In life-threatening situations, such as drowning or heart attack, Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is the first order of business. CPR restores the body’s vitality, energy, and life force.
There are times in life when Spiritual CPR is needed, when dire situations call for God’s Word. Combined with prayer, God’s Word brings life to the dying, and comfort to the weary. Second Timothy (3:16) reminds us that “All scripture is God-breathed.”
We might ask, “How, then, do we apply Spiritual CPR?”
In Second Corinthians (4:13), we find “With the same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak.” The Greek word for “spirit,” Pnuema, means “breath.” If we substitute spirit for breath, we have: “With the same breath of faith we also believe and therefore speak.”
We can passively read God’s Word for hours. Or, we can actively inhale the Word, with faith, and be enabled to exhale it with vitality, energy and life force.
In her book, Believing God, Beth Moore says, “Making a reasonable and livable lifestyle of believing and speaking God’s word is like living on the CPR of the Holy Spirit.”
Those who can control their tongues are also capable of performing Spiritual CPR.
The sanctified tongue of a person of faith can energize or soothe. Conversely, the unsanctified tongue drains life and comfort. God tells Joshua (1:8), “Do not let this book of the Law depart from your mouth.” In other words, God says, – “Joshua, keep My Word on the tip of your tongue!”
To keep the Holy Spirit and the life-giving power of Spiritual CPR flowing, we must sanctify our tongues. We must retain God’s Word on the tip of our tongues, mindful of receiving the breath of life through God’s Word.
We must have faith—a quality best described by Jesus and Isaiah. Isaiah (50:4) reads, “The Lord has given us an instructed tongue to know the word that sustains the weary.” Christ says, in Matthew (17:20), “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there,’ and it will move.” Sanctified words have the power of sustaining the weary, and of removing obstacles in our paths.
God wants to endow us with the faith to move mountains.
To perform Spiritual CPR, we need to combine prayer with scripture. In Matthew (17:20), we are reminded of the message within Jesus’ and His disciples’ descent from His “Mountain of Transfiguration.” With prayer and His Word, “Nothing will be impossible for you.”
We can move mountains. Our prayers need only reflect our sincere belief in God’s will.
“Beloved,’’ Beth Moore says in her book, “if you pray that God will move a mountain and He doesn’t, or you have faith to tell a mountain to move and it won’t, you must assume that Christ wants you to climb it instead and (on top of it) see Him transfigured. Either way the mountain is now under foot or behind you.”
The Rev. Dr. R. Joaquin Willis is pastor of the Church of the Open Door at 6001 NW 8th Ave., Miami. To contact the church, call 305-759-0373 or email the pastor at pastoropendoorc@bellsouth.net.
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