Leonid Padun: "Spiritual climate"
2 October 2012
Physical and spiritual climate
There are many countries in the world and each of them has its own climate – weather regime of many years, which is typical for a particular locality.
The climate is affected by many factors such as temperature, wind speed and direction, rainfall, air pressure, proximity to the sea, mountains, deserts, etc. For example, the climate of the northern and southern countries is significantly different and no one expects frost in Africa or heat in Antarctica.
Just as physical climate there is also a spiritual one. A certain spiritual atmosphere reigns in the life of every person and every family. Sometimes a person does not even say a word, but everyone is “pressed down” by his presence. Coming to visit in one family you feel cozy and comfortable, and from another house with “cold weather” you want to go as quickly as possible.
If the spiritual climate is not favourable even the most right, inoffensive words and actions can cause the opposite effect and lead to conflicts. But if the spiritual climate is healthy, everything is perceived quite differently and even some errors can be smoothed out and turned into a joke.
It is foolish to expect a harvest, while trying to plant potatoes somewhere in the Arctic. But sometimes in our life and family we try to plant good seeds in bad soil and then wonder why there is no result. To see good changes in your life, first of all you should take care of the right spiritual climate.
Climate of God’s Kingdom
“…giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:12-13).
The Bible speaks of the kingdom, which is invisible, but real. Its borders are not geographical or political, but it is the most beautiful country that just can be! We are citizens of this heavenly state – the Kingdom of God!
As any other country, the kingdom of God has its own climate, but it does not depend on external factors. The Bible says that the Kingdom of God is not the “matter of eating and drinking”, where people eat, drink, have fun, and then fight and left. The Kingdom of God is “the righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”! This is a component of a healthy spiritual climate.
RIGHTEOUSNESS
Righteousness is, first of all, the absence of guilt. People often cannot even imagine how this could be. For many, the words “religion” and “guilt” are synonyms, and it’s one of the reasons why people are afraid to go to church. Already having sufficient load of sin and guilt, no one wants to add another extra weight. But the truth is that God wants to give freedom from condemnation!
Everything has its time. There is a time for tears and repentance, but there is a time for joy! God frees us from sin and condemnation and gives eternal life: how could we not be happy and not thank Him? The will of God is righteousness and freedom from condemnation and the Bible says: “…anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God…” (Romans 14:18).
PEACE
The peace of God is the absence of anxiety and worry. Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). In our life there may be hundreds of reasons to worry about ourselves and our families. But in the midst of life’s storms we may have in our hearts the peace of God, which “transcends all understanding”, a supernatural assurance that everything will be well!
JOY
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22). We are called to live in joy! Negativism can deprive all the best in life and lead to disease, but the joy is useful for health and longevity.
When the person is filled with the righteousness, peace of God and joy, it is not difficult to recognize him. He is so positive, that changes everything around him!
So was Jesus Christ. Wherever He went, He carried with Him an atmosphere of God’s Kingdom. People do not just listen to Him with pleasure, but they felt themselves simply well with Him. And God wants for such an atmosphere, a “climate” to be cultivated in the Church, in every family and in life of each person.
What do you need to create the right spiritual climate
Holiness
“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
Holiness is, first of all, dedication. This is not about to give up everything and “go to a monastery”. Devote yourself to God means to belong to Him permanently, and not just occasionally “come to visit” to see how He’s doing. God is always fine! But if we want to make our life change, we need to connect it with God forever. This is holiness.
Also holiness is purity of heart. “But what if I sin?”. The Bible says that we all stumble in many ways. Life in repentance will constantly accompany our lives. Some people think like this: “I will no longer repent, because I don’t want to be a hypocrite. How long can it go on: after all I still sin”. But there are only two options: to repent and be forgiven or not to repent and go to hell. Repentance is our “life preserver”!
The right words
We often underestimate the power of words, but the Bible says that our tongue is like a rudder. Sometimes people begin to proclaim good things into their life, but not noticing instant results, they immediately give up and get frustrated. But the ship is not a race car that can be instantly turned in its own length. Some time is required for a huge ship to change its direction.
Words can radically change the spiritual climate around us. Our tongue can be “inflamed from hell” and speaks negative things, but can be also inspired from God and speaks good things, as David once said: “…my tongue rejoices” (Psalm 16:9). It’s good when something positive and joyful comes out of our mouths, creating the atmosphere of our lives. Proclaim the Word of God, say something good, pleasant and sublime. Not only believe in it, but say it!
The right choice
We always need to make a choice. No matter how we feel, God thinks of us well. Forgiveness always comes after repentance, because the Bible says: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Choose God’s point of view. Say to yourself: “I am pure through the blood of Jesus Christ, because I’ve repented”, get rid of condemnation and rejoice about God! Joy is a matter of choice, not feelings.
We are the citizens of God’s Kingdom. Living in a good area, few people agree to choose worse living conditions, worse country with a poor climate. It’s a paradox, but for some reason some Christians do it! Living in the best “country”, they look and feel as if they don’t have any relation to it.
Choose not only to have a “citizenship” of the Kingdom of God, but also to live in this “country” every day, in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Be the bearer of this spiritual climate, allowing God to change all around for the better!
