Spirituality is a religious term. It is also a term that signifies the state of the soul.

Spirituality refers to the immaterial essence distinct from physical matter consisting of the human intellect (mind), emotion/feeling (heart), and will/determination (spirit) all the parts that make up the personality (soul). Without Christ, our ability to function is incomplete. Human nature operates according to the mind and heart (intellect and emotions). Human beings were designed to operate with three parts fully active, not two. We are designed to function mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Without Christ, we are subject to sin, which separates and kills us, first spiritually, then emotionally, mentally and ultimately physically. When we encounter Jesus Christ and accept Him as Lord and Savior the life we lived in the past, live in the present and will live in the future is given to Him entirely. The spirit (the place our determination/will are set) becomes alive or resurrected to be a fully functional part. In Christ, salvation is complete. It is then that we are able to function as we were designed; spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually which then allows for the physical to be functioning at the fullest level. Every day after the day of salvation is about drawing closer in relationship with Jesus Christ, getting to know Him more. The results are life changing. The more a person discovers about Christ, the more one loves Him. The more one loves Him, the more one desires to please Him. Out of that desire to please because of love the person willingly sets his or her determination on the things Gods heart and mind are determined and focused on. Thus, the individual will and determinations decrease and Gods will and determination increase, becoming the will and determination of the individual and the two that were separated become one in relationship. The first level of this relationship is to bring our mind in line with the mind of God. This is the first battlefield we must conquer. The Mind is the center of intellectual activity and ethical nature. The intellectual can be separated from the spiritual, but the spiritual can never exist apart from the intellectual. A person cannot be spiritual without having their intellect touched with the divine life that comes from the power of the divine baptism (ISBE, e-sword). In other words, when the spirit is awakened
(resurrected) every part (mind/heart/spirit) is saturated, completely covered with Gods Life/Power/Love and is able to function as designed. Paul helps us to understand the concept of

mental awakening/illumination or vision in 1Corinthians 2:13-14. We don't speak about these things using teachings that are based on intellectual arguments like people do. Instead, we use the Spirit's teachings. We explain spiritual things to those who have the Spirit. A person who isn't spiritual doesn't accept the teachings of God's Spirit. He thinks they're nonsense. He can't understand them because a person must be spiritual to evaluate them. The mind is the whole attitude and habit as determined inwardly. The mind has a firm hold on itself when it has a firm hold on God (Keil & Delitzsch Commentary, e-sword). The mind confident in Christ is not moved by trials, persecution, poverty, sickness, or bereavement. It does not deny these

circumstances, but neither does it allow the circumstances to crush its confidence in Christ. Gods spirit works directly on the mind, adjusting the reasoning and intellect, which enables the thought and discernment process (Isaiah 55:8). A person grows and finds their reasoning (intellect) has changed. The mind thinks naturally in the way of pleasure. When it thinks about the favor of God, the care of the soul and eternity then the mind is thinking Gods thoughts. These are things God is concerned with. Spirituality goes beyond religion. The spiritual finds expression in science, art, philosophy, commerce and even law. It invades every part of life. Every part of life is necessary. We are spiritual beings in physical bodies. The physical body needs food to exercise and the inner man needs spiritual food to contemplate. Contemplation, feeling and determination are the exercise of the inner man. The physical bodies need food, water and exercise to function on the most basic level. The inner man needs to contemplate, feel and determine what action will occur on the outward physical level. This is what Jesus was telling Martha in Luke 10:42 when she complained that her sister Mary had abandoned her by not helping with the preparation of the food but rather chose the position of sitting at Jesus Feet instead. Marthas choice of service to the Lord is needed, yes, but her service of action and food would be lost to her and picked up by another after her death. She would soon be forgotten. Marys choice to sit at Jesus Feet, hearing his word, taking it in, contemplating, feeling the emotions it stirred and determining what action to take would be with her always, in this life and in the life after. What a person thinks about, what a person allows the heart to feel, and what is determined within is what stays forever. This is why it is so important to guard the hearts and the thoughts. It is not right though, to completely abandon work for the contemplation. Work is necessary to eat. We need to eat to be able contemplate, feel and determine. The balance is to take time sitting at Jesus Feet, hearing His Word and then contemplate in the mind, feel with the heart, and determine in the spirit what to do. It is those deeds that are the most powerful, impacting and life changing. In Psalm chapter one the first three verses characterize the spiritual man by what he does not do first followed by what he does. The man who is spiritual is not found among those whose moral condition is lax, lacking stability in their character. The spiritual person lives their life based on Gods Word (Keil & Delitzsch commentary, e-sword). The spiritual life is not a lot of noise or action on the outward as much as it is inward. A spiritual life may appear to be quiet outwardly but is often inwardly active, constantly searching and thinking. It is the life devoted to the Word of God, allowing it to be made steady, steadfast and solid in position and the calling to be filled with good deeds in good timing and continual freshness in the innermost being as well as the outward appearance. This is the life that is blessed. The term used for the word blessed is an expressive one, referring to the many areas of life in which God pours out His Favor on those He justifies and completes and the greatness enjoyed by the life experiencing His Favor. This is the life that presses through, presses forward and prospers. It is a life marked outwardly with change by the grace at work inwardly (Treasury of David, e-sword). This is life that is fulfilled in and by Christ, whose heart is regenerated, whose mind finds complete pleasure in the scriptures and whose spirit finds absolute delight in putting it all into action. Deuteronomy 6:5 is the heart of spirituality. It is the key to living a balanced life. It says to Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. The Israelites were reminded of this law at every beginning point of a new level in their history. Moses reminded the people just before he died and the people were about to cross over the Jordan into the Promised Land. Joshua reminded them again just before they began their conquests of the territories, and Solomon reminded them at the dedication of the Temple. True

spirituality is coming before God and giving ourselves to Him as a token to show our affection for Him giving Him the complete core of our being, the complete breath/vitality/life contained within our beings with the complete intensity and forcefulness of expression all together. The only way God can be loved is entirely; all of the affections focused on Him. It is possible to confess one God with the mouth, although the heart is far from Him.When the unity of God is professed, the heart ought to be engaged, and free from every thought because God is a witness and knows all things (Keil & Delitzsch). When He is loved completely He is found at the core part of the understanding, the will (determination) and the personality is centered on Him. All the energy, everything done is based on getting closer to / knowing Him more. Choosing to give up time and affections in exchange for time with God to discover and embrace His affections more then anything else and allowing Him and His affections to consume the mind will cause the incredible relationship with Him humanity was meant to have to flourish. Even something so good as caring for the family can be detrimental to the soul when it is placed in priority over the relationship with God. Nothing can separate mankind from Gods Love, it is true, He loves all of humanity no matter what state they are in, but human love is easily separated from Him. The whole purpose of our being set free from ceremonial/ritualistic law is so that man could walk in closer relationship with His Creator. The spiritual life is the life that tells God our Heavenly Father and Creator whatever, whenever, however I just want to be with You. Gods design of the spiritual life is so that His people would be distinguished from other people by their fear and love for Him. The fear and love are seen outwardly in worship and obedience to Him. God even provided helps for the understanding of ways to give our selves to Him completely in every way through visual rituals and written laws. The people of the Old Testament posted reminders of scripture on the posts of their homes as well as attaching small parchments on their arms and foreheads. They talked about the scriptures in conversations all throughout the day. All this so that the children could be impacted, able to recognize how important it is for God to be the center of every day life and the relationship between God and man could continue on throughout the generations. We do similar acts today by posting pictures, post-it notes, and all types of reminders of the scriptures in and around our home, to remind us of our relationship with God. Where we lack is in the area of conversation. The Word of God and the relationship with God isnt talked about enough. We allow our conversations to be consumed with everything else. Spirituality on the most basic, foundational level is about walking the course of life, taking the mode of action completely guarded and clinging to God in any way possible, enslaving self completely to Him (intellectually, emotionally, willfully determined, down to that last breath). It is a life completely consumed with God our Creator, and His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus didnt come to make the Law (the external / the deeds) null and void, but rather He came to provide new motivations and special helps for the internal (intellect, emotions, and will) so that mankind can be complete and able to do what the law said. God is so patient. He has taken so much time, generation after generation, to showing how much humanity needs Him. External deeds being done just to be done is nothing more then just going through the motions; there is no power in going through the motions. The power comes when the internal and the external are lined up working together. The result of this is a pure heart. The impact of a pure heart, clear conscience and sincere faith is life forever changed, never the same. The relationship with God (Jesus Christ) starts in the heart. The heart is viewed as the place of understanding; the soul being the center of the will and personality, and the strength (might) is representative of the outgoing and energy [action]

(Barnes Notes, e-sword). The human heart changes constantly. It continuously needs to be reminded. God wants His people to know Him; to be in complete, reverent awe of Him, to delight in Him, and to confidently believe and trust in Him as He is fearfully worshipped and obeyed. The fear of God is only the beginning. The Hebrews showed this by bowing on the knees and stretching their hands upwards as an act of consecration. When mankind shows God that He is loved with the whole heart, soul and strength it is showing love that is sincere, strong, superlative, intelligent and entire (Matthew Henry Concise, bible explorer). This is true love. At the end of this command love out of a pure heart is found. Matthew 5:8 shows the pure in heart will see God. The purity spoken of here is to be compared to the purest gold. Gold in its purest form is extremely transparent and just as extremely thin and fragile. It becomes so clear and thin and fragile when it is placed in the hottest part of the fire. Gold this pure will never be seen on earth because of its fragility a simple touch wrongly placed can cause it to shatter. This level of transparency and fragility is how we need to be within our hearts to see God. This level of transparency and fragility causes us to be dependent on God. The Hebrew understanding of seeing is being able to possess. The religious leaders of Jesus day focused on the external acts of sin while Jesus showed that sin on the inside was just as damaging as the act itself. Sin fogs and clouds up the heart making it impossible to see God (RWP). The state of being crystal clear, squeaky clean makes it possible to see the King of kings. The heart is naturally unclean. There is nothing mankind can do for itself that will make it clean. The Old Testament shows this. If it were possible for humanity to do naturally, it would have been accomplished through the Law of Moses, and there would have been no reason for Christ to come and do all He did. It is only in and through Jesus Christ that we are made pure; without Christ whatever we gain, we would lose again. Those who love God with all their hearts, not letting anything in this life come ahead of Him in their minds, motives and principles. Those people live in such a way that their internal state is just as correct as their outward. This is what we ought to be striving for daily. Origen says, God has no body, and therefore is invisible: but men of contemplation can discern him with the heart and understanding. But a defiled heart cannot see God: but he must be pure who wishes to enjoy a proper view of a pure being. That proper view is from the view of a crystal clear, squeaky clean, pure heart. Why all this focus on the heart? The heart is the center of the physical, mental, and spiritual life of humanity. The heart, even as the physical organ is the focus for all the vital functions of the body, including the intellect. The Heart is where God does His life changing work in humans. The heart is closely connected with feelings and affections. The feelings and affections are fertile soil for the spiritual life, beginning and ending with Love. The heart is where God writes the law of love, fulfilling that law within because the law cannot be fulfilled naturally/outwardly. Spirituality focuses the affections on what really matters and enables the emotions to be centered and focused on Christ. This causes the individual to love what God loves, hate what God hates, be angry at what angers God, patiently endure, waiting with God when he waits, and moving when He moves. The Heart is where God has chosen to make His Home and His Throne within man. When God is rightfully in His Place, on the Throne of the Heart, Gods Will and Determinations will become the will and determination of the individual. The Will/Determination is the plan and purpose set to be put in motion. The affection found in the heart reveals the motive of the plan and purpose. The intellect determines the worthiness of the plan and purpose. The will determines the course of action to take. Without Christ the natural will of man is not able to be obedient to any commandment fully. The life with

Christ is more then outward duties; it is a life that requires inward (willful and determined) obedience. It is more then mere legalities; it is a union in life (Jamieson-Faussett Brown Commentary, Bible Explorer). The spiritual man will go through the renewal process under the guidance and rule of the Holy Spirit. Focused on Christ, passion, power, and presence will be the result. Accepting Christ merely opens the door to the relationship (RWP). Jesus deals gently with those who truly have Gods favor, even if they are weak in it. There is a deep and constant peace that lives within. Peace that enables stability in the mind through the storms and trials that rage in and through life. This peace is the solid assurance that all that is needed will be supplied. Romans 8:6 says to be mentally inclined or purposed to the external, the physical passions/morals of human nature is death; but to be mentally inclined to the internal, the vital principle, mental disposition of God is life and peace. That peace may not always be felt but the foundation of it is always there, completed since the day Christ was received. It was the day justification, cleansing, and sanctification saturated the life of the sinner enabling the confident walk in relationship with God. The relationship with Christ makes it possible to perceive the differences between Gods People and the world. There ought to be a difference. While it is not possible to hinder the bitter gossip, we ought to be living in a way that denies any reason for the gossip. This is the difference between believers and unbelievers. If there is no difference there is no purpose for Christ and all He has done. There is no purpose for the relationship or time spent invested in the relationship. But there is a difference, there is a purpose, thus the invested time in the relationship with Christ is the most valuable, life changing decision one could possibly make. Spirituality brings complete peace in even the worst of trials in life. The confident belief in the knowledge that nothing can separate humans from Gods Love is the reason for this absolute stability in the mind. It is impossible to focus on the things of this world when our mind is consumed with the business of God, showing others who God is, how amazing He is by simply living a consistently faithful life. The spiritual person focuses on what is really important loving the things of God such as pardon, peace, righteousness, life and glory; studying them and even being totally engrossed with them passionately pursuing all these things more then anything else while having a deep sense of sin, lack and wretchedness (knowing how much Jesus is needed). The evidence of someones spirituality is the relationship they have with God. It is their quiet and savory influence on the society they were in and the conforming of every part of their life to the Word of God.