True Spirituality

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Overall, while spirituality is not a cure-all for psychological problems, it can certainly be a valuable tool for those who are struggling. In some instances, spiritualism can become a distraction – an endlessly exciting rabbit hole to get lost in– that actually distances one from the whole point of spirituality: to unite with one’s True Nature.

Other paths and practices, on the other hand, form the peripheral twigs: they’re still important, but perhaps to a lesser degree. If you’re interested in walking the spiritual path, I strongly recommend incorporating some kind of psychological work into your practice. This could be as simple as seeing a therapist every fortnight or reading self-help books. It’s impossible to include every single spiritual path/practice here, but I hope you now have a smorgasbord of options to explore. It provides a framework for understanding the world around you and offers guidance on how to live a fulfilling life. The very First Commandment set forth a call to say a “strong negative” towards wanting to be in the place of God. This is the key to the whole thing – wanting to be at the center of the universe. By choice “we are to die to running our own lives and doing our own thing.” The Last Commandment, “Thou shalt not covet,” shows us that these negatives are not related just to outward behavior, but to inward attitudes. In reality, here is our death. We are to say “no” – by choice – to self at that point in living when we are confronted with things that are wrong, and that we might very well find enjoyable. Thus, here in the midst of life, where there is battle and strife, there is to be a “strong negative” – by choice, and by the grace of God. It is not, for example, a matter of waiting until we no longer have strong sexual desires, but rather than in the midst of the movement of life, surrounded by a world that grabs everything in rebellion first against God and then against its fellow man, we are to understand what Jesus means when He talks about denying ourselves and renouncing ourselves in regard to that which is not rightfully ours.

Schaeffer’s approach was characterized by a friendly and respectful tone, which helped him to connect with people from all walks of life. There are different views on how salvation works, but most Christians believe that it involves repentance, faith, and obedience to God.

Spirituality is a personal journey that involves seeking a deeper understanding of yourself and your place in the world. Schaeffer’s works, such as “The God Who Is There” and “Escape from Reason,” challenged Christians to think deeply about their faith and how it relates to the world around them. A very practical thing for ourselves and for those whom we would help is that it is not always possible to sort out true guilt from psychological guilt – at this point the “iceberg concept” is helpful once again. Man is more than is on the surface. All too often the evangelical Christian acts as though there is nothing to man except that which is above the surface on the water. Since the fall man is divided from himself, and so since the fall there is that which I am which is below the surface – in psychological terms, there is the unconscious, subconscious aspect of our humanity. It should not be a surprise to any of us that there is something which we are which is deeper than that which is on the surface – hence, as we said earlier, it is not even possible to say at this given moment that we are perfect, free from all known sin. This is true even at our best moments (1 Cor 4:3-4). We all have our problems. . . we all have our storms. . . and some of us can have exceedingly deep storms. In the midst of these storms that break over us, it is wonderful to know that we ourselves do not need, in every case, to sort out true guilt from psychological guilt. God knows the line between our true guilt and our guilt feelings (Heb 4:12). Our part is to function in that which is above the surface, and to ask God to help us be honest. Our part is to cry to God for the part of the iceberg that is above the surface and confess whatever we know is true guilt there, bringing it under the infinite, finished work of Jesus Christ. . . and God graciously applies this to the whole, and gradually the Holy Spirit helps us see deeper into ourselves. Once we have applied the blood of Christ to all our known sin, we can be confident that the guilty feelings that remain are not true guilt, but a part of the awful miser-ies of fallen man. The comprehension, moment by moment, of these things is a vital step in freedom from the results of the bonds of sin, and in the substantial healing of the separation of man from himself. (123-133) Religion is connecting to the Divine through someone else’s experience. It is primarily concerned with believing in, following, and obeying the rules created by a certain Deity or spiritual teacher. As the Bible says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.Many spiritual paths and practices are alluring on the surface, but beneath they are very limited in scope and will only get you so far. The Bible makes a clear distinction between “temptation” and “sin.” Christ was tempted in every point like as we are, yet He never sinned (Heb 4:15); therefore, there is a difference between temptationand sin. Scripture goes on to tell us that the victory that overcomes the world is “our faith” (1 Jn 5:4). It is not we who overcome the world in our own strength – we do not have a power plant inside ourselves that can overcome the world. The overcoming is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, as we have already seen. There can be a victory, a practical victory, if we raise the “empty hands of faith” moment by moment and accept the gift. God has promised a way of escape that we might not succumb to temptation (1 Cor 10:13). Spirituality without psychology is vague, ungrounded, and disconnected from daily life. In and of itself, spirituality typically doesn’t deal with the mental and emotional issues buried beneath the surface of our lives. Thus, when we only focus on spirituality, we tend to fall into the trap of spiritual bypassing, which is using spirituality to avoid our everyday life issues – causing great harm to ourselves and others. It’s important to find a church that aligns with your beliefs and values, but it’s also important to remember that there is unity in the body of Christ. If you would like professional guidance, seek out transpersonal or psycho-spiritual counselors/therapists. If you can’t find any in your area, ask the professionals that are available whether they incorporate spirituality into their therapeutic approaches. 5. Combine, mix, and co-create your unique path

The good news is that Christ has already made us righteous when he died on the cross for our sins. He did this so that He could have a relationship with us not based upon works or guilt, but upon grace.

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Remember that true spirituality is a lifelong journey, and it is okay to make mistakes along the way. While personal relationships can be a source of great joy and fulfillment, they can also be challenging at times. One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to define our own or someone else’s spiritual maturity based on certain external “boundary markers.” When you approach your relationships from a place of love, you are more likely to experience harmony and connection.