For anything to thrive, it needs systems to hold it up.
“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. ”
Acts 2:42 (NKJV)
It’s the 9th day of our 40 days of prayer and fasting, and what a time we’ve had. The Lord has been good to us! In the first week, we learnt to wait on the Lord and, more importantly, experienced what that waiting can produce in a man. As we dive deeper into this season of prophetic leadership, the focus of our devotional today is Soul Maintenance.
Everything in life requires maintenance; from plants to buildings, human relationships, and even our bodies. This is because it’s not enough to start something; how it is maintained is just as important. It is not enough for a building to be erected. If it is not properly maintained, its quality declines with time until it becomes completely dilapidated.
Let’s bring it home to the human body. You don’t work out only when you’re on a sick bed; neither do you eat only when you’re at the point of starvation. No, daily, there are things you do to maintain your body’s baseline metabolism and improve your health. You don’t wait for dire circumstances before you intervene; you take preventive measures by maintaining a daily routine. The same can be said of your soul.
As believers, we must maintain daily routines to keep our spiritual stature in check. Some habits must become non-negotiable for our devotion to continue to thrive.
An idea associated with James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, is the idea of systems in achieving goals. For anything to thrive, it needs systems to hold it up. In the same way that you don’t eat only when you’re starving, you have structured meal times throughout the day- breakfast, lunch and dinner. You don’t wait until you’re starving before you eat.
In Modern Medicine, there are vital signs that are pointers to something that could be terribly wrong in a patient. But one does not need to wait till an emergency happens, or any of the vital signs start to show up, to go to the hospital. Likewise, spiritually, you do not need to wait for vital signs to start sounding their alarms in your life before you take necessary actions; you can start from now to prevent them from even showing up. Through consistency in prayer and devotion, you can actually maintain the state of your soul. And this is not a novel idea. Scripture is replete with instructions to be consistent in prayer, fellowship and the worship of God.
Joshua 1:8
New King James Version
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.
Here, God’s instruction is clear: meditate on the Word of God consistently. Not once in a while, but all the time. This must be the believer’s approach to the Word: consistency and contemplation. Let’s look at a couple of instances.
Hebrews 13:15
New King James Version
15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
The instruction is to continually offer praise. Not occasionally, not only when things are going well, but continually.
Hebrews 10:24-25
New King James Version
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some…
Again, we see consistency. Fellowship with other believers was not treated as an occasional activity but as something that needed to be maintained.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
New King James Version
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing,
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
This text sums it all up. The bible says that we should pray without ceasing; in other words, pray uninterruptedly. The only thing that humans need to do uninterruptedly in order to maintain life is breathing. We depend on the natural instinct we have to breathe because without it, life would not be possible. The same way now, in order to maintain the state of your soul, Apostle Paul is instructing us to never stop praying. Because this is the very thing your soul requires for maintenance. This is your life support. The pattern of consistency runs through each instance. These are what must make up the believer’s routine; not once-in-a-while practices, but consistent ones. This is God’s will for you.
Believers in Scripture understood this so aptly that you can see it in their approach to devotion: the hunger with which they approached the Word, the diligence in prayer and fellowship, and the longing for intimacy with God. They approached these practices of devotion with such longing and desperation that one would think they couldn’t live without them! And rightly so. This is the approach we must have.
Acts 3:1
New King James Version
1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
It’s important to note here that even the Apostles had an hour of prayer that they observed. It wasn’t some haphazard practice that they stumbled upon, but a habit of devotion that they maintained. In the same book of Acts, it is shown that they consistently observed the study of God’s Word, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers made up their habitual practice.
Importantly, Jesus Himself had sacred practices of devotion that He committed to. He attended temple gatherings, engaged in discussions on the Word and had times of prayer. His devotion was not occasional; it was a consistent part of His life. So what’s stopping you?
The same way you don’t wait until your body begins to break down before you start paying attention to your health, don’t wait until the vital signs of your spiritual life begin to deteriorate before you start paying attention to your soul. Soul maintenance is daily. The Word, prayer, fellowship, worship and intimacy with God cannot be emergency interventions. They must become part of your daily spiritual routine.
Ensure you make a habit of these practices. Don’t wait until you begin to see the vital signs before you respond. Maintain your soul daily.
Prayer
Lord, help me to maintain my soul. Give me a hunger for Your Word, consistency in prayer, a love for fellowship and a longing for intimacy with You. Help me not to wait until my spiritual life begins to deteriorate before I pay attention. Give me grace to build and maintain the habits that keep me spiritually healthy. Amen.
