What is the First Sign of Spiritual Decline?

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Life's Healing Choices

What is the First Sign of Spiritual Decline? By Rick Warren — Jul 14, 2015 “Love your spiritual family.” (1 Peter 2:17 MSG) I’ve mentioned before that the Church is a Body, not a building, and an organism, not an organization. For the organs of your body to fulfill their purpose, they must be connected to your body. The same is true for you as a part of Christ’s Body. You were created for a specific role, but you will miss out on it if you’re not attached to a living, local church. You discover your role in life though your relationships with others. The Bible tells us, “Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we?”(Romans 12:4-5 MSG) If an organ is somehow severed from its body, it will shrivel and die. It cannot exist on its own, and neither can you. Disconnected and cut off from the lifeblood of a local Body of believers, your spiritual life will wither and eventually cease to exist (Ephesians 4:16). This is why the first symptom of spiritual decline is usually inconsistent attendance at worship services and other gatherings of believers. Whenever we become careless about fellowship, everything else begins to slide, too. The Bible says, “Love your spiritual family” (1 Peter 2:17 MSG). Membership in the family of God is neither inconsequential nor something to be casually ignored. The Church is God’s agenda for the world. Jesus said, “I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it” (Matthew 16:18 NLT, second edition). PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over What is the difference between an organization and an organism? How is your walk with God affected when you miss church or small group or other gatherings with believers? What changes do you need to make so that you can put more time and effort into building relationships in the Body of Christ?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzGII4jYvas Today’s Scripture “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm 16:11, NIV) SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS Joy in His Presence God promises that joy is found in His presence, and if you’ve accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then His presence lives inside of you. That means you are full of joy! Joy manifests when you focus your mind and heart on the Father and begin to praise Him for what He’s done in your life. It doesn’t matter where you are or what’s going on around you, you can access the joy that’s inside of you at anytime, day or night. Know this: God wants you to experience His supernatural joy and peace at all times. That’s why He chose to live inside of you and give you an endless supply. Don’t waste another minute feeling overburdened and discouraged. Let the joy of the Lord be your strength, and you will move forward in victory on the path of life He’s prepared for you! A Prayer for Today “Father, thank You for an endless supply of joy. Today, I choose to cast my cares on You and give You the praise, glory and honor due Your name. Let joy flow through me so that I can be a witness of Your goodness to those around me in Jesus’ name. Amen.”