Spiritual Life Is Something Easy, Fun and Blessed

The spiritual life becomes difficult when you try to do well according to your thoughts while ignoring the Word of God, because it never works out by trying to do well while in the world of thoughts. Spiritual life is entering the Word by getting out of the world of thoughts.
When we become one with the Word, there is no problem whether we understand it or not. Spiritual life is truly easy once you believe and accept the Word.

Spiritual Life Is Not Difficult At All

Whenever a new year comes around, there are many people who make resolutions to live their spiritual life well.

‘I will pray well! I will live according to the Word! I will quit drinking! I will stop living a riotous life!’ There are many people after this fashion. However, there aren’t many people who actually do this. So most of the people think, ‘spiritual life is so difficult and burdensome.’
Nonetheless, spiritual life is not difficult at all. Spiritual life is truly easy and blessed. There is a clear difference between people who say, ‘spiritual life is easy’ and people who say, ‘spiritual life is difficult.’ There is the clear difference at heart. People who say, ‘spiritual life is difficult’ do not know the Word and try to do things well on their own while people who say, ‘spiritual life is easy’ listen to the Word and believe it in their hearts.
When cars are made, manufacturers make them according to the plan. When you step on the brake, the car stops. And when you step on the accelerator, the car speeds. When you turn the steering wheel to the right, the cars goes to the right and when you turn left, the car goes left. Nevertheless, if you use the car, ignoring the methods prescribed by the manufacturers but following your own thoughts, it would be extremely difficult to use the car and you are bound to get into an accident. The spiritual life is the same.

Spiritual Life Becomes Extremely Difficult While Ignoring The Word

Spiritual life is extremely easy once you listen to and believe the Word of God. However, when you ignore the Word and try to live spiritual life well with your own thoughts, it can’t help but become difficult. The reason why people feel the spiritual life is difficult is because they try to do things on their own inside their world of thoughts. Spiritual life is entering the Word of God by getting out of one’s own world of thoughts. When you become one with the Word, there is no problem whether you understand it or not. Spiritual life is truly easy when you accept and believe in the Word.

For example, Harlot Rahab was in that case. Rahab had been living as a harlot in Jericho until she met Salmon, a spy from Israel. She hid him and made him vow,
“When we attack Jericho, bind a scarlet line in the window. Then we will save you and your family. And let’s get married then.”

Thus, they made the vow and parted. Afterwards, when Rahab thought about this quietly by herself, she couldn’t understand it at all.

‘Why would such a man from a great family like to marry a dirty harlot like me? No way. It is just a lie. He just wanted to save his life at the moment. This is totally nonsense. I am just dreaming about it.’

If she thought like that and believed in her own imagination, everything would be dreary and despairing. However when she believed in Salmon’s promise, she would be so happy and overjoyed;
‘No, I have to believe in him. He clearly made the vow with me that if I bind the scarlet line in the window, all the people in this house will be saved. And he promised me that he would marry me. Though I am just a harlot and a person who is despised by everybody, he clearly promised me. He will keep his words.’

If Rahab followed her thoughts and didn’t believe in Salmon’s promise, she would take the scarlet cord off the window, thinking; ‘What is the use of this scarlet cord? It is of no use. He must have conned me.’ Then, she would have been destroyed.

Satan Always Plays Tricks With Us

Satan always works in us and leads us to the totally opposite direction from the Word of God. In order to make us not believe in the Word of God, he arises a thought in us as if the Word of God will not work out but the humanistic ways will. So many people stay in confusion and end up following after their thoughts and in destruction.

All the people in the Bible that got destroyed were destroyed in this way. It was the same in the age of Noah. When God said He would judge the world with water, there would have been no problem if they had accepted the Word as it was. However, they followed their own thoughts and got destroyed as a result. Since they followed their thoughts, ‘why would God judge us with water? This was what they thought and therefore, in the end they didn’t go into the ark and got destroyed. All the people who got destroyed are of this kind. It was the same when Israelites attacked Jericho but were defeated. At that time, God told the Israelites not to take anything from the possession of the people of Jericho. Nevertheless, Achan took a goodly Babylonish coat, thinking; ‘oh, this much is okay. Will I die because I take this? There will be no problem.’ In this way, he hid gold, silver and the coat. However, many Israel people died because of him and so did Achan, his sons and his entire family. It was the same with Ananias and Sapphira. They followed their thoughts; ‘If we hide the money like this, conceal the fact and lie about it, who would know this? It will be okay.’ But in the end, they couldn’t help but be destroyed.

True Faith Is Distrusting Oneself First

But on the contrary, all the people who received the grace of God always ignored their thoughts but believed in the Word. In the wedding in Cana, Galilee, when Jesus told servants to fill the waterpots with water, they filled the pots with water. And when He said to them to take it to the master of the feast, they followed His words. Though they thought, ‘this is water and I shouldn’t take this to him….’, they believed in the Word of Jesus and took it to the master of the feast. And there and then, they could see the wonderful work of God: turning the water into wine.

It holds true for not only this but also for the man with the infirmity for 38 years. He was definitely a person who couldn’t walk but Jesus told him to take up his bed and walk. At that moment, if the man with the infirmity for 38 years had followed his thoughts; ‘I can’t walk. How can I walk? I am unable to walk’, he would never been able to walk. Nonetheless despite what thoughts he had, when he took a step following the Word of Jesus, he could see the work of God.

God is doing a lot of things to show us His good ways. But Satan leads us to the totally opposite direction from the Word in order to destroy us. So if we follow our thoughts, we become people distrusting God in the end. However, if you forsake your thoughts and follow the Word of God, you can experience the work of God.

True faith is distrusting oneself first. When I used to go to the Presbyterian Church, I always attended Sunday service and prayer meetings at dawn but still I committed a lot of sin, fought, stole and lived a very dark life. Nonetheless, I thought I was somebody great.

But one day, by the grace of God I came to see myself exactly. I realized how foolish and stupid I was and also, I got to know I was truly a filthy and wicked person. From then on, I stopped believing in myself. After I realized that all my thoughts were wrong and foolish, I do not believe in my own thoughts but in His Word. However, it doesn’t mean that I live my life only believing in the Word of God. At times, I believe in my thoughts, following after the situations and circumstances that I am in. Nevertheless, whenever I denied my thoughts and followed the Word, God always worked inside my heart.

Spiritual Life Is Easy When You Throw Away Your Own Thoughts

When germs enter my body, if they defeat the body, I become sick. But when I defeat the germs, I stay normal. In the same way, when my thoughts win over my heart, I walk on the path of curses, when the Word of God wins, I get to receive the grace of God to receive His blessings.

Spiritual life is truly easy and blessed when you ignore and despise your own thoughts, and do not accept your thoughts. On the contrary, people who follow their thoughts and situations, the spiritual life can’t help but be painful and difficult. And this is the reason why the Bible is telling us to believe in God. When you realize the fact; ‘I am helpless and can’t do things on my own’, and believe in God, that is when you become one with the Word of God. And He works in you powerfully and pours His grace upon you.

Rather than having new year’s resolutions; ‘I will pray hard. I will read the Bible a lot. I should do something good. I should be loyal to the church’, if you have a heart of forsaking your thoughts, and believing in and following the Word of God, you will come to live a graceful and blessed life.