What is Spirituality?

By W. Lee Cowden MD

Some say man is a physical body with a soul (mind, will, emotions) +/- a spirit,

but I say man is a spirit, has a soul & is temporarily housed in a body.

Spirituality is a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe, but what does that look like?

All the letters of the alphabet & numbers 0-9 are found on at least 1 butterfly species somewhere in the world. This is specified complexity & proof of a Creator.

Detail about Creation

• There are 402 finely tuned factors about earth’s position in the solar system & in the Milky Way Galaxy which are met in order to support life on earth.
  • https://d4bge0zxg5qba.cloudfront.net/files/compendium/compendium_part2.pdf
• There are 922 finely tuned factors about earth itself which are met in order to support life on earth.
  • https://d4bge0zxg5qba.cloudfront.net/files/compendium/compendium_Part3_ver2.pdf
• Only a couple degrees more or less tilt of the Earth on its axis of 23-24 degrees
  • would severely alter the four seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter)
• An E.coli bacterial flagellum has about 25 different protein types that cause the flagellum to spin at 150,000 RPM to move the E.coli thru fluid;
  • if the flagellum tip touches something solid, it stops & instantly changes direction of spin, which propels the E.coli away (a reversible-direction, hi-speed motor on a single cell)
• 4 different DNA nucleotides code for 4 RNA nucleotides, which codes for 20 different amino acids that make up protein sequences (sophisticated computer sequences inside the nucleus of each cell);
  • this was intelligently designed & could not have “evolved”
• Rods & cones in the retina of the eye convert light energy into electrical energy which is carried via nerves to the brain for interpretation as gray-scale or color

Spirituality and the Creator

• Spirituality is about a personal relationship with the Creator
• The Creator? The Creator of what? Presumably the Creator of the Earth, Moon, Sun, stars, humans, all animals & plant life, etc.
• Look almost anywhere in nature or in the universe & you find evidence of creative design(the intricacy of the human eye, the numbers & letters on butterfly wings, the seasons & the solar system, the flagella of E.coli bacteria…)
• In intelligent design, there is “specified complexity”; chance can explain complexity alone but not specification like we see in the above examples
• You find creative design EVERYWHERE you look; there must be a CREATOR!
• The creative design in nature is so impressive that some people have even worshipped the creation (or parts of it), but which is greater: the creation or the CREATOR? Which should we worship & develop an intimate relationship with?

Ivan Panin- Born in Russia 1855 & died in USA 1942

• Panin was a mathematician, agnostic, linguist (knew Hebrew, Greek, English…) & a literary critic; he enjoyed reading books in their originally-penned languages
• Panin got a Greek New Testament & a Hebrew Bible (Torah & the Prophets)
• In 1890, when he read the first verse of the Gospel of John,”In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God”, a thought came to him.
• Greeks had no numbers & used letters of their alphabet to represent numbers; What would happen if he substituted the Arabic # for each Greek letter it represented?
• He found a hidden pattern of multiples of 7 throughout the Greek New Testament
• Hebrew also had no numbers & used letters of the alphabet for each number so he also substituted corresponding Arabic # for each letter in the Hebrew Bible verses
• Genesis1:1 has 7 Hebrew words & 28 (4×7) letters; the letters of the verb add-up to a multiple of 7 & the letters of the 3 nouns add-up to 777 and so on…
• With 30 combinations of 7 in that one verse in Genesis 1:1, Panin calculated the probability
• 1 in 33 trillion chance of happening randomly, so he looked for this in other verses
• Panin found the hidden pattern of 7s in verses he examined in ALL chapters of the Hebrew Bible & in ALL chapters of the Greek New Testament
• Panin could not find that intricate pattern of 7s in any other books
• He examined all the major religious writings (Quran, Hindi & Buddhist writings, Catholic Apocryphal books…) & many secular books (Tolstoy’s War&Peace, etc.)
• Panin did all this by hand calculations (before computers) on 43,000 pages
• He published his findings & conclusion in the New York Sun newspaper in 1899:
  • Since there are various literary styles & 40 authors of the Old & New Testaments &
  • Since the Bible was penned in 3 languages on 3 continents over >1500 years &
  • Since there are no historical errors in the 66 books of the Bible &
  • Since the hidden 7s pattern is present in every chapter of the entire Bible,
  • The entire Bible must have been inspired by One Divine Being
• In that article, Panin challenged 9 Bible critics by name to disagree & none did

The Bible: Inspired Words from God – Creator

• Hebrew University of Jerusalem put the entire Hebrew Bible onto a computer & identified MANY more intricate mathematical patterns than Panin discovered
• The hidden patterns are like the watermark of the Author who inspired Bible writers
• 40 writers from diverse backgrounds in several countries penned, over >1500 yrs, the 66 books of the Bible(39 Old & 27 New Testament) as one harmonious record
• Just as the creation (Universe, Earth, animals, plants, human beings, etc.) are evidence of a Creator, the Bible is also evidence of a Creator
• In the Bible, Creator is referred to as GOD (Elohim) or My Lord (Adonai)
• In the first verse in the Bible (Genesis 1:1), “In the beginning, Elohim created the heavens and the Earth”, the inspired writer, Moses, says God is the Creator
• In Genesis 1:27, Moses says Elohim (God) created man and woman (humankind)
• In the Bible, God repeatedly encourages men & women to have a personal relationship with Him & that is spirituality

Spirituality vs Religiosity

• It has been said that one of the greatest impediments to spirituality is religiosity
• Again spirituality is about a personal relationship with God, the Creator
• Religiosity is about man’s rules & constructs & a social interaction with others
• Religious differences between humans have been the reason for wars and genocide through the ages (NOT spirituality)
• Some impediments to spirituality: unforgiveness, lack of unconditional love, lack of faith, ingratitude, pride, jealousy, greed/envy, lust, sexual immorality, idolatry, blasphemy, filthy language, dishonesty, failure to honor one’s parents & murderous thoughts or actions (all these are referred to in the Bible as “sins”)
• In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans (3:23), “All [humans] have sinned & fallen short of the glory of God” & in 6:23 “the wages of sin is [eternal] death”
• “Sin” means missing the center of the target in archery
• Isaiah 59:2 says our sins separate us from God (preventing a relationship)

Cultivating Spirituality(Relationship with God)

• >300 Old Testament verses prophesied a Messiah to be sent by God to “wash away” our sins that separate us from God, but Messiah’s name is not written in these verses
• Yacov Rambsel found every 12^th Hebrew character in Isaiah 53:5 prophesy spells “Jesus is my name” & every 22^nd character in Proverbs 30:4 spells “Jesus the gift” & every major prophesy about the coming Messiah has Jesus’ name embedded in it
• >300 prophesies about the coming Messiah were fulfilled by the birth, life, death, burial & resurrection of Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth (& Yeshua means “salvation”)
• Statistical probability of one person fulfilling just 40 of these 300+ prophesies equals 1/10 to 157^th power (1 chance out of 10 with 157 zeros after the 10)
• So continuing from Romans 6:23 above: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (we cannot earn eternal life; it is God’s gift)
• 1 John 4:15 “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God” and God’s Holy “Spirit…will also give [eternal] life” to him (Romans 8:11)
• In John 14:15-16, Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;…” (so God’s Holy Spirit comes to have permanent relation with your spirit)

Anger vs Unforgiveness(latter blocks God’s blessings)

• Anger is an emotion, usually from being “wounded” by another person
• Unforgiveness is a spiritual issue that can make us ill if carried too long (too long is probably beyond bedtime the day of the wounding)
• A very wise man (Paul) said “do not let the sun go down on your anger.”
• “If you do not forgive others, God will not forgive you.” (Matthew 6:15)
• In order to forgive, we must first recognize that the only person we are hurting when we refuse to forgive is ourselves
• If you decide that you have hurt yourself long enough by holding onto unforgiveness, then you can decide to forgive
• Forgiveness for deep wounding is a process, not a one-time event.
• Question: How many times must I forgive? Seven times? Answer: No; forgive until the forgiveness is perfectly complete (or when you have no angst when wishing/praying for the person who wounded you to be blessed)

Unconditional Love(for God & all other humans)

• Humans usually expect to receive something back if they give (tit for tat)
• In truly unconditional love, nothing is expected in return for giving
• What I have experienced on many occasions in my life when I showed someone an unconditional act of kindness (love) is that, not long after, I also received an unexpected act of kindness from a third person
• Even though we expect nothing from the initial giving that we do, we often get something anyway, but at least we receive joy from being able to help someone
• Random acts of kindness can also become contagious (the recipient often wants to become the giver the next time the right circumstances occur)
• Unconditional love is about doing to others as you would want them to do to you
• Its about getting out of the selfish mode of thinking & figuratively stepping into someone else’s shoes in order to understand their needs & desires
• Anyone can love their family & close friends, but can you love your enemies?

What Is Faith & What Does It Do For Us?

• Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb11:1)
• Why is faith important? Because it helps us move through difficult times & circumstances even though we can’t see in the natural how we will make it
• The main difference between POWs who survived & those who didn’t: Faith
• One of the main differences in survival between two cancer patients with the same type of cancer & the same spread of that cancer in their body: Faith
• People with a deeper personal relationship with the Creator, God, often have stronger faith to face the most difficult circumstances of life
• Faith can give us the will to live & the motivation to do what we must do
• Unbelief can overcome faith, so pray that God will reduce your unbelief (Mark9:24) or will increase your faith (Luke 17:5) since God has given us all a measure of faith (Romans 12:3b)
• We can see indirect proof of the Creator: the creation. But we must have some faith to develop a relationship with a Creator whose face we have not seen

Gratitude, “Prayer” & Guidance-Seeking

• Express thanks daily to other people who do something for you (your parents, other family members, friends, employers, co-workers, waiters, store clerks…)
• Express thanks daily to God for whatever you believe God did for you that day (never wait longer than bedtime to do this)
• It is a great idea to write in your “Good Diary” everything you are grateful for that happened that day, then read it aloud (no negatives in your Good Dairy)
• It’s best to also thank God during the day when good things happen
• “Thank you God & praise you God for _______” (=praying without ceasing*1Thes5:16-18)
• Also when you encounter a challenge, immediately ask God what you should do
• Start reading God’s Love-letter daily (in the New King James or Amplified Bible)
• Start with Matthew & work your way (1 chapter per day) thru Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, Corinthians, Galations… & one chapter of Psalms or Proverbs each day
• The more conversations of gratitude & guidance-seeking that you have with God, the closer your spiritual relationship will become & the healthier you’ll be

Asking God For Forgiveness

• At some point, we realize that we mess up many times per day (failing to ask for guidance early enough; failing to thank God promptly; being prideful, jealous, lustful, unforgiving, dishonest…)
• We may also realize the need to express to God our sadness about messing up & to ask God’s help in changing our behavior in the future
• So we say, “Please forgive me, God & help me to change my _______behavior”
• By this point, we will usually have seen some evidence that some of our prayers about guidance have been answered, so why not ask God for help in changing our own behaviors which we dislike?
• Many of our bad behaviors are from years of habit, which will take at least 40 days of consistent prayerful effort on our part to change (sometimes years)
• And we must recognize that the evil/devil in this world does not want us to change, so there will likely be a struggle for some time

And Jesus Will Send the Holy Spirit

• Paul said, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”. (Romans 10:9)
• “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 2:38) This is the same Holy Spirit of Genesis 1:2 when God created everything (the universe, the earth, plants, animals, humans…)
• Jesus said, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper [God’s Holy Spirit], that He may abide with you forever.” (John 14:16)
• When you encounter a challenge, immediately ask God what you should do
• The Holy Spirit will then show you how to handle the challenges in your life
• Don’t try to solve problems on your own; and don’t go to God as a last resort

Spirituality in Summary

• Choose to unconditionally love God, self & all others (esp. all “enemies”)
• Forgive self, all other people & God (your arms are too short to box with God) & remember Matt.6:15 (If you don’t forgive others, God will not forgive you.)
• Ask God to forgive you & to help you to NOT commit those sins again (repentance)
• Build your faith- ”Faith comes by hearing & hearing by the word of God” Rom 10:17
• Express gratitude to God and others daily (not just once a year on Thanksgiving)
• Pray without ceasing & in everything give thanks (1Thes 5:17-18); prayer involves praising God, thanking God, asking for God’s guidance & quietly listening for God
• Demonstrate grace & mercy toward others (grace is giving something good to someone who doesn’t deserve it; mercy is not punishing those who do deserve it)
• Seek after a deeper relationship with God; read his love-letter to you (the Bible)
• Emulate Jesus, the Christ, in all that you do & learn to “die to self” (Galatians 2:20)
• Remember it is Christ whom we invite into us & who helps us do all the above & who, along with God’s Holy Spirit, connects us with God & helps us become new creatures

Practice Implementation

• Commit to do these things yourself every day for at least 40 days (create habit)
• Once you have been doing daily forgiveness, daily acts of kindness, daily gratitude & daily guidance-seeking, then start sharing your observations with your family, your friends & then your most trusted clients
• Next, observe for about 40 days all these people with whom you have shared these practices to see if they can make these into habits for their lives (encouraging them whenever appropriate)
• Next expand your own practices to start your day with prayer (exampled by Jesus to us in Matthew 6:9-13), then be very still in a very quiet place to “listen” for God to communicate with you
• Most people don’t hear an audible voice from God, but instead sense in their heart or gut what they are supposed to do or a thought pops into their mind
• If you start dwelling on these ideas & feel peace, then you should act on them

This is just the beginning of your Spiritual walk with God!