Blog
Your Inner Life Matters
- August 4, 2022
- Posted by: Marcel Sanchez
- Category: Developing Spiritual Disciplines Life Plan Intensive
Imagine meeting a man named Robert at the gym. After talking about his wife and three children, Robert begins to tell you about his health goals. Robert tells you that he is currently seventy-five pounds over his ideal body weight. He works 50-60 hours every week as an emergency room nurse.
Can you imagine the stress in that job? To no surprise, Robert’s doctor—and his family—have serious concerns about his health.
Robert boldly declares, “I want to lose at least ten pounds per month for the next six months and decrease my body fat by two percent each month.” Robert tells you that he’s been searching for a workout partner for quite some time, but he can only work out very early.
You agree to work out with Robert—six days per week and starting at 5:00 AM—to help Robert reach his goals quickly. After a few weeks, you notice something odd. You start losing weight, building muscle, and gradually reduce your percentage of body fat. Good job!
Robert on the other hand does not. He gains another five pounds and increases his body fat by an entire percentage point. Your observation is conflicting—and concerning—so you ask Robert directly about his diet and other health practices.
Robert tells you that he’s only smoking two packs of cigarettes daily and has reduced his calories from 10,000 per day to 9,000 per day. And what Robert was most proud of was going from a daily twelve-pack of beer to only a small six-pack. What? Are you serious dude?
At the gym, Robert focused on building muscle and stamina with all kinds of activities and exercises. He was a bulky guy. His muscles were laced in several layers of fat. Robert always finished his workout in a pool of sweat, but that didn’t matter. He was working against his goals and not gaining any healthy traction.
What Robert neglected to do was to take care of his inner self. More specifically, he neglected to align his intake—what he excessively consumed in food, alcohol, and cigarettes—with his output—his daily workout habits. His health practices were totally misaligned.
And what was the result? The results were the exact opposite of what Robert hoped to achieve. Instead of improving his health, he was increasing his health risks. Instead of looking and feeling great, he looked terrible, felt terrible, and smelled like a chimney.
What can you learn from Robert as we discuss our next area of stewardship?
Let’s dig deeper to find out.
Do you have a spiritual relationship with God?
You may have invested well in advance to prepare for your retirement. That’s smart, very smart. You may have disciplined your body in every way imaginable to be in the best shape of your life right now. That’s admirable. And you may have worked hard—educationally speaking—to shift gears in your career and change your future path when desired. Very nice!
But how much time have you dedicated to planning for what will last light years beyond this lifetime? I’m talking about your spirit. Your body will eventually stop working, but your spirit lives on forever. There’s an immaterial part of your life that also requires your stewardship.
Let’s add the ninth component to the areas entrusted to us by God to protect, manage, and multiply for His eternal purposes and glory: spiritual fruit.
- Treasures are the financial means entrusted to you by God to manage wisely for His purposes.
- Time is the limited window of opportunity provided to work for the purposes of the owner—God.
- Abilities are the God-given capacity and power to do something well.
- Talents are extraordinary natural abilities given to you by God and originating from birth.
- Skills are learned abilities developed and mastered over time.
- Training To achieve mastery, your disposition must be that of a student.
- Personality is how God has wired you; it’s the invisible you made visible.
- God’s Word is the will of God for your life. Everything you need to be an effective manager and live your life with purpose is written in the Bible.
- Inner Life is the immaterial part of you—consisting of your daily spiritual relationship with Jesus. Your inner life is your spiritual life.
One of the most important areas entrusted to you by God to protect, manage, and multiply for His eternal purposes and glory is your inner life—your daily spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ. God is relational in nature. He exists in an eternal triune relationship as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Three distinct persons perfectly united in one Godhead.
When God created mankind, He wanted to enjoy a personal relationship with His creation. Unfortunately, man decided to rebel against God—sin—and live independently. As a result, man’s sin separated him from God. And this sin would lead mankind to decay and die.
"One of the most important areas entrusted to you by God to protect, manage, and multiply for His eternal purposes and glory is your inner life—your daily spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ."
Marcel Sanchez, Imagine Coaching Academy Tweet
The one decision that changed everything
Adam and Eve decided to do what God had said not to do (Genesis 3). Here, we see the decisions in their inner life—in combination with their will, emotions, and intellect—becoming visible in their words and actions. When they chose to sin against God, everything changed. Everyone born after this couple—including you and I—is born with a sinful nature. This means that we naturally sin against God. Why? Our sinful nature is the essence of our spiritual DNA.
“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” – Romans 5:12
There was nothing that Adam or Eve or anyone else could do to fix their sin problem. The Bible tells us: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). You miss the mark—God’s perfect standard for holiness—and so do I. Your sin is enough to keep you separated from God forever and so is mine. Because you have sinned against God in thought, word, motive, or action, God must judge your sin. And right now, you have been found guilty. You’re already condemned. You have a pending court date with the Creator. You will be called on to give an account for your sins.
“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” – Hebrews 9:27
You’ve lied to others, exaggerated stories, or removed important details from conversations.
You’ve cursed, slandered others, or intentionally hurt people with your words.
You’ve neglected to worship God perfectly and submit to all His ways, every day.
You’ve lusted over a person who is not your spouse or something that did not belong to you.
You’ve entertained immoral thoughts in silence or ignored someone in their time of need.
You’ve participated in one or more of these activities at one time or another.
We all have! We’re all in the same boat here: guilty before a holy God.
But there’s good news!
Jesus became the substitute for your sin. Instead of God’s judgment for your sin being released on your life, it was released on His son, Jesus Christ. He received the fullness of God’s wrath and judgment on your behalf to glorify the Father and give you the gift of salvation.
“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” – 2 Corinthians 5:14-21
There you have it. Jesus died for all, and “all” means you’re included. Jesus shed his blood on a cross to pay the penalty for all sin—your sin included. That’s powerful!
Your sin leads you to death—separation from God. Jesus died on the cross to defeat the power of sin. What you couldn’t do—conquer sin—Jesus stepped in and took care of business for the world and for you. Your sin was defeated. Jesus won! Now, sin has no power over your life.
Jesus died in your place to bring you to God.
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” – 1 Peter 3:18
Jesus was buried and placed in a tomb. But what no one truly expected after three days was soon to be the talk of all Jerusalem and eventually, the entire world.
Jesus—after three days—rose to life from the dead. That’s worth getting up and shouting in thanksgiving to God. And because of the resurrection of Jesus, You can have new life—with resurrection power—in Jesus Christ, when you believe in Jesus and confess your sins to Him.
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” – 1 Timothy 2:5
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” – 1 John 1:9-10
The resurrection changes everything!
Not only did Jesus conquer sin on the cross, but He also conquered death at the resurrection. Jesus rose from the dead in bodily form. This is what sealed the deal. It’s one thing to die. It’s something totally different to predict the day you will conquer death and comeback to life.
You can’t do that—none of us can—but Jesus did it!
Shortly after Jesus rose from the dead, two women came to see the tomb. They were surprised to meet an angel—with lightning-like appearance and pure white clothing—ready to give them instructions, before they too would see the resurrected Savior.
“But the angel said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.’ So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.’” – Matthew 28:5-10
The Apostle Paul reminds the church of the priority of the resurrection
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” – 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
The resurrection really does change everything! Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus? If you’re already a Christian, stop living for personal comfort and pleasure. Live to honor God and bring Him glory. Become a steward of what God has given you and tell others about Jesus.
The resurrection changes everything!
What’s your response?
I heard someone say the other day, “When you don’t make a decision, you’re making a decision. Indecision is a decision to do nothing.” I must admit, that was a powerful statement. If you’re not yet a Christian and have found this resource, I’m so glad you’re here. In a way that I can’t fully understand, God has led you to find this page at this moment in your life.
What often surprises people is that God gives you a choice in who you will follow and serve. He doesn’t force you to choose Him—like a programmed robot—but extends a loving invitation for you to believe in Jesus and follow His ways. But the choice is yours alone to make. If you’re still investigating, I would love to send you a free PDF version of my book for you to read, “Who Do You Say Jesus Is?” by texting me (786-554-0312) your full name and email. I would be honored to walk with you on this important journey.
But if you’re ready to start a relationship with God and have Him change your inner self from death to life—from spiritual darkness to spiritual life—there are two things you must do.
- Believe in the life, death, burial, and bodily resurrection of Jesus. Believe that Jesus conquered sin on the cross and overcame the power of death at the resurrection. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God and Lord of your life. Believe in the sufficiency of what Jesus has done for you to have direct access to God the Father.
- Repent and turn away from your sin. Do what God says to do. Stop practicing what He says not to do. Admit your sin and your need for Jesus—your Savior from sin. Confess your sins to God. Be honest with God about your inability to stop sinning on your own. Ask God—through the power of the Holy Spirit—to help you stop sinning against Him.
The way you protect, manage, and multiply your inner life determines the spiritual fruit of your life. We’ll expand more on this topic soon. What you need to understand at this point is this:
Transforming your inner life—the spiritual part of you that lives forever—can’t be done by you. It starts through a personal relationship with God’s son, Jesus Christ.
Here’s a promise from scripture for you to apply:
“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified,
and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” – Romans 10:9-10
"Transforming your inner self—the spiritual part of you that lives forever—can’t be done by you. It starts through a personal relationship with God’s son, Jesus Christ."
Marcel Sanchez, Imagine Coaching Academy Tweet
Summary
Your inner self matters to God. How do you know? God proved how much he loves you and how much he wants you to live with him—forever—by sending His only son, Jesus, to die on the cross and pay the full penalty for all your sins.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16
Start your relationship with God
Are you ready for God to change you from darkness to light, from worldliness to godliness, and from sin to repentance? If you’re ready, tell Him with a humble and sincere heart. Use the following prayer as a guide as you speak with Him:
“Lord Jesus, today I turn from my sin and turn to you. I know that I have sinned against you Lord. I am responsible for my sins; I know that I have wronged you Lord through my sinfulness. I am deeply sorry for my sin. Please forgive me for all my sins. And thank you for offering Jesus as the wrath-bearing substitute for sinners like me! I believe in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Help me Lord to walk in the light of your Word and never look back. Today, I accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of my life. Lord, change my life, transform my Spirit, and make me a new person. I pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.”
This is not a magical prayer, but if you spoke these words to God with a sincere heart, you have started a new journey of faith and a life filled with purpose and hope.
Invest in Yourself
Looking for a flexible and self-directed way to grow as a leader and thrive in life?
That’s one of the main reasons I created Imagine Coaching Academy. Get professional coaching and online training courses to accelerate your soft skills, equip your teams, and grow your relationships.
Speaking of growing your relationships, click here to sign up for our complimentary online marriage training, “Build a Stronger Marriage—With Zero Drama—in 12-Weeks.”
Strengthen Others
If you found this article helpful, consider posting it on social media or sharing it with fellow team members, peers, and clients.