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In the spiritual area, imagine for example a young wife and mother who gets born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit.

She is so enthusiastic about her new faith that she immediately begins attending several evening Bible classes and early morning prayer meetings each week. She spends every waking moment in prayer, Bible reading or in some kind of spiritual seminar or teaching meeting.

What will likely happen? Obviously it won't be long before her family will begin to suffer. Her husband and children may start to feel neglected and that she is no longer meeting their needs.

What's the problem? It is not that she is too spiritual. It is simply that she has gotten out of balance in that one area. As a wife and mother, she needs to keep her spiritual life in proper balance with the other aspects of her life. If she doesn't, she will end up in trouble.

I like to point out that when the Lord called me to the ministry, I was making up the bed. I think that's important, because a lot of people are out trying to make a ministry who ought to be home making their bed.

If you think you might be called to go into the ministry, be sure your priorities are straight. Get your own house (your own life) in order before you start going out to set other people's house (their life) in order.

Yes, of course it is good to study the Word of God, attend Bible studies and go to prayer meetings and seminars. But if you become excessive about it, you will get unbalanced. In that case, you will need to cut back on those worthwhile activities and spend more time tending to the other important aspects of your life.

Some people are constantly asking God for more things when they are not taking proper care of what He has already given them. We should not pray and ask God for a bigger house unless the one we have is well cared for.

Laziness and neglect are signs of a lack of balance, of excess in one way. But it is also possible to be excessive the other way.

In my own case, I was a perfectionist. I cleaned my whole house from top to bottom every single day. I vacuumed the carpets, buffed the hardwood floors, cleaned the bathrooms, shined all the mirrors in the house, and polished the furniture. I was so caught up in my work, I never had time to do anything but - work, work, work. I was totally out of balance.

If you and I do not lead balanced lives we will open the door to the enemy to come in and cause trouble. That's why we need margins, boundaries, and guidelines for our daily life to keep us from going overboard in one direction or the other.

Tend to Your Own Affairs First
But the man from whom the demons had gone out kept begging and praying that he might accompany Him and be with Him, but [Jesus] sent him away, saying,

Return to your home. and recount [the story] of how many and great things God has done for you. And [the man] departed, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.
(Luke 8:38-39)
In this story we read how Jesus healed a man by casting the demons out of him. Immediately the man wanted to go with Jesus and spend his whole life as a part of His ministry. But Jesus said no. Instead, He sent him back home to tend to his own affairs and spread the Good News to his own people.

That is an indication that we are not called to get involved in every good work that may come our way. We don't always need to go out and minister - often we should go home and minister.

We often create our own problems and produce bad fruit simply because we don't know how to say no to anything. We want to be in on everything that is going on.

But the Lord wants us to tend to our own affairs first. If He wants us for a particular ministry, He will speak to us where we are about what He has in mind for us. We should seek to be discerning so we can choose the best over the good.

Source: Weary Warriors, Fainting Saints by Joyce Meyer
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers

Author Biography

Joyce Meyer
Web site: Joyce Meyer Ministries
 
Joyce Meyer is one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers. A New York Times bestselling author, her books have helped millions of people find hope and restoration through Jesus Christ. Through Joyce Meyer Ministries, she teaches on a number of topics with a particular focus on the mind, mouth, moods and attitudes. Her candid communication style allows her to share openly and practically about her experiences so others can apply what she has learned to their lives.
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