Increase Your Everyday Spirituality

Here is a simple, easy-to-do exercise that will help you become more aware of your spiritual surroundings. It is based on belief in Jesus, but if you're not sure what that means for you yet, you can still do this exercise.

To do this exercise, you will need to look with your imagination; you may or may not see anything with your physical eyes. When I do exercises like this one with children, I tell them, "If you had to guess where such-and-such is, where would it be?" They are able to answer right away, without pretense. Jesus said, "I only do what I see my father doing" (John 5:19). He saw something, and it affected him to act on it.

So, if you don't have an immediate sense of something, guess. Your imagination was given by God in order for you to "see" and experience what is beyond the confines of your normal senses. As you no doubt know, your thoughts and other aspects of your imagination can be far from holy - but this doesn't mean that God can't speak to you through your mind.

Exercise Steps
I suggest you do this exercise with pen and paper. If you write down your answers to each question, it will increase your faith to believe that what you're experiencing is real.

Do each step slowly. Take your time. The more you do this exercise, the more fascinating it will become.

Step One
Ask the Lord to show you a fruit tree in the room you are in. Describe what it looks like, where it is and how big or small it is.

Step Two
Look at the fruit on the tree. Describe the visual appearance of the fruit, including the type, shape, coloration, size and ripeness.

Step Three
Smell the fruit. Describe how it smells.

Step Four
Taste the fruit. Describe how it tastes.

Step Five
Ask the Lord what effect the fruit has on the one who eats it. Describe what you hear.

Step Six
Look at the roots of the tree. Describe them, including how healthy they appear and how deep they go.

Step Seven
Ask the Lord who is responsible for the planting and/or tending of the tree. Look for any attendants. Describe what you see and hear.

Doing spiritual exercises like this will cause you to be more in tune with the spiritual realm around you and help you learn to better hear God's voice.

Jim Driscoll is the founder and director of http://www.stirthewater.com, a spiritual training website. Exercise your gift and see what God is doing around you. Visit the site for more information on this exercise and other related topics.