Devotion 11 - Nurturing our Inner Life

Devotion 11 - Nurturing our Inner Life

 2 Cor.4:8-16 – “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”

One of the important aspects of discipleship is empowering our disciples to have a strong and healthy inner life. What is “inner life”? It is the inward part of us that never grow old but instead grow stronger as we are being nourished and renewed by God’s Spirit with each passing day. Like the apostles of old, if our inner man is strong, external circumstances cannot crush or defeat us.

 Nevertheless, it is very difficult to fully define our inner man as it is complex and multi-layered. But we can glean some understanding from breaking it down to five components or dimensions.

1)    Our Compulsion

 

Everyone is compulsive to some degree, and we are all compulsive for a reason. Generally, our compulsions are very much influenced by our emotions, and our emotions are influenced by positive or negative experiences in our growing up years. Hence, our compulsions can be driven by our years of childhood pain, trauma and insecurity. Very often, we medicate our pain either with pain (self-destructive habits) or pleasure, giving in to the urges of our compulsions. 

 

Negative Compulsion, unchecked and not harnessed, can lead to obsession, addiction and self-destructive behaviours. However, we can harness our compulsion by the power of the Holy Spirit, and learn to respond to our needs appropriately by engaging in decisions and behaviours that are honouring to God. Our compulsions can be rehabilitated and reconditioned by the love of God.

 2 Cor.5:14 - “For the love of Christ compels us…”

2)    Our Conviction

Although the words “conviction” and “belief” appear similar in meaning at times, there is a slight difference between the two.  A belief is something we consider to be correct and true. For example, we can believe in evolution, fate, alien life, etc. So, a belief can just be an opinion.

 However, a conviction is something stronger and deeper. It is when we become convinced of something after having thorough knowledge and understanding of all available information. That conviction is created and built based on that information. And once conviction is formed, it shapes our worldview, and we begin to see things in the light of our conviction. As Christians, the Word of God is the foundation of our convictions.

 Our core convictions reflect our core values. What we consider to be of utmost importance, what we give time and attention to, reflects our core values. Besides our compulsions, our convictions also drive and direct us. While our compulsions are often unconscious and instinctive, our convictions are the result of conscious thought and reason. But here is the problem. Sometimes, our inner convictions and our inner compulsions clash, especially when our convictions are based on Christian principles that oppose our dark inner compulsions. Hence, to cultivate a healthy compulsion, our emotion needs to be governed and supervised by our biblical convictions.

 

3)     Our Conscience

1 Tim.4:1-2 - “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron…”

 

Our conscience is a part of our God-given internal faculties, a critical inner awareness that bears witness between moral right and wrong - “their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them” (Rom.2:15). It functions as both a guide and a judge. It serves as a guide before we act by urging us to do what is right and forbidding us to do what is wrong. When we conform to the values of our conscience, we will have a sense of peace or relief. It acts as a judge both while and after we act by evaluating the rightness or wrongness of our actions and motives. It is like a built-in warning system that signals us when something we have done is wrong.  The conscience is to our souls what pain sensors are to our bodies; when we violate our conscience, it induces anguish or guilt.

 Tit.1:15 - “To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.”

 Sin can suppress our conscience and cause it to become “seared” and “defiled”, and wholly unreliable. Through unconfessed and unrepented sins, we can enter a world of delusion in which many of our convictions can be compromised and our dark compulsion can take over.

Our conscience can also be influenced by culture, environment and education. What we read, what we listen to, and what we see affect our thoughts and actions.  In our culture today, many believe there is no real moral truth, no absolute right or wrong.  Moral truth of right and wrong are seen as merely relative concepts and these concepts change with time, place and culture. These can affect the sensitivity of our conscience.

True repentance can reactivate and revive our tender conscience.  

 

Heb.10:22 – “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
 
Our conscience is bound to the Word of God; it relies upon the knowledge of good and evil that God gives in His Holy Word. It is bound by what the Bible commands or forbids. The psalmist writes, “Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Ps.119:105). When man departs from the light of God’s Word, he gropes along in darkness, uncertain of where he is headed. Solomon writes, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end is the way of death” (Prov.16:25). And Paul warned in his epistle to the Romans that “when men reject God, their hearts grow dark, they become fools, and God will finally turn them over to their own lusts.” (Rom.1:18–32).

Once we have committed sin, our conscience—if it is operating properly—accuses us of sin, rebukes us and urges us to repent. If we heed our conscience, we will maintain in “good conscience”. But if we justify our sins, ignoring the prompting of our conscience, it will gradually harden and cease to function properly. Our understanding of right and wrong will soon become clouded, and our sense of shame begin to disappear. If this continues, it can lead to spiritual death, our faith may suffer “shipwreck”, and we may ultimately depart from the faith. It is for this reason that Paul urged Timothy to keep “faith and a good conscience.” Hence, it is vitally important that we keep a short account of sin.

 

4)    Our Compass

Eccl.3:11 - “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts…”

 

We have an implanted compass which give us a sense of destiny. It orientates us and points us to the plans and purposes of God in our life. But when our conviction is compromised and our compulsion takes over, our compass loses its bearing.

 We need to re-calibrate our compass once a while, pause and ask why we are doing what we are doing. And to answer that question, we need to pay attention to what is important to God. A clarity of purpose is important - it will strengthen and empower us to walk in our destiny.

An unexamined Life

 

1 Jn.5:19 - “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”

Figuratively, John cautioned us that the world has a ‘magnetic field” that is controlled by the evil one. And this magnetic field will cause our inner compass to dysfunction and lose its bearing if we do not examine it constantly.  Thus, our compass need maintaining and regular calibration. Many Christians do neither. They neither ensure they are travelling in the right direction, nor ensure that their spiritual compass is accurate and in good working order.

It is possible to begin a journey with promise; but because of distractions and carelessness, to lose the way and end the journey tragically off the mark. We can live a life without purpose or walking in the wrong direction due to our slothfulness or relentless busyness. We are often too busy following the crowd that we forget to check our direction. Our modern culture seems to be obsessed with speed rather than direction, with efficiency rather than destiny.

 

A compass is best used with a map. That is why reading the Bible and meditating on it is such an important spiritual discipline. However, many of us tend to do our devotions without the recalibrating element. A Christian who does not have a working compass and a map is pathetically lost. Like the migratory birds which always end up in the right destination, may we also journey well and find our true eternal destiny.

 

5)     Our Composure

Phil.4:6-7 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Truth be told, many Christians are struggling with inner fear, anxiety and insecurity. There is no restedness in our spirit man. If we are rested in God, we will respond rather than react to all that happen around us. We can handle disappointments, criticisms, failures and life’s challenges with a healthy composure.

Spiritual maturity is a restedness in our spirit, a steadiness and quietness in our soul that empower us to respond rather than react to our circumstances. When overwhelmed by stress, crisis, doubts and insecurity, we can response with peace and joy inside of us. We are not driven by ego or insecurity but resting in the sovereignty of God, and no longer seeking the applause of men but rather, the approval of God. We learn to grow inward by anchoring upward so that we will be empowered to move outward and forward. 

We need to be mindful to intentionally cultivate and nurture our inner man in the Lord. If we are weak in our inner man, we will be like slaves to our surrounding. We can be a blessing to others only when we live victoriously ourselves.