The Body Beautiful/Spiritual

Our spiritual bodies can take a few lessons from our hairdresser.

1. Cleansing.  In the 51st Psalm, David wrote: Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will    be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. (Psalm 51:7, NIV, emphasis mine.)  David understood the power behind hyssop, a plant known for it's cleansing properties.  Better still, David understood the power of God.  When John the Baptist preached baptism, he was telling the people that by being baptized, they were showing an outward sign of their inward "washing."  It's easy to allow the grime of daily life to cause our spiritual lives to become dirty.  Daily prayers of repentance wash away the muck and mire that weigh down our spiritual growth and cause us to become spiritually unhealthy.  The apostle John wrote, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9 NIV)

2. Conditioning.  Daily spiritual conditioning-prayer, time reading the Bible, and time spent with other Christians-creates the same kind of foundation as hair conditioning. When we are spiritually conditioned, we become strengthened and prepared for the "combing out" that comes when we least expect it.  Spiritual conditioning provides God's protection from the harsh rays of sin, a foundation and a cornerstone, which is Jesus. "Consequently, you are...God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone." (Ephesians 2: 19-20, emphasis mine)

3. Leave-in Conditioner. Do you know we have a spiritual leave-in Conditioner?  Everywhere we go, He goes.  Jesus said, "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26 NIV) Paul also talked about the armor of God in Ephesians 6: 10-20.  In those passages, he tells us to "put on the whole armor" so that we may "take our stand against the devil's schemes." The Holy Spirit dwells within us, daily protecting us from damaging exposures.  The Armor of God is about us, protecting us from the dangers of the enemy. Our job is to make certain we listen to the stillness of the Spirit's voice and to keep that armor tight and in place.