The Cure for Spiritual Insanity

The saying goes, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” [Though this quotation is attributed over and over again to Albert Einstein, he may have never said it.]

I have experienced this insanity. I want my life to change to better reflect Jesus. I see who I want to be. I know how I want to be different. However, I keep doing—or not doing—the same things. At the end of the day, nothing has changed. Day after day, it’s the same results.  And it’s maddening!

But how can I expect different results when I do nothing differently. After all, our lives are governed by natural laws. Not man-made rules that are changeable, but laws of the universe that we don’t control. And laws inherently carry determined consequences. A law says if you do A, then B will follow.

We’re all familiar with physical laws, such as gravity. When I tripped on an uneven sidewalk while walking one day, I would have loved to have floated forward just above the concrete for a few feet in a graceful grand jeté before lightly touching back down. But gravity, the force of attraction between all objects in the universe, made sure that didn’t happen. Instead, the force pulled me like a magnet and slammed me face-first into the earth that was exerting its “attraction” on me.

Physical laws are always at work. It doesn’t matter if we don’t understand them, or don’t believe them, or have never even heard of them. Just watch a baby learning to walk. He experiences the hard effects of gravity without knowing it exists.

Just as we live by physical laws we don’t control, we are also governed by spiritual laws. Like physical laws, they are at work whether or not we are aware of them.

An example of a spiritual law is, “A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7). In other words, what you plant is what will grow in your life. “He who sows wickedness reaps trouble” (Proverbs 22:8), “but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward” (Proverbs 11:18). Observe the people around you and see if this isn’t the way life works. Laws are true.

God’s laws are important to know and follow. When Joshua was preparing to enter the Promised Land after Moses’ death, the Lord made clear to him the connection between obedience to the Book of the Law and spiritual success: “⁷Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:7-8).

The Lord gave Joshua these instructions in preparation for conquering the enemy and taking the land God had promised the Israelites. If Joshua faithfully followed all the law God had given, he would successfully accomplish the work God had placed before him. Wherever he went in the new land, he would be successful. Obeying God’s instructions would lead to spiritual prosperity.

We no longer live under the 613 commandments of the Mosaic law. Jesus said that he came to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17), which means that now we are to live by his words and follow his example. And when we do, we will be spiritually “prosperous and successful.”

Laws are not bad. When God created everything in the beginning, physical laws were in the mix. And we are told that “all that he had made . . . was very good” (Genesis 1:31). You must agree gravity is a very good thing. Without it, everyone would have to be tethered to the earth.

Spiritual laws are good as well. They make it possible for us to live our best lives. So when I want different results regarding spiritual prosperity, I need to follow Jesus’ instructions and make the necessary changes in my life. It’s the only way to cure spiritual insanity.

Scripture quotations are from NIV.

Feature photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash