What Affects My Spirit?

OK. Ask yourself some questions.

Do I habitually have cross words with my spouse? Do I snap at my children way too often?
Are my nerves on edge most of the time?
Am I constantly disappointed in myself?
Do I get up on the wrong side of the bed and make life miserable for those who come in contact with me during the day?
Do I accuse God for all the things that are wrong in my life?
Do I find it difficult to face my Pastor, Elder or mentor?
Am I in a depression right now?

Our spirit is that part of us that communicates man to self, man to man and man to God. At times in our lives we find it almost impossible to communicate with any of the three. Our spirit seems wrung out, battered or even dead. Sometimes I don't want to be with myself much less God or anyone else. I know that I'm not supposed to feel this way, that I have to find a way to get along with these three, but the energy it takes to show congeniality in every situation is too much which reveals my bad spirit to everyone.

Many things affect our spirit. Let me list some:
Lack of sleep, poor diet, health issues, relationship strains, lack of connection with God, financial pressure, lack of intimate contact with your spouse, responsibilities for which you lack answers, work stress, laziness, selfishness - you could list as many or more.

Part of maintaining your spirit is knowing yourself and your limitations. We are all custodians to some degree. Many of the things in the list above we have some control over - for example.

Change your schedule so that you get more sleep.
Read books on dieting or nutrition. Go see a nutritionist or a doctor. Get advice to learn what you can and cannot eat. Find out if you are 1.) over your healthy weight limit 2.) suffer from low blood sugar or high blood pressure 3.) tend toward heart disease or cancer.
Take time to develop your relationships in life; don't trade them for anything else.
Have regular conversations with God and keep his words in your heart and mind.
Make a decision to get your finances in shape and stick with it. (Check out davidramsey.com or Joshuah Kennon on about.com)
Talk to your spouse every day. Touch your spouse every day. At least every week let your spouse know in plain language and by physical attention that you are passionately crazy about him or her. Saying I love you should be like breathing.
Talk to your children, touch them, hug them tight, tell them you love them and help them do something often - weekly if possible.
Study what you don't know about the things that you should know. If you are at a loss where to start, get advice from someone who excels in that area.
Accomplish something. A human being needs something to do in order to feel valuable. Fight laziness.
When you feel selfish, drive yourself into doing something for others.

You may not be able to do anything about your health issues. (Take the advice my pastor gives and become an expert in the area of your infirmity. Study everything you can on your particular illness.) 
Your spouse may have left you. Your work situation may never get better. Your finances may always be a mountain you cannot climb. But you must take care of the things that you can fix to lighten the load.

In the sermon on the mount Christ said, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven'. If you are poor in spirit, you are the best candidate to own a piece of the kingdom. What is the kingdom of heaven?

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Christ tells his men that the secret to the kingdom of heaven was for them to know, and Matthew chapter 13 is his description of that kingdom.

Mat 13:1  The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
Mat 13:2  And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
Mat 13:3  And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
Mat 13:4  And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
Mat 13:5  Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
Mat 13:6  And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
Mat 13:7  And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
Mat 13:8  But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
Mat 13:9  Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15  For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Mat 13:18  Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
Mat 13:19  When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
Mat 13:20  But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
Mat 13:22  He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
Mat 13:23  But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Mat 13:24  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
Mat 13:25  But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
Mat 13:26  But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
Mat 13:27  So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
Mat 13:28  He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
Mat 13:29  But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Mat 13:30  Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Mat 13:31  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
Mat 13:32  Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Mat 13:33  Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
Mat 13:34  All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:
Mat 13:35  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
Mat 13:36  Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
Mat 13:37  He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
Mat 13:38  The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
Mat 13:39  The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
Mat 13:40  As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
Mat 13:41  The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Mat 13:42  And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 13:43  Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Mat 13:44  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Mat 13:45  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
Mat 13:46  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Mat 13:47  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
Mat 13:48  Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
Mat 13:49  So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
Mat 13:50  And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 13:51  Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

Christ's description of the kingdom of heaven was given in parables. The word parable means to throw alongside. Christ liked to tell stories that paralleled the truth he was trying to get across. Then he would explain them to his men. God likes to force us to use our brain now and then so he gives us some tough Scripture to chew on. Let me oversimplify these parables, if I may. There are seven of them.

1. A sower sows the seeds of the word of God in the hearts of men. Knowing that the seed will not take root in all hearts, but will affect individuals differently according to their faith, he sows indiscriminately.

2. In the end of the world God is separating two kingdoms and burning one.

3. A very small seed grows into a plant large enough to provide shelter for many.

4. A little bit of yeast is mingled into some dough which causes the whole loaf of bread to rise.

5. A treasure worth so much someone risks all to gain it.

6. A pearl so valuable someone sells all to buy it.

7. A fisherman hauls in a load of fish and sits down to sort them out keeping the good and trashing the bad.

Trying to make sense of these parables I came up with this. Am I willing to take the risk of influencing people for the good, knowing that many will reject what I have to offer but hoping that I win a very valuable prize? What prize? The treasure of many people encouraged throughout my lifetime by the acts of kindness that I bestowed upon them. Simply put, the kingdom of heaven is warning people of judgment to come and helping them in everyday struggles.

How do I do this? One way is to tell them about my heavenly Father. If you want your spirit lifted, then inherit a portion of the kingdom of heaven. When you have done what you can do to help your spirit, and you are left coping with what you cannot change, your spirit may still be depressed. The most fulfilling thing you can do for your spirit is to tell someone about Christ and what He has done for you. Will everyone listen? No! But the ones that do have the opportunity to be your part of the kingdom of heaven.

First, do what you can do, then leave the rest for God.

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Now that God is helping you with your burdens, help Christ's with his.

Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Jesus says that if you want a renewed spirit, come do some work with me. The people who work with me are spiritually stable. Do you enjoy your labor when you have to do it alone, or do you like it when you have a companion who can share the experience.

It is easier to carry another person's burden than it is to carry your own. Have you noticed how easy it is to pick out another person's fault, but your own faults are hidden to you? Examples: it is easier to help another person with their marriage, to rear another person's kid, clean up another person's financial mess, give health advice to others...
God knows this and so he gives us the opportunity to ask him for help with our problems if we agree to jump in and help others with theirs. So the second way to renew our spirit is to help someone with their problem.

It is amazing how well your spirit becomes when you give of your time to help your fellow man. Granted, those who live for themselves have more stuff, but those who live for others have a better spirit. Which one do you want?

Yeah! I know. You want the stuff. So do I some times. Ha!

It was nice chatting with you,
John