Preaching That Connects

Spiritual Journey
Author’s Name
The Institutional Affiliation
Course Number and Name
Instructor Name
Assignment Due Date
Spiritual Journey
Answer 1
The six stages of faith serve as stepping stones; covering each step is like reaching one step ahead in spirituality. Stage one is the introduction to God, and the close contact with nature and its awe and inspiring ambience reinforce the belief in God’s omnipotence. Nature’s awesome grandeur, soothing tranquillity, and natural human affinity toward it manifest that nature hides the truth of God behind its magic and mesmerizing sight. Thus, the text reveals that people feel closer to God in the natural world (Hagberg & Guelich, 2011). Moreover, the miraculous recovery of people from incurable diseases is another manifestation of the presence of God and its omnipotence; these events reinforce a person’s belief in Divinity and prepare him for the journey to the realm of spirituality.
The journey to spirituality is like a spiritual elixir that rids the soul of all afflictions and anxiety. This journey compels people to care for themselves and others’ problems and seek divine assistance to get rid of them. Stage 2 also holds significance as it imparts spiritual discipline to the followers of Divinity. The holy books, the spirituality associated with its teaching, and the holy clerics satiate people’s quest for knowledge and answer their queries till they become satisfied. Stage 3 of this journey instills an individual’s sense of sacred responsibility by learning and feeling spirituality and divine grace; he feels obliged to transmit the divine message to others. For the same reason, the book’s authors categorically admit, “my purpose of life is to make a difference in the lives of others.” (Hagberg & Guelich, 2011).
Stage 4 is relatively insignificant for a devoted disciple of God and a craving lover of spirituality as it instigates a person to seek other avenues of gaining spirituality. However, depending upon a person’s spiritual power, these avenues may not sufficiently address all persons’ spiritual needs. Stage 5 of the spiritual journey is relatively more significant as it directs the disciple to deviate from the state of being a selfish worshipper and get rid of his ego; in this way, this stage guides him on the journey from spirituality to the outer world. In other words, this stage makes a person a true disciple by conferring a divine task and making him a real God’s child. For the same reason, the book’s authors expla...