Introduction
Day Seven of the PPFC, being Sunday – the Day of the Lord – was most devoted to Worship and Thanksgiving. Nonetheless, our leader Brother Theodore Andoseh opened his session with a critical truth: obedience to God is the measure of true spirituality.
The Physical Senses and their Spiritual Equivalents
We are often taught about the five (among others) basic senses that humans possess: Touch; Taste; Smell; Hearing; and Sight. Each of these senses is a medium/means of communication with our environment. Just like we have physical senses to communicate with the external world, we have equivalent spiritual senses to communicate with God. In every person, one physical sense is often the most developed compared to the others, and it varies from person to person. Similarly, our spiritual senses are not developed in the same way, to the same level, or to the same extent, and as such, no one should envy another person’s spiritual experiences. What is important is prompt obedience to God when He speaks.
In spiritual experiences, all the five senses correspond to the senses of our spirit, and connect us to the spiritual world, just like the five senses of our body connect us to the external/physical world. Sight corresponds to Vision; Hearing corresponds to Listening/Hearing; Smell corresponds to Discernment; Touch corresponds to Burden.
Just like we have different personalities, our spiritual experiences as different. The point of this is that if you are seeking somebody else’s spiritual experience, you will end up not seeking God. God’s way of leading each person is unique to that individual.
True Spirituality is Obedience to God
True spirituality is simply a matter of obedience and not subjective individual experiences. After an experience with God, what matters is the obedience that accompanies it and not the experience itself. The more you obey, the clearer, more pressing, and more imperative God’s voice becomes to you. Conversely, the more you disobey, the more distant God becomes to you. In essence, what matters is your obedience and not the experience. Repeated ‘obediences’ provide more impulse in our communication with God, while repeated ‘disobediences’ produce hardened hearts.
As a community, we want spiritual experiences but they are not the measure of true spirituality; true spirituality before God is simply a function of obedience.
A Charge to Parents
God is not like man (or like human fathers/parents) who shout repeatedly at you in order to compel obedience. Those founding families must labour to raise their children in a manner that helps them to develop a normal walk with God.
Pray for the brethren to have deep personal encounters with God that not only transform them but also allow for the emergence of new leaders.