I started this conversation talking about the importance of our physical core. It provides stability to our entire body. The source of all movement. It is what keeps us standing. Having a strong, stable core helps us to prevent injuries and allows us to perform at our best. It's one of those things we know, but being who we are, we tend to focus on one thing only: our ABS. Every magazine cover shouts from the roof top, the necessity of fabulous abs to remain youthful, desirable and envied. Everyone desires a six pack, but our core consists of so much more. Even though it’s extremely important to have strong abdominal muscles to have a strong core, you shouldn’t concentrate all your exercises only on that part. An imbalanced core is as bad for you as a weak core. If you only do abs and neglect your back and hip muscles, you can set yourself up for an injury.
Likewise, your spiritual core is more than faith.
II Pet. 1: 5 pleas with us to make our calling and election sure... HOW? by adding to our faith. Faith are the abs of our spiritual core. It's what we flex, what we show off, and what catches the eye of others. It too, graces the cover of Christian magazines all over the world, like a neon sign insisting on our attention. And we know that "without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6), but faith alone cannot sustain you.
The difference between a novice singer and a trained singer is in the muscle development. If you can sing at all, you have the ability to hit notes that are pleasing to the ear. Some are really great at the high notes, others at the low notes. They are what we call in the industry, your 'money makers'. We pay big bucks for a Celine Dion, Ariana Grande or Mariah Carey ticket because of those notes. But the truth is, they have spent more time developing the surrounding notes than the money maker itself. A good vocal coach will spend 90% of their training time working on what we call , 'the break.' The break are the notes traveled from the top to the bottom and vice versa of your vocal range. The supporting notes. And honestly, as a singer, you hate the time spent there, WHY? it reveals your weak spot(s). But they will remain your weak spots if you don't exercise them.
The same is true for us spiritually. We have exercised the faith muscle to a point that we look really good in a spiritual tank top and I don't want to discourage the development of them. However, just as there are 37 regions of muscles making up our physical core, II Pet. 1 gives us, at least 7 other regions of muscles that need developing in order to strengthen our spiritual core: goodness, knowledge, self control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love. These are the areas where the enemy attacks most relentlessly, because he knows our weak spot is seldom just faith.
We can have faith in God, but not believe he is a good God. I know that makes some of us bristle. But we can say that we believe he's good, yet when we are faced with hardships and are faithfully begging and pleading to God , but see no relief in sight, we can begin to question his goodness towards us. It's those secret truths we don't express out loud that reveals our weakness in the armor of our core. Choosing to pretend we don't have them, is choosing to open the door for Satan to enter.
We can choose, like an amateur singer, to ignore them and to continue in what we are strong in (which will eventually give way because it lacks support). Or we can face our weak spots head on and begin to exercise these weaker muscles ultimately strengthening the whole.
I'm learning that, like with most things in my walk with God, the choice is usually mine.
"This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob". Deut. 30: 19-20.
