The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD who takes delight in his journey.
Psalm 37:23 BSB
Let us keep looking to Jesus. He is the one who started this journey of faith. And he is the one who completes the journey of faith.
Hebrews 12:2 NIrV
Faith is a journey.
God delights in our journey, and we can too. Seeing our spiritual lives as a journey can be very relieving and even exciting. Rather than trying to reach a certain goal, we can enjoy the experiences we go through and how they help us connect with God at a deeper level.
Our article, “The Blueprint for Living Spiritually,” outlines a five-step journey to building a soul connection with God. As a fun way to enjoy our spiritual growth, we put together a quiz to identify which stage of the journey we are at today. The results of this quiz will guide us to a section of that article that will most accurately meet our spiritual needs.
As a fun addition, we have included a character from one of our favorite spiritually-themed shows, Avatar: The Last Airbender with each result (the animated version). Some of the most inspiring movies and TV shows are the ones that show us a hero’s journey, and Avatar is one of those shows. We hope you enjoy finding yourself in these results and catching a vision about where your hero’s journey may lead you next.
Remember, there are no right or wrong answers to this quiz, only honest ones that may help reveal some strengths or weaknesses in our spiritual lives. Answer each question by choosing the option that best describes how you are doing right now.
Note: The results may not perfectly describe you, but they’re a great place to start conversations with God and friends as you compare answers and grow together!
Your quiz results
Soul Connection – Living a life of deep conviction
You are in the deep service stage of your spiritual journey!
If you’re in this stage, you might be a little like Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Katara was nurturing, protective, and giving to most people she came in contact with. From the outside, Katara seemed to be an excellent example of deep service. But on the inside, she was fueled by obligation, pride, and anger—until she changed.
When we are in this stage, we have often perfected the action of service. We might do a lot of good outward deeds, but this is behavioral religiosity rather than deep spirituality. We know this is where we are at when our acts of “spirituality” and “service” are driven by impressing people, proving ourselves, or maintaining an image we keep of ourselves, rather than serving and pleasing God.
Living a life of deep service begins with having a heart whose singular focus and sole purpose emanate from a desire to do what God wants. This is why Jesus’s foundational teaching to his followers called them to choose whom they would serve, not merely how they would serve.
[23] Jesus said to all of his followers, “If you truly desire to be my disciple, you must disown your life completely, embrace my ‘cross’ as your own, and surrender to my ways. [24] For if you choose self-sacrifice, giving up your lives for my glory, you will discover true life. But if you choose to keep your lives for yourselves, you will lose what you try to keep. [25] Even if you gained all the wealth and power of this world, and all the things it could offer you, yet lost your soul in the process, what good is that? Luke 9:23-25 TPT
Katara had to learn how to sacrifice her “self” – to let go of the emotions and motives that drove her and find a purpose greater than herself.
There was a stark difference between the Katara who gave to others out of selfish or dutiful motives and the Katara who loved people with no ulterior agenda. Like Katara, we need to find our “soul purpose” in God. We can learn from Jesus how a heart that serves God leads us to a purpose greater than anything we can do or imagine on our own.
Reflect:
- Whom do I most want to please? List five relationships.
- How do I feel about sacrificing for and serving others?
- What do I believe God wants me to do to serve others?
- Which is a greater influence in my life—selfish ambition or service?
Read:
As for us, we have all of these great witnesses who encircle us like clouds. So we must let go of every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall into. Then we will be able to run life’s marathon race with passion and determination, for the path has been already marked out before us. [2] We look away from the natural realm and we focus our attention and expectation onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God! [3] So consider carefully how Jesus faced such intense opposition from sinners who opposed their own souls, so that you won’t become worn down and cave in under life’s pressures.
Hebrews 12:1-3 TPT
The story of Jesus dying on the cross is an incredible example of Jesus’s sacrifice and service to bring us closer to him. It is meant to be the driving force of everyone who has a relationship with God. Read about how he sacrificed and surrendered his motives and desires to God so that he could live out his soul purpose in Luke 22:39-46 NLT.
Listen:
Oh, precious is the flow
“Washed Away/Nothing but the Blood” by Michael W. Smith
That makes me white as snow
No other fount I know
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
Be sure to read the section “Soul Purpose” in our Blueprint for Living Spiritually to learn more about how to continue your spiritual journey.
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