- How to identify the season you are currently living.
- God's movements in each season.
- Common spiritual attacks and how to respond.
- Helpful spiritual practices to bear fruit in each season.
Prayer and Fasting
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A friend's mother is having serious medical challenges right now. She (my friend) woke up with the words "fast and pray" on her mind and asked me how to do that. I'll share some thoughts in this blog that might be helpful for those who are wondering the same thing.
Iconic Rules
My mother has begun to paint icons, sacred images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, the angels or one of the saints. There are many steps in the process, and the teacher provides very detailed instructions that allow anyone to succeed, even someone without an artistic gift. One of the most interesting things about the process is the Rules for the Icon Painter. It is interesting how applicable they are to all who want to serve God.
The Look of Love
How do you see God's sacred gaze? He always looks with love, even when we don't see His eyes. We can feel His look of love in our hearts. What are the many ways God might look at us with love?
Heart Check
I have family and friends who regularly visit the cardiologist. We can take that same approach to our spiritual hearts. We are called to love God with our whole heart, but sometimes those hearts aren’t working right. What if we were to do a heart check on our spiritual hearts as frequently as we might for our physical heart? Imagine the progress we could make!
Good Intentions
There is a distorted belief that a good Christian – someone who wants to be a saint – lives only for the glory of God, only to please God. They serve out of love for God, not from a desire for some kind of personal benefit.
On the one hand, we should act out of love for God and neighbor rather than our own personal gain. But on the other hand, when I serve, I feel good, so that’s a benefit to me. Is there a way to separate the two – serving God and being blessed by that service. If I am blessed, does that negate my intentions?