Attitudes of Spiritual Life

Your thoughts on Spiritual Life can take different attitudes. What does this mean? The meaning of "attitudes" is the bearing or gesture expressing action or emotion, or behaviour indicating opinion or attitude of mind.

There are various attitudes of spiritual life, namely,

• 1. Lying down for spiritual rest (Psalms 23:2).

• 2. Sitting down for instruction (Luke 10:39).

• 3. Standing up for warfare (Ephesians 6:14).

• 4. Walking for fellowship (1 John 1:7).

• 5. Running for progress (Hebrews 12:1).

• 6. Leaping for joy (Acts 3:8).

• 7. Mounting up for exaltation (Isaiah 40:13).

David has confidence in God's grace for He takes us to a place for spiritual rest (Psalms 23:2). Christians have confidence that God would lead them as a shepherd leads his sheep where they can have spiritual rest from the hurly-burly of the outside world. New born Christians are not active and they need to have a period of rest.

1. Psalms 116:7

• Return unto thy rest, O my soul for the Lord hath deal bountifully with thee.

2. Isaiah 14:3

• And it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou was made to serve.

3. Isaiah 28:3

• To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest;

4. Matthew 11:29

• Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly at heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Mary, the sister was a good example of sitting down for instruction so she could concentrate on what instructions Jesus was giving. She made herself comfortable and concentrate on what the Lord was saying. Mary sat down at Jesus' feet looking up to Jesus and was not at all distracted from her task and fully absorbing all the instructions given by the Master. She was humble and nothing could lessen her concentration.

1. Luke 10:39

• And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

2. Ezekiel 20:1

• The elders of Israel sat down to inquire of the Lord.

3. Revelations 1:17 - A Reverent Worshipper

• And when I saw him, I fell at his feet at his feet as dead.

4. Mark 7:25 - A Sorrowing Mother

• For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean, spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet.

5. Mark 5:22 - An Afflicted Father

• And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name and when he saw him, he fell at his feet.

When we are in warfare, we must be agile to fight against the slings of the enemy and be standing alert so we can move around to ward off blows for attack. The enemy can come in any direction and we must be prepared.

1. Ephesians 6:13, 14

• Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.

• Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.

2. 2 Corinthians 1:24

• Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

3. Philippians 4:1

• Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.

Walking in the light with Jesus is for fellowship for if we do not walk with Him, we do not have fellowship with the Lord. Human beings do not exist alone and to live with people, we must have fellowship with those who also worship and fear God. Continue to be steadfast in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship to breaking of bread and to prayer. Thus we can enlarge our borders and strengthen the stakes.

1. 1 John 1:7

• But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

2. Psalms 119:63

• I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.

3. Acts 2:42

• And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

4. Isaiah 54:2

• Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine inhabitations: spare not thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes.

5. Ephesians 3:17-19

• That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith: that ye, being rooted and guided in love.
• May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height:
• And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Christians must progress in their spiritual life and not stagnate. From a babe in Christ who feeds on baby food, babies progress to childhood and learn to walk. When babies mature and able to walk with firm steps, they progress to running. Before running, one must study the route of the race, otherwise, one would get lost and not finish the race. Preparation is important so the person may not go off course.

1. Hebrews 12:1

• Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great cloud of witnessing, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

2. Psalms 119:32

• I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.

3. Samuel 22:37

• Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, so that my feet did not slip.

4. Habakkuk 2:2

• And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

We leap for joy when something extraordinary happens to us like passing an exam, the mother's heart leaps for joy when the baby is delivered, and the unmarried girl reacts when her boyfriend proposes to her. The long married couple will experience extreme joy on their golden anniversary. The parent's hearts would be very joyful at the graduation of their children's graduation from the university, be it BA, MA or any other profession.

1. Acts 3:8 - Peter healing the Lame

• And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking and leaping, and praising God.

2. Galatians 5:22 - Fruit of the Spirit

• But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

3. James 1:2-4 - Faith tested

• My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into diverse temptations:
• Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

• But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

4. 1 Peter 1:8 - Unspeakable joy

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye receive with joy unspeakable and full of glory;

1. Isaiah 40:31 - Exaltation

• But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

2. Hebrews 12:7

• If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

3. Colossians 3:2

• Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

All the Seven Attitudes of Spiritual Life are essential for healthy growth in spirituality and we should take heed of them. They show progression from children of God to maturity in Jesus Christ. When a person first accepts Jesus and is baptized, all his sins are forgiven for the Blood of Jesus cleanses and completely erased them. He then becomes a new born baby to full adulthood in the body of Christ in 7 different attitudes.