Too often, we have compartments in our lives, and we think our spiritual life is separate from our secular life as if they cannot coexist. Even if we don’t say it out loud or admit that is how we live, if we are honest, we often segregate the spiritual from the secular.
Our life is not separated between the sacred and the secular, but between our old man and our new man. As long as you keep relying upon your old man in some areas, he has yet to be removed from your life. “Put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man…and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24 NKJV).
We may pray for the secular jobs we have, but that is as far as we go with it. We do our secular work with the power of self and leave the presence of God for when we might be at a prayer meeting. We must confess our neglect of God in our secular jobs.
Stop thinking you have a secular job but a ministry in the midst of your workplace. “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23 NKJV).
God is at your job, and the Holy Spirit dwells within you. Your natural abilities are from God, and in the same manner, your supernatural abilities are from God as well. But with both types of abilities, it is one thing to have them and another to use them.
God can do more with you than your abilities because He fills you with His own. “Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.” (Ephesians 3:20 NOG).
When God wanted to have man build a place for God, He put His Holy Spirit within them to accomplish it. The Spirit of God provided secular skills to men so that they could do their work with the supernatural abilities given by God.
Just as God gave you natural abilities, He can also give you supernatural ones. The Lord said, “I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship” (Exodus 31:3-5 NKJV).
Whatever secular work that you might do, God can help you in it by the power of the Holy Spirit within you. When Jesus said the Holy Spirit would teach you all things, He did not limit that teaching to only doctrines and heavenly revelations.
God can show you in a moment what you couldn’t learn in a lifetime. The Lord Jesus taught, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things…” (John 14:26 NKJV).
You have a Christian life, and it is that same life that worships God on Sunday and goes to work on the days in between. The heart that beats at church is the same heart that beats as you perform every secular task in your life.
Don’t try to be better in only one area of your life but in all your life. “…We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit…” (Colossians 1:9-10 NLT).
Just as the Holy Spirit helped the metal workers and artists with the building of the Tabernacle, He can help you with whatever secular work you are doing. He can provide you with the skills and discernment that you could never have without Him.
Imagine what you could accomplish in your secular work filled with the power of the Spirit of God. “And Moses said to the children of Israel, ‘See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold and silver and bronze” (Exodus 35:30-32 NKJV).
The mark of a mature believer is in the abiding presence of the Spirit of Christ in his or her life. Jesus said, “If you abide in Me…” (John 15:7 NKJV), and this means we must always have Him on our minds and in our hearts in whatever thing we find ourselves doing.
The greater faith does not come by striving but only by abiding. It is not the higher truth you know that matters but the simple truth you walk in. Jesus promised, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7 NKJV). Be sure that if Christ is in you, your desires are born out of heaven.
The circumstantial Christian only calls out to God under certain circumstances. The abiding Christian calls out to God in everything they are doing. If Christ is in your life, then stop acting like He is not there in every part of your life.
There should be no part of your life where Christ does not belong. “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority” (Colossians 2:9-10 NLT).
Practical spirituality is that way of life that has the presence of God in every detail and circumstance. It is in the mundane things of life that we prove how spiritual we really are. You can be anointed by the Spirit even as you are washing dishes.
How we are practically reflects who we are spiritually. “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10 NKJV).
Child of God, begin today to invite the Holy Spirit into everything you are doing. Ask Him to help you even in the most mundane of things. As you grow spiritually, you will find the presence of God to be a delight to your soul in even the smallest of things.
Don’t get so focused on the prophetic that you miss the practical. Jesus taught, “I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me” (Matthew 25:36 NKJV).
Blessings to you always,
Paul Balius
Such an encouragement! Thank you Paul for allowing the Spirit of God to work through you to encourage hearts and bring glory to God!
Thank you, Katherine! It is such a privilege for us that God reaches down and picks us up as a utensil in His work. Blessings to you, Paul
The church of Christ throughout the earth imperatively needs to whole heartedly hear and herald this magnificent message for abiding awareness, attention and affection! Being called forth is the transcending transformation of precious lives everywhere to the purpose of and praise for the grace and glory of our God and His Christ.
Thank you!
This past week I have more time limited projects than actual time. Yet both my heart and more importantly His Spirit within me compels a reply. This is a subject I feel very strongly about, Paul’s message is so true and accurate, the message if it brings conviction then count this a gift because repentance is in fact a gift. My motives are to encourage those believers and in particular new believers to pay the price of diligence and honesty before both the Lord God and men. I came to Christ in a secular three partnered company that sold and serviced office equipment. This was many years ago before the PC, cellphones, tablets etc. I went from the cursing lets go to the bar Friday after work cause the strippers are on after 6, to a radically saved, non cursing, nondrinking Spirit filled believer. Now it was God Himself who took an already good work ethic and whispered often, they are watching you! Where they ever watching me to find fault to justify themselves meaning their sin. I so identified with Joseph in prison for taking a stand, raises denied, others promoted in my place, new high end company vehicles given to newly hired people, why I refused to set copy counters back to 0 on used photo copiers so that they could be sold as new. Now for the good part I had incredible favor with spiritually curious coworkers. A few wanted to know why, and one wanted to know who. Stand out for God if any of you reading this can identify. God rewards righteousness. Ironically all three partners came to my wedding with cards and gifts. Only God!
What a blessed message your life is to what happens to a soul given over to God! It is testamonies like yours that bring hope to so many others. Blessings to you, Paul