Working Out Spirituality in the Midst of Challenges

​by: Carol Donaal

So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of armies, their God,

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, most people have recognized the need of a Higher power from Above to alleviate and to put a stop to the virus and its ill-effects. We have seen significant changes in many aspects of  the lives of people

Seeking God is man’s initial and automatic reaction especially in times of adversities. As Meriam Webster defines, spirituality is the quality or state of being spiritual. Moreover, we can say that spirituality is the result of a person’s intimate relationship with God - being the creature to his/her Creator, man to God, and vice versa - regardless of man’s church, sect, denomination, religion or culture.

In our pursuit of God, it is the Holy Spirit of the Living God who can help us in our journey of changing our lives for the better. Evangelist Morris Cerullo once said in his preaching that “We got to have the same spirit with Jesus if we want to the same work that Jesus Christ did during His earthly ministry. It is written, Spirit gives birth to spirit and we need to have the same power of the Holy Spirit of the Living God if we want to have the same impact and effectiveness as we do the work of God.
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In one instance in the Old Testament, God commanded the people to go up to the mountains, bring wood, and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be honored.” We can see that there are three things that we need in order to grow and mature in our spirituality in the midst of difficulties. Firstly, we need to go up to the mountains. This means that we need to take courage and find strength to willingly surrender everything unto the mighty Hands and perfect will of God. In the same way, we are admonished to pick up our mats and carry our cross. Secondly, we need to bring wood. Our hearts is the altar of the Lord. It is our task to gather and bring wood to keep the spiritual fire burning. Let us remember Moses when returned from his golden bush encounter with God. Moses returned with God’s Ten Commandments written on stone tablets. The bush (wood) here represents our day to day communion with God and His word. At the same time, we have to cultivate our relationship with the Holy Spirit - keep the fire ablaze in our hearts. We must also work out the fruits, gifts and anointing of the Holy Spirit if we are to continue Jesus Christ’s ministry here on earth.The third and last is the command for us to build the temple of God. It is a challenge to rebuild the Temple of the Lord in our hearts, in the hearts of our family, agencies or offices, and in our nation, but we are instructed to do so. We are to rebuild and restore everything that the enemy has stolen, killed, and destroyed. In addition, we have to reconcile the people back to God.

In this endeavor, we can see the importance of God. Going back to Haggai, God stirred up the government, church and the people faithful people to Him in effecting change or transformation.It goes the same with us, we have to be united in one accord with the government, the church,  and other believers leading our spirit to be one with the Spirit of God. This way, we can build the Temple of God that is filled with the greatness and glory of Jesus Christ. For it is in Jesus Christ alone that we can build a great and glorious Temple that is pleasing and glorifying to God.