 3:1-3, that didn’t make them spiritual.
 
The apostle Paul starts by saying, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.” So here we see that these spiritually enriched children of God were, in fact, still children. He even went as far as calling them “carnal babies.” We all need a spiritual father like that, huh?
 
Did you know that the word “spiritual” here literally just means “non-carnal.” So here, he is saying that being spiritual is the opposite of being babies in Christ.
 
I oftentimes like to say that all you have to do to be carnal is NOTHING. Well, the opposite is true as well, all we have to do to be spiritual is just get rid of the carnality. But when I speak of “carnality,” what are we talking about? Well, let’s look at the rest of these verses and see if we can get a clue as to what the Holy Spirit considers carnal …
 
Verse 2 goes to say, “I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;”
 
So here we see that one’s ability to handle spiritual truth is indicative of how spiritual one is. Therefore, how much one can handle oftentimes can show their spirituality.
 
Hebrews 5:12-14 describes this same thing when the writers said that their readers had become dull of hearing: They went on to say, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
 
What is being described here is how milk is the only thing the immature can drink because they are “unskilled” in both how to eat solid food and because their discernment level isn’t where it needs to be.
 
You see, we’d be fools to give a baby a ribeye. It couldn’t chew the meat up for one. And it would probably choke on it. It is simply not what a baby can handle. Well, that’s where a lot of Christians are at. They can’t get to the good stuff because they haven’t even started teething yet.
 
Now don’t be mistaken – milk isn’t a bad thing. We all need it initially and it is an important part of spiritual growth. It’s just that we don’t want to still be on the bottle when we are out of the stroller.
 
This reminds me of a prophetic vision I heard a minister once had of a grown man sitting in a stroller with nothing but a diaper on and one of those bonnets on its head. In his left hand, he had a pacifier, and in his right hand, he had a bottle of milk. And this man was crying up a storm like a baby. This minister said that when he saw this, he thought it was the funniest thing he ever saw until the LORD then said, “That’s that way you look to Me right now!” LOL!
 
Then in verse 3, Paul very bluntly told this church – “for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?”
 
So here we see that all of this stuff like envy, strife, and divisions within God’s people is CARNAL. In other words, people that yield to these vices are carnal and spiritually immature.
 
You see, there are lot of Christians who think that the ones who are spiritual are those who can quote a lot of Scripture, speak in tongues, or prophesy. Others think that being spiritually mature is simply how we carry ourselves, and so if we act like adults and pretend like we are humble and are nice & kind people, that we are spiritual grown-ups. All of these things aren’t necessarily bad, but they aren’t necessarily spiritual either.
 
So what is being spiritual according to the apostle Paul here? It is not being envious. It is not catering to strife. It is not being divisive. This isn’t necessarily an exhaustive list, but it was what these “carnal Corinthians” were doing.
 
For a more exhaustive list of what being spiritual mature looks like, just look over at Galatians 5:22-23 where the fruits of a truly spiritual life are described – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These nine fruits are characteristic of spiritually mature people. And spiritually immature people do the opposite, and these are called the works of the flesh – things which include, yes, adultery, murder, idolatry, fornication, etc., but they also include things like hatred, jealousy, contentions, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambition. 
 
So don’t be deceived. Know that when people are truly operating in the fruit of the Spirit, they are the spiritually mature and those who operate in the works of the flesh are the spiritually immature and have likely never got off the bottle. It’s tight but it’s right.
 
But let me add one more thing – What we oftentimes do (and this too is a sign of immaturity) is when someone else might be walking in the flesh towards us, meaning that they might be operating in strife against us, we tend to justify our ungodly response and have offense in our hearts towards them because, after all, they started it (Notice the way that phrase sounds, “Well, they started it!” Sounds a little immature, right?)
 
Well, if you are spiritually mature, you won’t do that. When we are grown up in the Spirit, we will still walk in the fruit of the Spirit even when the other person might be operating in the flesh and totally in the wrong. Yes, if I stop loving them, being good & kind to them, and lose my peace & joy, then I am not being spiritually mature.  
 
So my point is that there are some things we need to be mature in but other things we need to be simple concerning. Yes, like a baby doesn’t understand a lot of things - being simple to certain evils that are in the world - we need to be simple concerning evil. But on the flipside, we need to seek to have understanding concerning spiritual things.
 
The apostle Paul said in First Corinthians 14:20 — “Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.”
 
The word for “understanding” describes one’s cognitive abilities. In other words, the mind’s ability to comprehend and understand things like a baby grows in its cognitive faculties.
 
And what is something that a baby needs to grow up in? I’m glad you asked. Let’s look at a few verses that describe to us how babies grow …
 
HOW BABIES GROW UP
 
Back in First Peter chapter 2, we see what we can do to grow up out of spiritual infancy …
 
In verse 2, Peter goes on to build upon this idea of being born again by saying, “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby.”
 
So here, he tells them (and us) what a newborn Christian is to do – and again, notice that it is what a physical newborn will do – “desire the pure milk of the Word.” Some translations say to “crave” this spiritual milk. Others say to “long for” it.
 
And what does a baby do when he or she is craving this nourishment? They cry out for it! Yeah, you don’t usually have to guess when a baby is hungry, do you? They will let you by lifting their voice and crying out for some milk!
 
And why do babies cry out for this milk? It’s because they haven’t grown up enough to ask for it: Did you know that in one of the main words that is used to describe spiritual “babes or children” it literally describes one with the inability to speak. So it was as if in the language of their day, one of the main ways they described this particular infant was that they can’t talk yet.
 
And I’m here to tell you that is a distinguishing characteristic of a spiritual babe in Christ – they haven’t learned how to talk.
 
Now this goes both ways: On one hand, it might mean that they just only use their tongue to spew venom on others, not understanding that both death and life are in the power of the tongue. Yes, spiritually immature folks will not guard what they say.
 
The Book of Wisdom, full of the wisdom & understanding that the LORD blessed Solomon with, is loaded with truths about how important our words are and how things like our words, lips, and tongues are like weapons that can hurt both us and others.
 
So although the world likes to say, “Sticks & stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me,” actually, that’s a lie! Words absolutely can hurt, and the truth is, there are a lot of us here today who have been mortally wounded by words.
 
So a spiritually mature person understands this and chooses their words wisely … But not just to avoid speaking bad things, but to speak LIFE!
 
James 3:2 says, “For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.”
 
Sure, we all stumble in many things – whether we are mature or not. The occasional stumbling in our Christian walk is not what makes one immature. But do you know what does show one’s maturity – our words.
 
Notice James says, “if anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man …” The word used for “perfect” here is the Greek word teleios, and is the word used to describe someone who has come to full age and is fully grown. In other words, it describes an adult or a mature person. Therefore, a spiritually mature person is someone who doesn’t stumble with their words.
 
So we evidently need to learn how to talk if we want to become spiritually mature, right? But speaking of “words,” let’s look back at First Peter 2:2 and see how Peter describes this milk …
 
Now I know this verse says to desire the pure milk of the Word, but that’s actually not the best translation. You’ll find that most expositors like to translate this as spiritual milk. So what is this “spiritual milk” that we are supposed to be crying out for? Well, isn’t the LORD called El Shaddai, the All Breasty One? Doesn’t Peter go on to say in verse 3 – “if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious”?
 
So this spiritual milk speaks to me of more of that close & intimate fellowship that we are supposed to enjoy with our Heavenly Father. Yes, the Godhead is meant to provide us with the spiritual nourishment that does what? Well, at the end of verse 2, Peter says, “… that you may grow thereby.” Other translations say, “that you may grow up in your salvation.”
 
So what is it that is going to cause us to grow up in our salvation (or we might say, “grow up spiritually”)? It is a hunger & thirst for pure spiritual milk (i.e. true spiritual things). So it’s having a heart that craves to be fed by God. Yes, it is a hungry heart that seeks His face and desires to know Him and His ways like a baby seeks & desires his or her natural nourishment. Amen?
 
So if I’m growing up, I’m hungering & thirsting after righteousness. I know I need the truth, and I am crying out for it. Hunger is always a symptom of being healthy. Amen!   
  
But there are things that we need to be careful of as we hunger for this spiritual milk, and that is eating things that can harm us. So, guess what else babies are capable of doing in their ignorance? They will eat whatever they can get their hands on!
 
We see this in Ephesians 4:14-15 when the apostle Paul says, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—”
 
Notice how these verses describe how spiritual maturity comes: It begins with the five-fold ministry. God gives us these gifts to equip us. And they equip us by building up the Body so that it becomes a “perfect” (or, mature) man, growing up to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Amen! So just like we have the five main food groups, we have the five main ministry leaders that are meant to nourish us.
 
But I want you to notice the next thing Paul said in verses 14-15: He then went on to describe how that through this spiritual maturity, we are no longer to be “children,” which is the same word used for infants or immature little children. And what did he use as an example of this spiritual immaturity? It was being “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine.” In other words, spiritually immature people tend towards ingesting everything they hear, and like little children in the natural, have no filter on what is good to eat and what’s harmful. Amen?
 
So spiritual babies are easily susceptible to error and can get deceived very easily.
 
Here’s another good Scripture that describes the state of the spiritually immature:
 
Second Timothy 4:3 says, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”
 
This means that in the Last Days and in the Lord’s church, that we will see a rise in this – people having ears that itch to only hear what they want to hear. These verses say that they will not tolerate “sound doctrine.”
 
Did you know that the word for “sound” here is the word translated “health” in Third John 2? So what Paul was referring to here was “healthy doctrine.”
 
So do you see how this happens? Because as a general rule, people will be spiritually immature and babes in Christ, they will not want to eat healthily. They will heap up for themselves teachers who will preach what they want to hear and how they want to hear it. We might say they will gather up “cooks” who will give them what they want when they want it.
 
This is why we need sound, healthy preaching & teaching of God’s Word. It is what nourishes us like milk nourishes a baby. But this is also why we need that healthy spiritual milk that comes directly through our fellowship with God, to where He has become our provider & nurturer. This is how we grow up in our salvation – through His Word and through relationship with Him.
 
Let’s no longer be spiritual babies (i.e. immature Christians), saints! Let’s grow up in our salvation by learning how to walk, how to talk, what to eat, etc. In doing so, we will grow up in our salvation and become spiritually mature in Christ.

INTRODUCTION
 
In a season where New Year’s resolutions are being made to start exercising, eating better, and getting in shape physically, I felt led for us to start spending some time focusing on what is by far more important than just getting physically fit.
 
You see, we live in a carnal world, and so one thing that this world will always tend towards focusing on is the things of the flesh. So, one of the most obvious things the world will place value on is how we look & feel in our body.
 
Now let me interject this – It’s not that these things aren’t important at all. We are going to learn in this series that there is some value to being physically fit, but that is absolutely not what is most important.  No, what is of much more importance is not the condition of our outward man, it’s the condition of our inward man.
 
You see, we are not just this physical body that we live in. We are a spirit, not just a body. We have an inward man, not just an outward man. And it’s this hidden man of the heart that is going to live forever. Therefore, our spiritual condition is of even more importance than our physical condition. 
 
Now most people don’t even realize that they are a spirit, much less know that it needs to be developed. But the fact is, the real us that lives on the inside of this flesh desperately needs to be nourished & exercised just like our body needs nourishment & exercise.
 
So for this reason, I felt led for us to have a little different New Year’s resolution, and that is to get into shape spiritually and becoming fit and healthy in our inward man.
 
Now let’s take a look at a passage of Scripture that describes to us how spiritual fitness is a real thing. These verses will be our golden text for this series …
 
“If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. But reject profane and old wives fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”

• First Timothy 4:6-8

 
Now notice in these verses how we see the apostle Paul encouraging his son in the faith, Timothy, to be a good minister of Jesus Christ by being sure to teach the truth accurately. But what we see him then doing is showing him how to be this good minister, and that is through first, being properly “nourished” and then by “exercise.”
 
Now of course, we know he’s not talking about eating right & exercising physically. No, he is talking about being nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine as well as exercising ourselves toward godliness. So what Paul was referring to was eating right and exercising from a spiritual standpoint, which brings up an interesting question …
 
Is how we get in shape & fit physically and naturally the same way we get in shape & fit spiritually? It sure seems so, doesn’t it? Yes, in order to be strong & in shape in spirit is the same way we become strong & in shape physically.
 
And that is how we are going to tackle this subject of getting spiritually fit. We are going to look at how this works in the natural and see how it works the same way spiritually. Amen?
 
YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN
 
But before we get into any of this about getting spiritually fit, we have got to first deal with the necessity of being born. That might sound strange to you, but the fact is, if we have never been born again, we have nothing to exercise. Yes, you have to first become spiritual before you can become spiritually developed. 
 
It would be like saying that an unborn child needs to get fit and in shape. No one in their right mind would ever say that, right? Well, it’s just as ludicrous to assume that someone who hasn’t been born again can ever get in shape spiritually. It’s an impossibility.
 
So, in order to get fit spiritually we have to first become spiritual, and that is by being born again.
 
Now I know that phrase might be unusual to some of us, but it’s a Biblical phrase that is repeated throughout the New Testament. Jesus coined this terminology to describe one’s ability to enter the kingdom of God in John 3:1-8. So let’s look at how this phrase is used throughout the New Testament by beginning in John chapter 3 …
 
In this profound chapter, Jesus was having a conversation with one of the Pharisees, a man named Nicodemus. And this man came to Jesus by the cover of night saying, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him” (verse 2). So Jesus answered him in verse 3 by saying – “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
 
Now while some might think Jesus was speaking metaphorically, I don’t believe He was. I believe He literally was saying that one must be “born from above” (the literal rendering of “born again”) in order to both see and enter God’s kingdom.
 
One of the reasons we know this is true is because of Nicodemus’ response in verse 4 – “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” So Nicodemus thought that Jesus was being literal, albeit that He was talking about being born again physically.
 
But notice that Jesus didn’t correct anything other than this Pharisee’s misunderstanding about being physically reborn. No, Jesus simply explained that the new birth that He was referring to was spiritual in nature by saying that “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (See verse 5).
 
You see, both the being born of water and the Spirit can mean a couple of things:
 
Regarding the being born of water, Jesus might have been referring to how in physical birth that a woman’s water would break where the baby was being birthed from. The Hebrews used the term “water” to describe this process of physical birth. But Jesus might have also been referring to being born again through the waters of baptism – meaning, that when one repents and goes through the sacrament of being baptized in water, that is closely associated with the time one is born from above.
 
Either way, I believe there is truth to be found because, yes, one certainly has to first be born physically in order to be born again, but in order to experience this new birth, they also need to identify with the Lord in His death, burial, and resurrection, which is what water baptism is all about.
 
Now the being born of “the Spirit” likely refers to the Holy Spirit’s role in the washing of regeneration and the renewing of our inward man (See Titus 3:5). But it also could refer to our spirit man and not necessarily to the Holy Spirit as it has to be determined by the translators whether the term “spirit” is to be capitalized or not. What that means is that the context of the verse is what determines whether we are talking about our spirit or the Holy Spirit.
 
Like the being born of water, both of these possibilities are consistent with the truth because we know that being born again is a work of the Holy Spirit and also that it is our spirit man that is being reborn. Amen?
 
In fact, the phrase being “born again” can be translated as “born from above.” And to me, this is consistent with the idea of this spiritual new birth because in order to be born again, you have to have parents that initiate the process, right?
 
Some will ask, “Well, that’s the part the Holy Spirit plays, right?” Yes, but He is simply carrying out the process of being born “from above” – meaning, when we are born again, we are born from our Heavenly Father and literally become His children. So technically, when we are born again, we are born from above – that is, from heaven where our Father resides. Amen?
 
So I say all of this to say that being born again is a prerequisite to being spiritually developed and fit.  
 
Now there are some who believe that just because you are born again, that you are already as spiritually developed as you are ever going to be. I don’t believe this is the case, and let me give you give one reason why …
 
How many of you know that Jesus was born “born again.” No, He had no need of being born again like every one of us. The reason being is because we were not born of man. No, He was born of a virgin, which means that the fallen nature of mankind is not where He came from. He was born of His Heavenly Father through His mother, Mary. Therefore, He was born spiritually alive because His Father was Life Himself.
 
But notice what we are told in Luke 2:40 concerning Jesus … It says, “And the child (Jesus) grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”
 
Notice that even Jesus, who was born of God and had the life of God in Him, became strong in spirit. Now do you think that it’s going to be any different for us? Do you think that if the Christ Himself had to grow up spiritually, that we won’t? Absolutely not!
 
So what we can take from this is that even when we are born again and are made spiritually alive, we still need to be developed and made strong in spirit just like Jesus.
 
But again, it all starts with being born again. And if we haven’t been reborn spiritually, we cannot become strong spiritually.
 
EVERYTHING STARTS WITH A SEED
 
You see, church, everything starts with a seed! Everything, including our spiritual growth! You started with a seed. Each and every one of us started out as the seed from our father and then when that seed was “planted” in your mother, you were conceived.
 
It is the same spiritually—The new creation that we were born again as, started with a seed.
 
The apostle Peter elaborates on this in his first epistle: First Peter 1:23 says, “having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.”
 
Notice that Peter addresses his readers, presuming they have been born again already. That’s why he said here, “having been born again …” But then notice how he goes on to give us some more specific information on what we were born again through …
 
He said that it was not of corruptible seed but incorruptible. This is really important because the Holy Spirit’s point here is that while we were born again the same way we were born physically, it was not the same seed.
 
Now it is important to realize that Peter is not referring to the seed of a plant, but to the seed of a man …
 
The Greek word used in this verse for “seed” is sperma—which is obviously where we get our word “sperm” from.  Peter was saying that just as we are physically born after the seed of a man is planted in the womb of a woman, likewise we are spiritually born again after the seed of God is planted in our hearts. Yes, the analogy is correct— When one is born again, he or she has received God’s spiritual seed!
 
You see, all of us were born physically by the seed of our earthly father. And that is why every one of us were born spiritually corrupted. Why? Because death was inherited through Adam’s seed. So every man’s seed is corrupted spiritually.
 
So what Peter’s point was is that when we were born again, that was not corruptible seed. Meaning it didn’t have death in it. It wasn’t cursed. No, the seed we were born again through was “incorruptible” – meaning, it didn’t have the death or curse that man’s seed possessed. No, God’s seed only has life & blessing. Therefore, it’s incorruptible.  
 
You see, we understand that the seed of a man is the carrier of all the nature and attributes of the man that it originated from. Therefore, it should not surprise us that the seed of God that we receive when we hear and receive the gospel contains the nature and attributes of our Heavenly Father! Wow! That is a powerful truth!
 
So this is the seed that we were born again by – His Word.
 
But then notice what the apostle Peter specifically describes that seed as – “… through the word of God which lives and abides forever.” So, the born-again experience occurs when we hear the Word concerning Jesus and that incorruptible seed is planted in our hearts.
 
So, I say all of this to say that everything from our physical birth to our spiritual rebirth began with a seed, and this is how all fruit begins—with a seed. Amen! Therefore, if these two awesome miracles originate with a seed, how much more will other miracles begin with a seed? Amen!
 
Therefore, when we receive the truth of God’s Word, we become born again. This is when God’s divine nature is placed within us—when we receive God’s “seed.” This means that we have received His divine DNA! (Quick little nugget: Did you know they say DNA actually forms letters and words? We are created by His Word!)
 
When we were born again, we received a new nature that will compel us to grow up to be like our Daddy. Just like we grew up to resemble our natural parents in appearance and personality, likewise we will grow up to resemble our Heavenly Father in spiritual appearance and personality. It is in our spiritual DNA!
 
And this seed of God has no death abiding in it—only life everlasting! Therefore, we are born again of an incorruptible seed because the Word of God lives and abides forever! Hallelujah! We now have eternal life and, therefore, have the capability of growing up to become more and more like our Heavenly Father.
 
THE FATHER’S SEED
 
Let’s look at another verse that further describes this truth of the new birth …
 
In First John 3:9, the apostle John says, “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and He cannot sin because He has been born of God.”
 
Now when it comes to this verse, most people get hung up on the “cannot sin” part. Of course, this does not mean that someone who has been born again cannot commit a sin and miss it occasionally. This would not be consistent with this First Epistle of John itself because he said in the first chapter that if we say that we have no sin, we are a liar, and the truth is not in us. He went on to say that if we do sin, that we can confess our sins and be cleansed from all unrighteousness. So, from these Scriptures we can see that John is not saying if we are a Christian, then we will live spotless lives. So, what is he saying?
 
The first thing we need to understand is that when this verse words things like “does not sin” or “cannot sin” it is not to be read like we talk today. If I were to say, “I do not sin” or “I cannot sin” you would hear that I’m saying that I never commit a sin. But in the Greek language, words have different tenses. Therefore, when the Bible uses a phrase like “does not sin” you have to look at the tense that is used in the verb because that will indicate whether the writer was talking about “having done, doing, or continue to do the sin.
 
And in this particular situation, the tense indicates that we will not continue to do (or, practice) sin. Therefore, we can see that John is not referring to a Christian avoiding every specific act of sin; he is referring to how a believer does not continue a lifestyle of sin after he or she has come to know the Lord. 
 
And what is the reason that the apostle John gives that whoever has been born of God does not continue in sin? He says that whoever has been born of God does not sin because God’s seed remains in him!
 
So what does John mean when he said that God’s seed remains in us? Well, just like in First Peter 1:23, the word “seed’ comes from the Greek word sperma which is obviously where we get the word “sperm” from. So, what we can begin to see now is that when the Bible speaks of being born again, it is not some symbolic term of having a new beginning or something else like that (although the new birth does provide a new beginning).
 
No, when we are “born again” we literally are reborn in our spirits. How? Because God’s very own “seed” is placed in us and remains!
 
Now let’s look at this from a natural and physical perspective again: What is inherent in the seed of a man? A man’s sperm carries in it the DNA of the father! So, when we are physically born, we are born with the DNA of our earthly father. This means that we have his nature and will grow up to look and act like him in certain ways (Of course, the mother determines part of this as well).  
 
So, now apply this to being born again: When God’s seed is placed in us and we are born again spiritually, the same thing occurs: We essentially receive the spiritual DNA of Almighty of God! In other words, we receive His genes and His nature! God is love, so love becomes our nature. This is why John went on to say that we know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. This is also why peace and joy are immediately experienced. It is because He is the God of peace and He is joyful God, so joy and peace are products of His nature. And, yes, all of the rest of the fruit of the Spirit – patience, kindness, goodness, self-control, etc. are all resident in that new nature that is within us!
 
Let’s look at the Amplified Bible’s classic translation of First John 3:9 because I believe it perfectly illustrates what this verse is saying: It says, “No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, for God’s nature abides within Him [His principle of life, the divine sperm, remains permanently within Him]; and he cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten) of God.”
 
Church, because we have been born of God, we have the LORD’s principle of life and His divine nature within our spirit. This changes our behavior and propels us to being godly and sharing in His characteristics.
 
THE DIVINE NATURE
 
Let’s look over at a passage of Scripture in Second Peter chapter one that goes along these same lines:
 
Second Peter 1:3-4 says that “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
 
These verses start by saying that it was “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness …” So it was His divine power (or His godly ability) that has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness. That means it was Him who gave us the opportunity and capability to experience His life and to be godly. Thank You, LORD!
 
You see, church, we don’t give ourselves these things. We were begotten again to life and godliness because, in His divine ability, He gave us all these things! Yes, this is how you and I were made partakers of God’s divine nature—through His exceedingly great and precious promises! 
 
Notice that the apostle Peter said in verse 4 that through these great promises of the gospel, we have been made partakers of God’s divine nature! So this is just another way of saying what First Peter 1:23 said – that we are born again by the Word of God.
 
The word “partakers” is important. It literally means that we have become “sharers” of something. Sharers of what? Of His “divine nature.” The word “divine” describes “divinity” and thus what is “godly.” The term “nature” comes from the Greek word where we get our English word “physical” from, and describes one’s “physical origin” – thus, our innate nature or characteristics.
 
So when you put the words “divine nature” together, we see that we have become sharers in His “godly characteristics”!
 
And let me remind you that “sharing” is when someone gives of their own to someone else, letting them partake of it as well. That’s what God did: He shared with us His godly nature, His divine characteristics. And, no, this does not make us “God,” but it does show that He made us to share in His nature by the new birth. Hallelujah!
 
Now let’s look at Ephesians chapter 4 and see a couple of the specific “divine characteristics”—the image and likeness of God Himself—that the apostle Paul said we have been given …
 
Ephesians 4:24 says, “and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
 
Notice that Paul said that this “new man which was created according to God” was created “in true righteousness and holiness.” Wow! Did you know that this was in your Bible!?! What Paul is describing this image and likeness of God that we’ve been created in as, is “true righteousness and holiness.” Therefore, saints, our new nature that we inherited from Christ through the new birth is created in God’s true image of holiness and according to His true likeness of righteousness. Amen!
 
And notice that He calls this holiness and righteousness—true righteousness and holiness. That is opposite of false righteousness and holiness—because if there is a true kind, there must also be a false one. So, what is the false kind of righteousness and holiness? That would be the man-made kind, and that is what we must strip ourselves of—that self-righteousness and man-made kind of holiness that puts its confidence in the flesh!    
 
Church, this true righteousness and holiness is something that has been given by grace and not something we grow into or something that eventually will be created in us through our own self-effort! This is how we were created at the new birth! We are not trying to become righteous or holy; we already have been created righteous and holy! Our only job now is to start putting on this new nature and spiritual identity and wearing it in our everyday lives!
 
So, this would be Trey’s Translation of Ephesians 4:24: “and dress your outer lives with the new nature you have been clothed with on the inside, which was created in God’s very own image and likeness—absolutely righteous and thoroughly holy!” Amen! 
 
 
WE’RE JUST BORN THAT WAY!
 
So what does all of this have to do with getting spiritually fit, you ask? Well, like I said, in order to get fit, strong, healthy, and in shape, you first have to be born & alive. A dead person can do nothing! Likewise, a spiritually dead person can do nothing to be spiritually fit either.
 
But the cool part of all of this is, when you are born again, you’ve got all the spiritual genes that you need to be fit, in shape, and strong in your spirit!  
 
You know, in the natural, some of us were born of parents that maybe didn’t have a lot of athletic ability and we were born with other physical disadvantages. In other words, not everyone has the same advantages as others when it comes to physical abilities. Now, on the other hand, those same people who were born with physical disadvantages might have been born with a higher IQ or other soulish qualities that give them an advantage over others in other areas.
 
My point is – not everyone is born on the same playing field. That’s because we inherit whatever our parents inherited. Some of us are gifted in certain areas, while others are gifted in other areas. So in this case, some of us sure got the short end of the stick when it came to some of these physical things.
 
And here’s the kicker: We didn’t do anything to deserve it either. It was a gift of grace from daddy & mama – meaning we were just born this way, and we didn’t have to do something right or wrong to turn out the way we did physically! That’s just how it works.
 
Well, the same is true for all of us who have been born again: We have received by grace all of the qualities, nature, characteristics, genes, and DNA of our Heavenly Father. No, we didn’t do anything to deserve it; we were just born again that way! Amen!
 
And the good news is that your Heavenly Father that you’ve been born of has ALL of the characteristics & qualities that you need to be strong and fit in the spirit. No, there are no disadvantages here! In Him, we are capable of both developing into His image and according to His likeness (Genesis 1:26)!
 
So there is no excuse for any of us who have been born from above to not become as good looking, smart, and successful as we can possibly be because the genes of our Heavenly Father are all extraordinary! There are no disadvantages to being born of God’s seed, only advantages!
 
Yes, you’ve got God’s divine nature, my friend! Spiritually speaking, you’ve got His eyes, You’ve got His hair! You’ve got His physique! You’ve got His giftings & His capabilities!  So we’ve got the foundation for being as fit & developed spiritually as we can possibly be. We all do! IF (and that’s a big IF) we’ve been born again!

INTRODUCTION
 
So on New Year’s Eve, I was thinking about the coming year and I was drawn to another “2025” that we have in the Scriptures – 2 Chronicles 20:25. So I believe that this is a Word for us on this New Year – that the LORD wants to bring us into SO MUCH in 2025.
 
This Word is certainly consistent with the LORD’s heart throughout Scripture as He is most definitely a God of increase (Psalm 115:14) and He always gives us hope for our future. But the problem is that when it comes to so many of us, we don’t seem to always find the fulfillment of these Words from the LORD.
 
Yes, far too many Christians are just wandering around in their life, never realizing their purpose nor having a vision for their life. Saints, living in this wandering and aimless state is actually a product of the curse of the law, which we are redeemed from according to Galatians 3:13.
 
Friends, the Lord wants us to know what our purpose is and wants our lives to be full of vision and focus as we press forward in fulfilling our destiny and dreams. He doesn’t want us to live lives of uncertainty and searching around blindly for what our heart is looking for. No! Having no direction and vision is a curse! God wants us to walk with clear purpose into the plans He has for us! Amen?
 
As I’ve considered this truth, I was drawn to one of our most loved verses, Jeremiah 29:11. In this beloved verse of so many, we have God’s heart concerning the plans He has for us. It says, “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
 
THE THOUGHTS HE THINKS
 
First of all, I want you to notice that God is actually thinking about you and I … Did you know this – that the Lord actually thinks about us? Glory to God!
 
We tend to spend more time talking about our own thought life and how we are to keep our minds set on Him, but did you know that God practices what He preaches? For example, He told us to set our minds on things above, right? (see Colossians 3:2) Well, He also does this, but He sets His mind on things below (i.e. you and me)!  Praise the Lord!
 
Psalm 139:17-18 says, “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand…” Wow! Now that is a lot of thoughts! And when David wrote this, he was referring to just the thoughts that God thinks of him personally! Glory to Jesus! And did you know that since God is no respecter of persons, His thoughts are just that precious and innumerable about you too?
 
Now most Christians do not have a problem believing that God is constantly considering them; what they do have a hard time believing, however, is that those thoughts are good and positive thoughts. But again, what does Jeremiah 29:11 say that He thinks about us? “For I know the thoughts I think toward you… thoughts of good and not of evil, of peace, to give you a future and a hope.”
 
My brothers and sisters, God is not thinking evil about you! He is focusing on the good in you! And why? Because He loves you more than you can possibly imagine! You see, this fact that we are constantly on His mind reemphasizes to us a very important truth – and that is that He loves us.
 
You know, when we fall in love, one characteristic of that love is our minds become filled with that other person. We think about them all the time when we are at the height of that love. And why are we thinking so much of that person? It is because they are in our heart!
 
Saints, God actually holds us in His heart! He does not just tolerate us or make Himself have to think good things about us. No, He thinks good thoughts about us because we hold a special place in His heart! In other words, we are important to Him because you do not rent space in your heart to people or things that are not important to you. No, what is in your heart is what is valuable to you! Therefore, we must be extremely valuable to the Lord if His heart and mind are so inclined towards us! Amen!
 
PLANS FOR OUR PEACE
 
Now it should be noted that the word “thoughts” in the beginning of this verse carries more of the idea of plans, purposes, or intentions. However, we know that in order to have a plan and purpose, you must first give thought to those plans and purposes, right?
 
So the word “thoughts” is also a good word for us to consider because it shows that (as this Hebrew word is also translated in other passages of Scripture) God is “plotting, scheming and devising” a grand and glorious future for us! Amen?
 
You know, when we hear words like to “plot, scheme and devise,” we usually gear towards the negative, but that is not the case here. In the mind of God, His “scheming” revolves around our blessing! In other words, God’s thoughts towards us are thoughts that conspire for our good and welfare. Praise Jesus!
 
A good example of this is when in Genesis 50:20, Joseph said to his brothers that what they did to him, they meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. The word “meant” used in this verse twice are the same Hebrew word for “thoughts” in Jeremiah 29:11, and here we see how this word literally describes his brothers “scheming, plotting, intentions, and purposes” for evil against him but how the LORD had different “thoughts / plans” for Him.
 
You see, with man these thoughts/plans for us might not be so good. In fact, they might very well be as evil as Joseph’s brothers’, BUT GOD! But the LORD has different plans and thinks different thoughts for our future! Amen!  
 
My friends, the mind of Christ is filled with wonderful plans, purposes and intentions for your life! He has a plan for you! You might not think He does; but He does! That’s why I believe it is significant how the first part of Jeremiah 29:11 is worded…
 
Notice again that the Lord says, “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord …” Why does He say, “For I know the thoughts…”? Evidently, it was because His people believed He was thinking something else!
 
Did you know that this is still true today? So many of God’s people have a totally incorrect perception of what God is thinking about them. They think God is harsh, critical and fault finding – always focused on our sin and shortcomings. This is why the Lord went on to say in Jeremiah 29:11 that the thoughts and plans that He knows He has for us are for peace and not of evil. Evidently this is exactly what His chosen people believed He was thinking about them – thoughts of evil. Nothing could be further from the truth!  As we have already seen, the exact opposite is true!
 
On a side note, let me show you why people think this way about God. It’s because they think that He thinks the way they think. In other words, most people will judge others according to how they would do things. If they think someone is always conspiring against them, it’s usually because they think that way. It’s tight but it’s right. 
 
You see, while God certainly is well aware of all of our faults and failures, He does not focus on the negative. No, in fact, God is focused more on our potential and His good plan for us than all of the ways that we fall short of His glory. Sure, we tend to focus on the negatives in people, but not God!
 
No, First Corinthians 13:5 tells us that love thinks no evil. Amen! Other translations say, “(love) keeps no record of wrongs,” “(love) does not count the bad” and “it doesn’t keep score of the sins of others.” So listen – if God is love (1 John 4:8), then that means that God keeps no record of wrongs, He does not count the bad things in us, and He doesn’t keep score of our sins! Amen! In fact, the Scriptures teach us that our sins and lawless deeds He remembers no more (Hebrews 10:17)! Why? It’s because He has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12)!
 
So His thoughts, plans and purpose for us are of “peace” and not of evil … Now, of course, the word “peace” comes from the Hebrew word “shalom” – which means more than simply having an absence of conflict. Shalom describes “completeness, wholeness, soundness, success and welfare.” It basically describes having nothing missing and nothing broken in our lives. So we can see that God’s thoughts and plans for our lives involve making them complete, whole, sound, successful and with nothing missing and nothing broken! Amen!
 
And not just “peace” for the present, but “peace” for our future. This is why Jeremiah went on to say that the LORD’s intentions were to give us a future and HOPE!
 
How many of you know that the LORD is called the God of Hope (See Romans 15:13)? He doesn’t just have hope to give; He IS hope! That means that, in Him, there is always hope. It doesn’t matter how impossible it may seem to us that things can turn around. It doesn’t matter how much we feel we have aborted His plans for our future. In Him, is always hope!
 
So we have clearly seen God’s heart on the matter… He has good thoughts and plans for us and for our future! His purpose for us is to live lives that are complete, whole, sound – with nothing missing and nothing broken in them – both today and forevermore! Amen and amen!
 
HOW TO WALK IN GOD’S PLAN AND PURPOSE
 
But how many of you know that not every Christian walks in the reality of this? We would be naïve to think that all of God’s children actually walk in this complete and total fulfillment of Jeremiah 29:11. We would be foolish to think that we all experience the height of His goodness and the extent of His hope. I would go as far as saying that the vast majority of God’s children do not experience what Jeremiah 29:11 describes.
 
So the question is – Why? Why do so many of God’s people not experience this wonderful hope and future that God has for them? Well, I believe the Lord has shown me that some of the reasons for this are found in this very chapter – Jeremiah chapter 29.
 
So what I want us to do today is look at a few truths listed here in Jeremiah chapter 29 because I wholeheartedly believe that in them lie some integral keys that unlock us fulfilling what God’s heart is for us to walk in.
 
You see, as it is with so many Scriptures, we tend to take these truths and lift them up out of context, and in doing so, we miss the complete picture of what God was trying to communicate to us. And Jeremiah 29:11 is no different! While so many believers can quote this verse, the vast majority of them have zero knowledge of the verses surrounding it.
 
So let’s take a look at this entire passage of Scripture and glean from the truth of God’s Word …
 
Now when you look at verses 4-28, you will notice that the margins are a little different in most of our Bibles. The reason for this is because whoever compiled Jeremiah’s prophecy wanted us to know that it is actually a letter that the prophet Jeremiah wrote to the exiles who were carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon. And the purpose of his letter was to give some specific instructions and exhortations to these exiles while they were in Babylon, which included our beloved verse 11.  
 
So let’s begin looking at this letter recorded in the Book of Jeremiah in detail and see what principles are included in it that will help us to enter into those thoughts, plans and purposes that the Lord has for us …
 
HOW TO FIND GOD’S WILL
 
I want to draw your attention first to the couple of verses that immediately follow Jeremiah 29:11.
 
Immediately after saying that He knows the thoughts He thinks towards us and that they are plans of peace, a hope and a future, the Lord says in verse 12, “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me …” Now this is significant, saints, because the word “then” shows us “when” we will call upon Him and pray to Him. And when will this be? When we start thinking the way God thinks about us! Then we will call upon Him and go and pray to Him! That’s good stuff right there!  
 
So when we truly understand that God has a good plan for our lives (i.e. we are convinced that He has a good plan with a hope and a future) we will start calling and praying to discover that plan! Thank you, Lord Jesus!
 
You see, if we are convinced that the Lord has a good plan – meaning, this truth is established in our hearts – we will seek after it. For one to say they believe God has a purpose for them, yet they never search for it with any semblance of persistence and zeal, I highly doubt that they believe in their hearts that He has something good for them. Why? Because faith without works is dead (James 2:20).
 
And this leads me to my next point: This praying and calling upon the Lord is not a passive thing either! Notice what Jeremiah said next in verse 13: He said, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
 
You know, one of the main reasons that many of God’s people do not truly uncover His plan for their lives is because they do not put their whole heart into discovering it! Sure, they hope they will discover the plan of God for them. They sure would like to know. But do they ever spend time seeking to know it? Do they get serious enough to fast and pray concerning what God’s purpose is for their lives? Sadly, not many do this. Like I said, they would like to know His plan and purpose, but they don’t love to know it! What I mean by that is they don’t want to know it to the degree that they’re willing to spend any time, effort, and energy to find it!
 
You see, God has told us time and time again in His Holy Word that when we ask, we shall receive, when we seek, we shall find, when we knock it shall be opened for us (Matthew 7:7-8)! But this asking, seeking and knocking is not just the casual – “Well, I knocked a couple of times, but no one came to the door. I guess they weren’t home, so I’ll just leave.” No, we are talking about a kind of asking, seeking, and knocking that is persistent and that is not willing to quit! Amen!
 
And it is not that God is like some old miser up in heaven who is unwilling to give you what you want until you beg enough. No, it is just that sometimes we must press through the flesh to uncover the riches of the Spirit! Amen!
 
So, yes, a foundational key to discovering God’s plan and purpose for you is to begin seeking Him for that plan with all of your heart! Amen?
 
But what do you do while you are seeking and searching? That is a great question; I’m glad I asked it.
 
Let’s go back to the beginning of this letter and see what specific instructions the Lord gave to these exiles through Jeremiah …
 
STEP #1- BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED
 
In the beginning of this letter, Jeremiah starts out by addressing them – “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon” (Verse 4).
 
It’s important to understand that it wasn’t the LORD’s plan for this. Just looking at this isolated verse can give one the impression that He instigated their being carried away into captivity, but no, it was their own numbskull decisions that got them in this predicament. As was usually the case with the children of Israel (and us too), our choices to not do things God’s way oftentimes lead to the struggles we experience in life. 
 
So always remember – if we are experiencing something that is consistent with what the Bible calls a curse, then it’s not God’s will for us. In this case, it was His chosen people who willed it, not God.
 
Then in verses 5-6, Jeremiah goes on to immediately exhort the people to build houses and plant gardens, to take spouses and beget sons and daughters. He was basically telling them to continue living the way they would even though they were not in their home of Jerusalem.
 
At the end of verse 6 he says, “… that you may be increased there, and not diminished.”
 
It’s important to understand that he LORD is always about us increasing, no matter if we are in the penthouse or the outhouse. In this case, they were in the cellar for sure. Yet, even though they were in a less than desirable place in bondage in Babylon, the LORD still encouraged them to increase, multiply, and prosper – showing us that even if we are not in the job we want, even if we don’t have the ministry we desire, or even if we don’t have the marriage we’ve always wanted, that we don’t need to wait to put our best foot forward. Press in to let the LORD increase you where you are at, even if the end result right now is someone else’s prosperity.
 
A good example of this is Joseph when he was enslaved to Potipher and in prison in Egypt. It didn’t matter where Joseph was or what undesirable situation he was in, he always did things with excellence and saw increase as a result. And, of course, we know what this led to – him experiencing his “Jeremiah 29:11.” Amen?    
 
The children of Israel did the same when they were in Egypt, didn’t they? From the days of Joseph to the days of Moses, they increased & multiplied in the Land of Egypt. Exodus chapter one talks about how they were “exceedingly fruitful” and how they “multiplied greatly.” They did this when times were good (when Joseph was around) and they kept doing it when times were bad (when they were oppressed by the Egyptians). 
 
So my point is that here is a good first step to fulfilling your purpose and vision – bloom where you are planted!
 
You see, human nature tends towards not putting its best foot forward if it does not have a controlling interest in the place that it is planted. In other words, we tend to take better care of our baby than we do of someone else’s baby. But if God has put us somewhere – whether that be in a job, a church etc. - then our goal should be to show the same diligence that we would if it were our own business or our own ministry.
 
In Ephesians chapter 6 we see similar exhortations to those of us who are serving under the umbrella of another… Beginning in verse 5, Paul addresses “bondservants.” Now the following exhortations can apply to anyone who is under the authority of someone else. He goes on to tell them – “be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men.” So what we see here is the heart attitude we should have when serving is that we are ultimately serving the Lord, not the man.
 
Now there is a reason that this exhortation is in the Bible, and do you know why that is? It’s because the vast majority of people do not do their job or serve in their churches with this attitude. Most people are men-pleasers and as long as someone is looking, recognizing their hard work etc. they will get the job done, but the moment eyes are turned away from them, they give a lack luster effort.
 
As it has been said in the world – “Dress for the job you want, not for the job you’ve got.” This goes for not only how you dress, but the attitude and effort that you dress yourself with in your current situation. Friends, promotion comes neither from the east nor from the west; promotion comes from the Lord! (see Psalm 75:6) But one of the main reasons I see that the vast majority do not get promoted by the Lord is because they are not truly working for the Lord; they are working for man.
 
So my point is that when we are currently in a situation where we are serving another man’s plan, purpose and vision, do it heartily as unto God, not unto man! Take ownership and put your best foot forward, knowing that as Ephesians 6:8 goes on to promise us – “whatever good any one does, he will receive the same from the Lord.” In other words, work hard for the authorities God has put in your life like you are serving Christ Himself. Then you will position yourself for promotion! Amen?
 
STEP #2- SEEK THE PEACE OF THE CITY
 
Yes, Jeremiah 29:4-6 tells us to live life to the full even if we are in Babylon. Don’t quit! Work heartily as unto the Lord in whatever situation you might currently be in. Trust the Lord to bless the work of your hands and to prosper whatever you set your hands unto. However, human nature is to simply gripe and complain about the way things currently are. Let me explain …
 
They let their discontentment affect their attitude. Not only do they not do their work as unto the Lord and bloom where they are planted, but they despise it.
 
You see, so many people despise the day of small beginnings, and the Scriptures teach us not to do so (See Zechariah 4:10). Now we all might tend to think we are not doing that, but I imagine the LORD might think we are guilty of this if we are not working diligently under the vision of someone else. So since we are unhappy with the thing that we are currently setting our hand to do, we do not show the same diligence and effort that we would if we had the job, family, ministry etc. that we desire. And this “despising” is so much more subtle than most realize. It causes offense that most never realize. A root of bitterness can spring up that defiles. And then we’ve got a heart that is ladened with weeds, briars, thorns, etc. that affect the issues of our life. 
 
This is why I believe Jeremiah went on to say in Jeremiah 29:7, “And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.” Wow! There is so much we can learn from this verse!
 
What he was saying here is to actually, genuinely seek the peace of the city of their captors! That would be Babylon! That would be like us here in America being overthrown by another country and being carried away to that country to be servants there, and then the Lord telling us to seek the peace & welfare of that nation while we are there. I can only imagine what you might be thinking after reading that. Most of us are saying in our hearts – “Ain’t no way!” Well, that’s your problem. We have to be willing to do whatever the Lord tells us to do even if everything in our flesh & mind are completely opposed to it. In this case, it was a big part of the Lord leading them to those good plans He had for them.
 
You know, one of the most obvious ways that we have done this is with our own government here in the United States. So many people (including Christians) have been so disenchanted with the state of our country for years. And while I do not disagree with the fact that we need a major change and intervention from God in the United States of America, this does not mean we should be sitting around and cursing our nation because we don’t like how things are going. This is not “seeking the peace of the city” that Jeremiah was talking about. Complaining about it is not praying for it. No, if we are seeking the peace of our country and genuinely praying for it, then the poor attitude towards things will be absent.
 
And Jeremiah even went as far as telling them why it was so important to do this. It was because “for in its peace you will have peace.”
 
This reminds me of First Timothy chapter 2 where the apostle Paul taught us to pray for all men, especially the kings and all who are in authority. And why? “… that you may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” (First Timothy 2:2).
 
Now if you know anything about history, you know that the ones he was talking about praying for here were the Romans. Yes, Rome was the oppressing city where the kings (i.e. emperors) and all who were in authority resided.
 
So essentially what Paul was showing his readers to do here was to seek the peace of Rome and the other Roman provinces, to pray for Caesar, his governors, etc. And this exhortation was made just before some of the worst, most ungodly Emperors that Rome had ever known would come into power.
 
I wonder if the Holy Spirit might have been inspiring the apostle Paul to write this because He knew what was on the horizon if they didn’t. And I wonder if the church just ignored this or did it half-heartedly. I think both of these are very likely.
 
So do you know what this teaches me? The reason why we don’t experience a quiet and peaceable life is not because of the king and those in authority, but because of the church’s failure to pray for the king and those in authority. Amen or Oh me? You see, we need to be praying for the peace of Jerusalem (absolutely!), but we also need to be praying for the peace of whatever place that we live in! Amen? For in praying for its peace, we will have peace!
 
But this also goes for praying for your family, your job, your church etc.  Saints, there are countless employees out there who are griping and complaining about how much they make in their job, but what if instead of them complaining, they would start using that same energy to pray for the success and prosperity of their employer? Do you think that just maybe if they started prospering, they would have more to pay you? Just maybe! But somebody will say, “Yeah well, they wouldn’t pay me any extra anyways.” But again, who is your employer? It’s ultimately the Lord! He is who we are to be serving whole-heartedly! So then, He is the One who can give us the raise that we desire by moving upon our employers’ hearts or by supplying our needs another way! Amen!
 
So pray for the place that you are in. Pray for the peace and prosperity of those around you - genuinely and from the heart, seeking their welfare. For, as this Scripture promises, in their peace, we will find our peace!
 
STEP #3- DON’T LISTEN TO HANANIAH!
 
Then Jeremiah goes on to exhort the people in verses 8-9 to not listen to the wrong voices …
 
He says in these verses – “For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.”
 
You see, there was a false prophet in Jeremiah’s day that was speaking lies to the people. If you go back to Jeremiah chapter 28, you will see where a man by the name of Hananiah was prophesying to the priests and all of the people that the Lord was going to bring them and all of their stuff back to Jerusalem in 2 years. The gist of his message was that they do not need to get too comfortable in Babylon – for the Lord was going to break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar from them soon.
 
Now while I’m sure these were comforting words in the ears of all the people and words their flesh wanted to hear, they were not accurate. In fact, in his letter to the exiles, Jeremiah gave them the true Word of the Lord that after 70 years are completed in Babylon, the Lord would bring them back to their own land (See Jeremiah 29:10). In other words, the truth he was giving them was that probably all of them were going to die in Babylon and their children or children’s children would be the ones to return to Jerusalem.
 
Now, as history has taught us, Jeremiah’s words were not appreciated very much. Why? Because people want to hear what they want to hear. Their flesh doesn’t like receiving things that don’t cater to convenience, pleasure, etc.
 
And church, this is something we need to guard our hearts against when we are in those days of small beginnings while we are on the way to the hope & future that the LORD has for us.
 
Now these “prophets & diviners” are not always flesh & blood. Sure, it can be a video on YouTube, a preacher on television, or a newscaster on the radio, but sometimes it is the voices on the inside of us or what we dream up on our own. This is why Jeremiah wrote – “nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.” That indicates that some of the things we imagine were conjured up by us.
 
Friends, when we are in our “Babylon,” we need to be careful not to heed the voices that we hear on the inside of us. For the flesh and soul love to feed us lies that enforce impatience and not remaining planted. We need to be careful not to feed those deceptions and uproot ourselves prematurely before the fruit can begin to come forth from the seed sown. This is a huge temptation that we need to resist – not to fight against or uproot ourselves prematurely before the fruit of God’s purpose can be produced in and through us!
 
CONCLUSION
 
Friends, these are just a few ways that you and I can be sure to stay on the path to entering into God’s plans and what He is thinking for our lives.
 
These are some good New Year’s resolutions for you – No, it’s not to lose weight or to become more organized. It’s to …
 
1.Be convinced that God is thinking good thoughts about you, and He has a bright future ahead for you!
2.Start searching for his plans for you with all of your heart – that is, spending time in your prayer closet seeking His face with the aim of obtaining His thoughts!
3.Bloom where you are planted – working as unto the Lord with all of your might!
4.Seek the peace of the place you are currently in and pray for those around you to fulfill their glorious future as well.
5.Not listen to those “Hananiah’s” who would try to convince us to move and uproot ourselves from our place called there!
 
Do these things and I will give you an unconditional guarantee that you will discover your purpose!