Building Your Spirit

One summer, BJ and I had the bright idea to take the family to Colorado. It was our first big family vacation. Evan was 1 1/2, Emma was 6, and Abbey was 9. While out sightseeing one day, our phones dropped signal. None of our navigation would work. We were up on this high lookout mountain and had to figure out the way back to the highway. Making turns the best we could we noticed the road getting smaller and smaller. Soon we were in the thick of the woods. People were living back there, but they were those off-the-grid kind of people. The folks that you don’t just roll up on and knock on their door. Eventually the road got down to muddy tire tracks and stopped. Since we were trying to get back to the highway, we figured this wasn’t it. We wedged the car back around and made our way in the opposite direction. As the roads got bigger and bigger, we eventually reached the highway. And we didn’t die in the woods.

Tire Tracks or Highway?

Building our spirit is much like those Colorado roadways. Our spirit (little “s”) is what connects us to God’s Spirit (big “S”). But what kind of road are we building? Do we have a tire-track connection to God or a highway? The wider we develop our spirit, the more we can receive from Him.

So, how do I build my spirit?

“Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.”

– Genesis 2:7 NLT

On the pinnacle day of creation, God created His most masterful work: Adam. Well, maybe Eve was the highest masterpiece, but that’s another blog post.

After God formed the man, He came face to face with Adam and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils. Adam gasped his breath and became a living being.

Man was simply a shell until the Lord breathed His Spirit into him.

Fast forward thousands of years and that same Spirit that brought Adam life was released on the whole Earth when Jesus died on the cross.

“Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom…”

– Matthew 27:50-51 NLT

Then we see again where God breathed His breath of life: into His Word.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”

– 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT

The word “inspired” here in the Greek is “theopneustos,” meaning “God-breathed.”

And then again on the Day of Pentecost:

“On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. 2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.”

– Acts 2:1-2 NLT

To grow our spirit to a greater connection with God, we go to where God has breathed His Spirit.

Keys to Building Your Spirit:

1. Time with God
2. Time in His Word
3. Time with Others

Spending time in God’s presence through prayer, worship, and reading scripture are opportunities for God to breathe into us. And our spirit comes alive and expands! Where we typically fall short is time with other believers. This is critical because God didn’t design us to do life alone. When the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, there were 120 of them gathered in one room! I love the way James puts it:

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

– James 5:16 NLT

We often quote the second half of this verse without first remembering the beginning.

The Blessing of Spirit Building

Just as Adam’s chest expanded from the breath of God, our spirit comes alive when the Lord comes close. The road that connects us to God develops, and we can interact from Him more. We hear Him more clearly. We’re more sensitive to His Spirit. And isn’t that what we truly want? Like Adam, we were designed to walk with God.

Let’s Get Started

Would you draw close to the Lord today? Move closer until you are face to face. Let Him breathe into you through His scriptures. Get with other friends of God to encourage each other and pray. It’s time to grow, my friends!

Prayer: “Lord, I want to grow my spirit! I want to hear Your voice more clearly. I want to know Your heart and thoughts. Breathe Your presence into me I ask, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.”