Maintaining a Spirit of Excellence
When Jesus Christ died on Calvary for our sins and arose on the third day with ALL
POWER in His hands, we were not only given the opportunity to be reborn in the spirit,
but we, as believers, gained a “Spirit of Excellence”. That is definitely something to brag
about and to thank God for. A spirit of excellence is not a badge that we wear on our
sleeve; but it is how we carry out our daily actions and how we speak in every
conversation as we live as Christians. We are fearfully and wonderfully made in His
image so why wouldn’t we have a spirit of excellence to go along with our new life,
rebirth, deliverance, and living on the good side of life. If a family moved to a new town,
they would want to live on the good side of that town, so that would be part of their
search in their efforts to live in peace with their neighbors for the good of their family.
The parent’s search for excellence is mainly due to their responsibility and love for
everyone in the household.
Having a spirit of excellence can remove the control that friends, family, and even
enemies can have over a person. Being controlled by negative influences can prevent a
person from reaching their full potential, completing a goal, and having a positive
relationship. Negative forces are always at play looking for a crack to slip in and erupt
the lives of people who only want to do good and live productive lives in the very little
timeframe they have on earth. Negative forces that disrupt a person’s spirit are not
always the enemy; for the forces can be as close to you as your mother, father, the
church, or school.
We all may have heard the phrase, “You gonna make me lose my religion”, and
probably used it as well. Maybe that is where R.E.M, singing group, got the idea for the
song “Losing My Religion”. Well, there have been many times when I have allowed my
family, friends, and enemies to make me lose my spirit of excellence as they pointed out
things about my body that I didn’t like so I called it a defect; talking about what I wear
because it is not feminine enough, or even how I live because it would be too hard to
give a compliment about my accomplishments. That negativity made me doubt my
excellence when I know that I am a child of God and he made us in His image. I never
got upset with the individuals but instead I began to dislike myself and allowed those
defects to savor in my spirit. Eventually, I believed that what was an issue for them,
became a defect to me. WOW! Control. My spirit of excellence was being tampered with
so I would isolate myself from as many people as possible which was not a problem for
me. Although I love solitude, I was not doing the right thing. I was being controlled.
Many times, I have agreed to go places and extreme anxiety would kick in because I
would immediately think about my self-made personal defects and I would look in the
mirror and didn’t like what I saw. I could hear the words of Carrie’s mother, from the
horror classic movie “Carrie”, yelling, “They’re all going to laugh at you”. Yes, I am
laughing now. I love that movie. My sister, Sharon, and I would joke about that movie
scene when we would go out, but deep inside I felt that way and I am sure so many
women have that same insecurity. I would immediately lose my spirit of excellence by
making up reasons to get out of events, believing that the defects of my body along with
the negative comments were valid. Control.
How can I say that I fear the Lord, have understanding, wisdom, and knowledge if I do
not have a spirit of excellence? I should know where I stand on the word of God and not
be distracted by the mouth of man. Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”.
I saw a T-shirt in my favorite department store, TJ/MAXX, and on the front was the
words, “Mindset is Everything”. The shirt was literally speaking to me. This was the first
time I had stepped into the store since the Pandemic and after my family went through
so much, the word “mindset” made a powerful statement on its own. Although, it was a
size smaller than what I normally wore, I purchased the shirt. Mindset is everything and
when I wear the shirt, everyone I pass reads my chest. LOL. I lost a brother and my
father due to COVID , so the world’s living process have changed our normal mindset
such as the way we pray, think, act, move, and socialize. The ability to maintain a spirit
of excellence is not meant to be easy. It does not mean the man or woman is perfect in
their walk with God. But having a mindset to live in Christ to the best of my ability has
definitely assisted me in maintaining a spirit of excellence. We should do the right thing
in all that we do whether someone is looking or not. Maintain that spirit of excellence.
In one of Pastor Joel Osteen’s sermon, he stated that, “You cannot play it safe your
whole life and reach the fullness of your destiny.” I totally agree. Some Christians can
study the bible and learn so much about the Word of God and never grow because they
will keep that knowledge to themselves. They played it safe; but for who? If you have a
spirit of excellence, sharing His word, should be part of your walk with God. I do believe
there is nothing wrong with playing it safe because everyone’s destiny or walk is not the
same. As for me, I am not the one who knocks on doors or walks up to people to share
the word of God; there are so many other ways and I believe my lifestyle, my actions,
my conversations, and my faith is keeping me on the road to my destiny and
maintaining a spirit of excellence. There is no shortcut to excellence.
By trying to maintain a spirit of excellence, I am letting go of the mental and physical
“defects” that I have assigned myself, via family, friends, and enemies, such as my
weight size, fear of crowds, and low self-esteem. It is a continuous process.
Maybe one day my mind will be as sealed as Noah’s Ark where nothing that can harm
my spirit can seethe in and destroy what God has made.
Cheryl Richardson Harmon
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