DEALING WITH SPIRITUAL DEFICIENCIES.

Sometimes ago, I experienced stinging pain under my feet. It was as If was walking on nails.

After managing that pain for months, I decided to see a doctor. The doctor said I was deficient in some vitamins.

He recommended a food supplement containing the vitamins I needed. He told me to use it once daily till I finish the whole pack.

That sounded too simple for the complaints I had. I thought he would give me injection and take me through special procedures.

After several weeks of using the tablets as prescribed, I didn't even know when the pains left. Why was I in pains? It was because I was deficient in certain nutrients needed by my body.

The same applies to our spiritual lives. It is possible for our faith walk to be deficient in certain areas.

In those areas, we'll either feel inadequate or immature. In such areas, we need to seek supplies to fill up the deficiency.

Apostle Paul wrote a profound letter to the believers in Thessalonica. When I read the opening text, the last part caught my attention and it says: "supply what is lacking in your faith".

I began to ponder on what he meant by wanting to supply what was lacking in their faith.

Historically, the believers in Thessalonica had a wrong doctrinal view about the nearness of Christ's coming, and as to the state of those who had fallen asleep.

At some point, they needed correction through accurate teaching (1Th 4:1-9). What was it that was lacking in their faith? It was accurate knowledge about the coming of Christ and events of the last days.

How did Paul supply what was lacking in their faith? He filled that gap through teaching. That's why we should never joke with sound bible teaching.

Aside teaching, there are several ways to handle spiritual deficiencies as designed by God.

You can get spiritual nutrients from anointed literatures. Books written by genuine servants of God can add something to your faith.

You can relate with and sit with a man of God you haven't met by reading his book. In-depth study helps.

At a time in my spiritual life, I couldn't pray up to one hour, but someone( Dr Joshua Ojewunmi) practically engaged me every night in one hour prayer by the roadside in our school hostel.

In the process of time, I caught the fire of prayer and my prayer time exceeded one hour after that period of spiritual exercise. Ever since, my prayer life hasn't remained the same.

God used him to supply what was lacking in my prayer life through constant engagement every night.

Yours may be lack of adequate knowledge of scriptures, character deficiency, poor human relations, lack of passion for souls and so on.

As believers, we shouldn't stop growing. We shouldn't stop getting nourished by the word of God and discipled for depth.

However, we must be sensitive to know the areas where we are deficient spiritually.

One of the keys to growing in the faith is to detect areas where there are deficiencies and get the needed supplies.