SPIRITUAL CRAMPS | KAIROS GLOBAL | JANUARY 2021

Author: Anil Israel

Intro: Every Christian has experienced spiritual cramps in one form or the other. Through the Word of God, Anil Israel explains how we can overcome it.

Many of us who have had a conversion experience or who have encountered Christ somewhere along life’s journey, might be happy to have turned our back to our ‘old way’ of living and glad to have found joy in a ‘new way’ of life in Christ. With the help of divine grace from above and the inner working of the Holy Spirit deep within, we might have given up certain sinful habits and embraced a lifestyle of soul-nourishing habits. We pursue spending time with God either in personal prayer or listening to his Holy Living Word or frequenting the Sacraments more often than before or taking delight in plunging ourselves in a world of spiritual books or holy media.

The desire to put on the new self (Ephesians 4:24) is there in our hearts. However, the circumstances surrounding us remain unchanged. The set of temptations waiting to attack us are also the same. The people with whom we stay at home or those whom we meet every day continue to behave and respond in the same ‘old way’. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41) and we might tend to slip and fall back to the old sludge we bravely announced to abandon forever.

The Holy Gospel cautions us: Anyone who starts to plough and then keeps looking back is of no use for the Kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). The farmer who is ploughing must keep his focus on what lies ahead and cannot afford to be distracted by what lies behind. Any attempt to ‘look back’ can result in going astray from the desired path, resulting in consequences uncalled for. Reverting to old sinful ways is referred to as, A dog goes back to what it has vomited or A pig that has been washed goes back to roll in the mud (2Peter 2:22). Now this is something none of us would like to be compared to! Also, in the Old Testament we are reminded, Lot's wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26). Inclination to revert back to the ungodly ways can have its disastrous consequences in that we end up missing the promised unfading crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4).

It is said we cannot stay passive on our spiritual journey. We either actively swim upstream against the tide of sin and move forward towards our eternal goal, or we get swept away downstream by the evil attractions of this worldly living, distracted by the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches (Mark 4:19) and find ourselves trapped in the mire of unholy living. We either progress or backslide. There is no standing still. We, therefore, ought to choose consciously to row rather than to go with the flow. Spiritual stagnation yields to spiritual decay! 

The Christian life is a training in godliness (cf.1 Timothy 4:7). We might be blinded by the cloud of confusion, led astray by the deception of the devil, lured by the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:16) and disillusioned by itching ears (2 Timothy 4:3). We might find ourselves struggling to keep alive the flame of Christ, our Hope – the Light of the World (John 8:12). We might find ourselves weakened by the spirit of infirmity and exhausted by the storms of discouragement. Let us not be fatigued with such spiritual cramps that lead us to despair. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).

Let us not grow weary in doing good (Galatians 6:9), let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1). Scripture consistently empowers us, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13).

We are further encouraged: he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4), those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31). Those who look to him are radiant (Psalm 34:5). Like our Blessed Mother, may we too learn to respond: I am the servant of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word (Luke 1:38). Let the lives of the saints and the blessed continue to inspire and motivate us. ‘To always be close to Jesus, that’s my life plan. I’m happy to die because I’ve lived my life without wasting even a minute of it doing things that wouldn’t have pleased God’ (Bl. Carlo Acutis).

God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:3). So do not let yourselves become discouraged and give up (Hebrews 12:3). I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ (Philippians 3:8). Let us avert spiritual derailment by letting this song echo in our hearts: ‘I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back. The world behind me, the cross before me, no turning back, no turning back. Though none go with me,  still I will follow, no turning back, no turning back.’ 

A JY since 1999, Anil Israel lives in Mannheim, Germany, with his wife Sunitha and their 5 children. He is the current National Formation Coordinator of JY Germany.