Hi! This is for anyone who is doing this study, but there may be some who understand this question without having done the study. In Session 4, Day1, Beth asked what is the difference between godly realtionships and spiritual relationships? We want godly realtionships and not spiritual relationships. For the life of me, I am at a brick wall. It isn't sinking it. I have asked God to make this clear and have my thinking right on with His word, but so far I have nothing. What do you kind ladies think? If possible, can you give me some scripture to back up your thoughts. Some on tried to explain it but when I asked for an example, they couldn't come up with one.
Thanks so much!
Terrie

Godly vs. Spiritual

Terrie:

Satan masquerades as an angel of light. His servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. I was seduced by a spiritual woman, but there is nothing godly about her. After being “discipled” by her for my first 2 years as a believer, I was shocked to discover that she does not believe Jesus is God. She does not believe grace is in the Bible. She is under the delusion that life is a 70-year job interview to see if you are good enough to go to heaven. She names Jesus in her teachings, but it is another Jesus. She appeared to have an intimate relationship with Him when I was introduced to her. I thought she was genuine until she stripped off her wooly sheep suit. Cult leaders often use a tactic known as “bait and switch.” They reel you in with the name of Jesus then gradually entice you to switch your devotion to the organization instead of your Redeemer. Because they emphasize spiritual things, you can be ensnared before you know what hit you. I write as one who was deceived, seduced, and had. A hell-bound sinner can be spiritual and religious.

It is also possible to be seduced by New Age teachings and world religions in addition to all the cults and false teachings that are out there. Those things are spiritual, but they are far from godly. I received a catalog in the fall of 2001 peddling “resources for your total well-being: spirit, mind, and body.” That may sound good to those who are naive and unaware of the enemy’s schemes; however, I learned the hard way that Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). It only took a cursory review of the contents to discern that the “one spirit” this organization promotes is that of the devil himself. They market and endorse every perversion and form of wickedness that is condemned by the one true God of the Bible, including New Age practices, Native American spirituality, Buddhism and other Eastern religions, Wicca, witchcraft, demonism, sorcery, black magic, spells, psychic guidance, mysticism, astrology, Kama Sutra, and various perversions of God’s gift of sex (which is to be reserved for marriage). According to Ephesians 6:12, our battle is against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

The woman who lured me into her web of lies is full of some kind of spirit, but it ain’t the Holy One. My definition of a godly woman is a Spirit-filled believer who loves and lives the whole counsel of God’s Word and reflects His glory and grace as Christ lives through her. There are a lot of spirits at work in this world. We need to be sure that the Holy Spirit is in control of our relationships.

Love in Christ,
Heather B. * Beloved Heather * SonShine

[This message was edited by BelovedHeather on July 25, 2003 at 10:53 PM.]

Terrie,

To help me understand the difference and answer questions that my class might come up with, I think that defining the words godly and spiritual proved most beneficial.

Godly means divine, godly, emanating from God, showing great respect for God.

Spiritual means lacking material body or form or substance, religious, concerned with sacred matters or church or religion, dedicated to service in a religion.

As for the difference in a godly vs spiritual relationship: I would say that the godly relationship would look to God as the foundation of their relationship rather than to a church or religion or service in a religion. Whereas a spiritual relationship would be based on church or religion or service in a religion. Spiritual relationships would focus on service to a religion/organization rather than to God. Focus would be on religion rather than relationship with God.

I do not believe that all spiritual relationships are bad. As Beth says in the homework "the goal is godly relationships, not spiritual relationships." There are many people in the church who are spiritual people and their focus is more on the spiritual things of service and religion. These people are not following false teaching, they just are not necessarly allowing God full access to their lives and hearts and seeking to completely follow Him. Their focus would be more on works, doing good things, being a good person, etc., RATHER than on seeking after God with all their heart. Possibly we could say that being spiritual is a stepping stone to being godly PROVIDED the spiritual person is seeking hard after the things of God.

The example that BelovedHeather gave is definitely an example of a bad spiritual relationship because this woman she refers to was NOT interested in godly teachings or in seeing her followers grow toward maturity in God's Truths, she was very self-promoting.


I'm living under His umbrella of love and protection.
For a definition of HUPOMENO, see my webpage at http://www.geocities.com/hupoclo

Father, thank YOU for Beth Moore and all of those who serve with her at Living Proof and LifeWay. Bless them, Father, as they serve long hours and many times without thanks. AMEN & AMEN!!!

Good comments ladies!
I was thinkin we should seek a spiritual and godly relattionship at the same time. That is a good combination. I think as spiritual is like a "soulmate" an intimate level. We can have that kind of relationship even with ungodly people.

"Accept the pain of Discipline or the accept the pain of Defeat!"

Thanks Ladies! I knew I could post this and God would use someone to clear it up. I have been extrememly blessed and protected through my years in the church or it could be I have been just very naive, not seeing the signs of a spiritual relationship over a godly one. Growing up I was raised in very strong Bible teaching churches. Once I went to college, I pretty much attempted to place God on a shelf. We know that isn't possible. Once I got married, God drew me and my husband back into reality. Praise His name He did, and we had the sense to be obedient to His calling. I am one of the many prodicals out there. Now that Beleoved Heather and Hupoclo has shared their stories, I have better understanding. Looking back, in the past 10 years, I can recall spiritual relationships vs godly ones. I also see the protection God had on me not to get to close to those who were more interested in looking "spiritual" than living a godly life. I will be praying for those people. I just didn't know at the time what it all meant, but now I do. Thanks again.
Terrie

gracematters,

I am so thankful that you posted this question and I am also thankful for the exchange of ideas here because at the NWC around Beth's book table this same question came up time and again. Even in my own study group it was interesting to hear the different ideas some women had on the topic of spiritual vs. godly.
So often we think that "spiritual" is the same as godly and that can lead to seduction by the enemy. Discussing this openly and in love really helps us see how we can be duped my the evil one. And, the discussions keep us accountable. This forum has been such a help to me. Iron sharpening iron is so important!

Thanks ladies for being so wise and so open to discuss the things that sometimes aren't clear. This helps us all strengthen our walk!

In His Bonds, Sandy

Now listen, daughter, don't miss a word: forget your country, put your home behind you. Be here - - the king is wild for you! Since he's your lord, adore him.
Psalm 45:10-11 (The Message)

I am teaching this study and our group came up against the same struggle of determining the difference between the two. As Beth says our goal is “godly relationships” not “spiritual relationships”.. Remember, neither spirituality or deeply spiritual about "Christian things" equals godliness.

Here is what we came up with, maybe this will help. A spiritual person does a good job at talking the talk but they don't walk the walk.

A godly person does both with consistency. Many people sitting in bible believing churches can be spiritual without being Godly. You can even be saved and still not be in tune with the Holy Spirit.

I believe the key is to really getting to know a person before jumping into a relationship with them. Look beneath the wrapper, is what I call it. Just because it’s pretty and looks appealing doesn’t mean that it is. Before jumping into a relationship we need to examine the “raw contents”. Unwrap that pretty package and examine it closely. It all takes time and good friendships are built over time. Remember Beth saying that beware of instant intimacy, because that is a sure sign of a seduction waiting to happen.

Beware, if you are a "baby christian, because one who seems spiritual will seek you out because you don't have much knowledge and are looking for a person who is a leader. I know, I made this mistake and it was costly. So, I now take the time to examine and discern realtionships before getting involved. I'm also not a "baby christian" any more. Praise God, I have grown in the Lord and his ways.


What does their daily walk of life look like? We aren’t to judge, but we are to discern. Discern means to be able to see something that the human eye cannot . This has become a new “key word” for all of us in the group. We are all praying for God to instill in us the gift of discernment and smart hearts.

I found that if they do more of the talk and less of the walk that chances are that they are more spiritual then godly. How are they applying Christian principals to their lives? If you see a different person in church then you do in public then they may be more spiritual then godly.


Are they more interested in the ways of the world or what the world thinks, or are they more interested in lining their lives up to how a Christian is supposed to live? If you see the same questionable repetitive patterns occur over and over again you may just be looking at someone who claims to be godly but is more likely spiritual.

We all walk down rocky roads now and then, however, I believe what we might be searching for is consistency in our walk with Jesus Christ. We can’t be perfect or can we even be good, but we can be blameless in God’s eyes.


Be Blessed
Mia

Mia,

I just want to thank you for positng this. I am not sure if your post is directly from the Lord or not, but let me just fill you in on something. Yesterday, Sunday, I have begun to lead this study again in an new church in a new state. I will also be leading this study on Thursday evenings. It has been two years since I have done this study. I am just wondering if the Lord has brought this back up to the top to prepare me for the same question. IF so, thank you for being obedient. I will have to let everyone know if the same questions come up again two years later.

Blessings,
Terrie

Mia,

Thank you so much for your post. How about I am doing this study on my own and I just finished Week 4 today!! I went on the forum just to see others comments. I was seeking an answer to this particular question but God is soooo faithful. He had me find this post. Your response and others have cleared up so much. Thanks again and to God be the glory.

Terrie,

I know you got a lot of good information from the other women and have long since passed this by, but I wanted to add what I have learned through leading ministry at a small church.

In church you find all sorts of people: People sold out - 100% seeking to live their lives for God by His plan. People who have never met the Lord before darkening the doors of your church. People who have known the Lord all their life and maybe even professed Him as their Savior but not their Master. People who met the Lord as a young child and made a profession of faith, but fell away in a prodigal resistance only to return changed and renewed by the experience. People who just want to be associated with a church. And the LIST goes on...

Spiritual relationships do involve a certain level of intimacy, but for me they are focused on the wrong thing. Instead of being focused on the building of character and accountability - they are focused on relating to one another and how I can have friendship without changing much. Spiritual relationships tend to be about what we think we should be doing rather than what God's Word says we should be doing.

A godly relationship holds each member to accountability. We don't just relate on a spiritual level, we relate to one another "physically" - materially things don't matter, but we wouldn't have a problem sharing and meeting the physical needs of another in a godly relationship. We relate to one another "emotionally" - not based on emotions but with an understanding that our emotions are a gift from God and feelings can be deceiving or discerning. We help one another stay on track even when our hearts are lying to us.
We relate to one another "spiritually" - about matters of the Spirit, with the Holy Spirit between us marking out the way for relationship - healthy, godly relationship.
And a godly relationship is one where you are both growing intellectually, stimulating and spurring one another on to good works, and maturity in wisdom and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

For me, the difference became evident when I realized that the conversations I had always emanated from something the Lord was teaching me and how to pray for others in light of that truth - then my friend and I would pray in the Spirit and watch the Lord work mightily in the middle of all that we were experiencing.

Godly relationships are relationships where two people have hearts seeking the Lord and they walk together in that direction. Spiritual relationships seems to be more concerned with the things that look like godliness, but fail to realize the effects of it in their relationship. Church relationship and service with very little focus on Scripture, Bible study or Spiritual Growth. Enabling friendships in the name of love, which empower destructive tendancies or cherished sin. Entanglements. I heard someone say that it is better to be a mile deep and an inch wide than a mile wide and an inch deep. So it is with spiritual matters, godliness comes from a deeper connection to God that births deeper relationships with others. Spirituality is in and of itself not a bad thing - but it can be based on anything spiritual which is what makes it dangerous.

All good posts, and good questions!

Carry on!
Blessings,
Michelle

The enemy is so deceiving that many in the pews..believer's and unbeliever's get all tangled up in 'performance'.... which leads to living by our emotional needs to want to be acceptanced instead of Truth...which leads to wanting pats on the back...they are told how wonderful they are for all they do by others in the church and they 'think' they are doing 'good works' and get deceived into thinking they are really 'a good Christian'...which leads to pride and believing the lie that they have to keep 'doing' to gain God's acceptance; which they already have. Such a viscious cycle.

To me that is being "spiritual" but not truly 'godly'. It is like 'good works' becomes their god and focus...NOT GOD.

Well, those are my thoughts. I agree; so many good posts and I never have done this study but I am amazed how other's questions can cause me to think on something. Thank You Jesus!

Believing God and desiring to be the godly woman He calls me to be.

Deb