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Spiritual Gatorade

by Scott Bruton  
3/23/2012 / Christian Living

Gatorade, manufactured by PepsiCo, was developed in 1965 by four physicians at the University of Florida. Ray Graves, the assistant football coach, asked them to look into the problem of excessive loss of fluid after his players had a long and demanding workout in the Florida heat. He wanted a way his players could recover quickly from this rapid loss of fluids caused by sweat and exertion; otherwise known as dehydration. As a coach, he knew the dangers of dehydration and the devastating effects it took on his players. He also knew that if dehydration could be overcome, he could keep his best players in the game where they belonged and not sitting on the bench recovering; this of course would allow him to have a better and stronger team. What these physicians soon concocted was a drink that quickly helped the players retrieve their strength and recover from this dangerous condition. Since the Florida football team is called the Gators, this invention became known as Gatorade. Gatorade overcomes dehydration by replacing sodium and potassium, two electrolytes our body looses during workouts; until our body gets back what it lost, there can be no effective treatment for dehydration.
In Paul's writings, he often compares the Christian walk to athletics. In Acts 20:24, he compares his Christian life with a runner who is striving to finish a race. "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace." Like other kinds of athletes, Christians must also maintain their spiritual hydration. Unfortunately, we see spiritual dehydration occurring all the time. Take the Christian who was on fire for the Lord; went to Church every time the doors were open, and volunteered for ever ministry project that came along. One Sunday we observe that he/she does not show up to Church; they no longer attend Bible Study and prayer meetings and seem indifferent on the things of God. These Christians are hard workers for the kingdom of God. They have a passion for God's mission and a desire to ensure that the goal is accomplished. They are always volunteering when nobody else will; they are at every Church service - one hour early, and they stay up to all hours of the night to finish that missions project for the youth group. These are the Christians we sometimes call the back bone, or the pillar of the church. They are the ones we all rely on because we know they will always get the job done; they are seen by the congregation as "Super Christians"! Then one day it happens! That one missed Sunday turns into a month, and suddenly we realize they no longer come to church at all. They are now in a state of spiritual dehydration!
The effects of spiritual dehydration are the same as physical dehydration. The Christian feels defeated and powerless. They no longer have that devotion for service and begin to think God no longer cares. When we are in a state of spiritual dehydration, the devil takes full advantage of us and will do everything within his ability to deny us of our joy and power that God wants to provide for us. The devil will tell us every lie he can think of and do whatever is necessary to keep us down and out of the game. However, there is encouragement and hope. Like Gatorade rehydrates the athlete, the Spirit of God stands ready to supply us with the living water that only comes from Christ our Savior. Christ is the living water of God that must be replenished, and until we replace what our soul has lost, there can be no effective treatment for spiritual dehydration. "But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst." John 4:14
Spiritual dehydration is a problem all Christians can avoid. It starts by realizing that we need God's living water on a daily bases. With physical dehydration, we do not have to be super busy, or an athlete to suffer the effects of dehydration. Dehydration occurs naturally on a daily basis from just the simple act of breathing. If you do not drink fluids on a daily bases, you will eventually suffer from dehydration. The same is true with spiritual dehydration. Simply living in a world controlled by Satan, with all of his snares and traps depletes our spiritual strength. Therefore, we must come to God on a daily basis to ask Him for a refilling of our soul and mind. It is impossible to stay spiritually hydrated if you only pray or read God's word once every seven days on Sunday. Paul teaches us to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in all things, give thanks unto God. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 Jesus taught that in order to be His disciple, we must deny ourselves daily; we must take up our cross daily, and we must follow Him daily. "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." Luke 9:23
Spiritual dehydration does not need to happen to any Christian. When we daily seek our Lord in prayer and enter His gates with praise and worship; with thankfulness; with humility, and we bow at His feet of love and grace, God replenishes our soul; He refills our passion and restores our joy. Daily prayer is our spiritual Gatorade. A powerful source that puts back what we lose and keeps us strong and spiritually hydrated. If you have lost the joy of your salvation; if you have lost your devotion for serving our glorious God; return to living water of Christ and drink from His well, an internal spring that will never run dry! Amen

I am the author and editor of paraklesisblog.com, a website blog created to encourage the Christian believer in their faith. I am also a Parkinson patient at age 48. This article is free to be distributed as long as my name and website address are attached to the print. Copyright 2012, Scott Bruton

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