The thin line between the spiritual and the weird

 Pixabay / Ramdlon

Addressing the first converts of the early church, Peter said according to Acts 2:38, "...Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

You will receive the Holy Spirit. It's inevitable that when you become a Christian, the Holy Spirit takes a place in you. And it's true because after all, as Paul says, we were meant to be temples of the Spirit of God.

Humans are very well spiritual beings before we are physical beings. Man is flesh, soul and spirit all at the same time, and while it's important to build an awareness of a lifestyle that builds on our spirituality, there can also be an extreme to the belief.

To embrace our spirituality means that we embrace the idea that without the Holy Spirit, we can accomplish nothing. And it's important that we have a very firm grasp of this because even being to "spiritual" can remove us of the enabling power of the spirit of God.

However, many Christians today tend to over-mystify living in the Spirit by placing too much emphasis on signs, wonders and manifestations pushing God's will into the background. As a result, some will think that just because demons don't manifest, mouths don't foam or jewels and gold don't appear, God isn't moving.

There is nothing wrong with seeking signs and wonders and by all means we should strive to see God move miraculously. However, the pursuit of signs and wonders must never overshadow the ultimate pursuit of God. How are we to have a healthy view of our spirituality without losing the essence of what it means to be spiritual?

Spirit-empowered but rooted in the Word

God's truth exists not only in prophecies, words of knowledge and discernment, but also in the written Word of God. In fact, God's prophetic words will never go against what has already been written in scripture. That's why it's healthy to weigh out spiritual movement with the Word of God.

Spirit-empowered but practical

To be spiritual means to believe that God can move miraculously in the area of healing, but also firmly acknowledging that God can do so by miraculously working through doctors, medication and proper diet and exercise. God is Spirit and therefore is power, but He is also truth and thus exists in the realm of form.

Spirit-empowered but not distracted

Many Christians can get too distracted by signs and wonders, and may often conclude that when people don't get healed or congregations don't get slain that God doesn't appear. Remember that the greatest miracle happened through a seemingly normal Baby Boy who was born in a stable and who would become the Saviour of the whole world.

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