Going back to basics is necessary to re-align and reaffirm our position in our spiritual walk. It brings us back to the true reality of life that is necessary for continuity and peace. JPJ

In life, against our better thinking, we believe “we” have life under control. As Christians, we may be doing things and thinking the thoughts that God requires of us, but our life becomes repetitive, and void of substance. When we pray, it sounds ritualistic, especially when things seem to be going well, and like they are under control. Then things begin to go wrong leaving us confused and wondering because we are doing the things that a Christian is to do. We resist temptation, read our Bibles, and pray consistently, so why are things going wrong? We assess our lives and our situation unable to find anything amiss. We then question ourselves and begin to question God.

In times that leave us confused, we must understand that nobody’s life is perfect and free from challenges. Every day we are constantly challenged by the enemy and even ourselves. We may get a break, complacency then rules, and we forget what we just went through. For this reason, we must go back to basics periodically.

Going back to basics reminds us of our total dependence on God to save us from the ills of Satan. Going back to basics helps us reaffirm our marriage to God. Going back to basics reminds us that we fight against the powers of darkness and that those powers will always try to prevent us from getting our blessings. When we go back to basics, we understand that if we are in the valley, it is our preparation to get to a bigger and better level of ourselves with a heightened awareness of what we need to do. Going back to basics allows us to hold on tighter to God and to grow spiritually.

So what does “back to basics” mean? Back to basics means we remind ourselves of the simple things that God requires of us. The things we considered a must-have/must-do when we first accepted Christ into our hearts. The things we did that brought us joy in those early moments of our walk with the Lord.

Meditating on his words– sometimes we get so caught up with life that even though we acknowledge God in our lives, our worship time with him is sometimes relegated to a chore. Meditating on his words means speaking to him constantly in our minds.

Pray prayerfully – avoid clutter in prayer; the bible speaks to pagan prayers. Long prayers trying to impress and repeating ourselves. Just get to the point of the prayer. Can you imagine praying and forgetting what you are praying about? Sometimes when I pray, I cry, and all I say is please God. He knows, he understands, and he needs to hear the real us.

Seeing our cups as half-full rather than half-empty – let us be like kids who see only the positives in life. Let us not accommodate anything of a negative nature in our thoughts.

Be present in “our” moment – simplify life, and stop trying to be who God did not intend us to be. When we try to chase others’ destinies it frustrates us more than ever.

Fellowship with others– we are not meant to “walk” alone, we need people to encourage us, and likewise, we must encourage others.

Love ourselves and others – constantly see the beauty in yourself and others. Accept each other for who they are. God will give us the power to discern when we need to remove toxic people from our lives, but let’s enjoy each other until such time.

Bless ourselves and others – always speak well about yourself and others; you never know when all someone needs is a blessing, and you will be right on time to deliver.

Affirm: I will make it a priority to go back to basics, to constantly reaffirm my position in my spiritual journey. It will help me be rooted so deeply that when tests and challenges come my way I will not be left questioning myself or God. It is well and I am well.