Recharge Your Spiritual Battery This Summer

I'm all for pedicures and bubble baths. 

However, if you feel overwhelmed, drained, and at the end of your rope, a bubble bath and pedicure just won't cut it. 

You need something more. 

You need life imparted to you from the One who was there at Creation, gladly embraced the horrible crucifixion, and conquered death by rising from the dead. This is the same Lord who has pursued you and if you have surrendered to Him, has filled you with His Spirit. 

Jesus loves us and offers life. So simple, yet so profound. 

If you are feeling overwhelmed, you need life and joy from Jesus. And the Good News is that He longs to love you. He promises that if you are weary and burdened, you can surrender your burdens to Him and He will exchange them for His burdens. I

Isn't that exciting??????

Refreshment comes when we fix our eyes on Jesus and surrender to Him, allowing Him to fill us to overflowing with His grace. What I am going to share with you are some ways to position yourself to receive His grace and fix your eyes on Him. 

---

Join a Small Group Bible Study

We are challenged to encourage one another throughout the New Testament. Why? Well, we all need courage imparted to us because life is hard. The very best way to impart courage is to share Scripture with one another because the Bible has the power to penetrate the depths of our being to teach, encourage, inspire, and teach us. 

I love small group Bible studies because it spurs me on to draw closer to Jesus, to fix my eyes on Him! 

Do A Bible Study On Your Own

You can also dig into Scripture on your own with a personal Bible study. Or maybe you want to go through a Bible study guide. I have enjoyed several dozen in my lifetime starting out with Navigator Bible studies in my early college days. I have even written several of my own Bible studies for ladies and young gals and gladly share them with you. You can click on the photos below to learn more about each one. 

Read a Classic Christian Book

There are books that have been around for decades and even centuries, impacting our brothers and sisters. From stories like Hinds Feet on High Places, a beautiful allegory, to Abide in Christ, a delightful devotional that calls the believer to the deeper life of abiding. Eternity in their Hearts is an amazing testimony of God's heart to reach nations that have never heard the Gospel by planting truth within their culture and A Chance to Die is the inspirational true story of Amy Carmichael, a missionary to India who led many Indians to Christ and rescued many young women from slavery, adopting them as her own daughters. 

Start a "God Hunt" Journal

God is always moving in our life. What if you take the summer to actively look for His fingerprints in your life. His blessings, His counsel, His answers to prayer, His healings, and His love lavished to you through His people. 

This is a great way to realize how much the Lord Jesus is really loving you in practical and perfect ways, even as we endure the challenges of living in a fallen world. 

Make a Gratitude Poster

Take a big poster board and write on the top, "Thank you, Jesus for...." Make three columns so there is plenty of room to everyone in the family to write down all the things they are thankful to the Lord for as they come to mind. Hang it on the wall and keep cheery brightly-colored markers nearby. 

As the chart fills us, you will find yourself fixing your eyes on the Giver of Good Gifts in so many ways. 

Memorize Scripture

I love memorizing Scripture! It is so exciting and fun. God's Word is so powerful and the memorized passages come back to your thoughts just exactly when you need them. When I am tempted, discouraged, full of fear, worrying, or just need to know that Jesus loves me, the Scripture I have memorized fills my heart and washes away the gloomies. 

I encourage you to choose Scriptures that you need in your heart. Do you need to remember God's amazing love, His faithfulness, or His provision? Then memorize Scriptures that speak those things. 

Prayer Walk

I love to walk and pray. It's so relaxing and there is no one around to interrupt me. However, as I pour my heart out to the Lord, He begins to put His love inside me for others. Soon, I m praying for the people I pass and those unseen ones living in the houses I walk by. As the Lord turns my eyes onto others' needs, I am filled with confidence that He will meet mine as well. 

Pray with a Prayer Partner

Prayer changes things God answers prayer. It's a sweet blessing to have a prayer partner. Praying together each week is an opportunity to encourage one another, but it's also an opportunity to present needs to God in unity which is such a delightful blessing. Lifelong friendships have been built with my sweet prayer partners over the years. I am very grateful for my prayer partners and those who pray for me. As a result of their prayers, my eyes fix on Jesus, reminding me that His love is always there!

Worship in a New Way

You are probably thinking, "Well, she's a worship leader. Of course, she would bring up worship."

Okay, it's true. I am always thinking about worship and I love leading worship and seeing people draw close to Jesus during those precious times. 

God made us to worship Him. When we worship Him, as we were created to do, there is so much freedom, refreshment, and encouragement. 

I encourage you to read my article God's Worship Registry, where I discuss the different ways the Lord delights to receive our worship. You can read it here. 

As you read the article, I would encourage you to try out a new way of worshiping the Lord in the privacy of your room. Maybe you've never sat silently before the Lord, or danced, or sang a new song. It's up to you, but I would encourage you to grow as a worshiper--after all, it's what you were created for! 

I hope that at least one or two of these suggestions has caught your attention. I just want you to position yourself to receive His grace because I want you to feel refreshed and encouraged. 

God bless you and hold you close. 

Happy Summer!
​Meredith Curtis

---