That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.

1 Cor. 11:30 

Sal was always one of the first men to be selected for any team. Throughout his life he had been blessed with athletic skills above normal. He was fast on the track and the football field, amazing speed and dexterity on the soccer field, and a solid hitter in baseball. 

But lately, he had to decline the latest offers to join various teams from work. He tried but just couldn’t maintain his strength. Mr. “stay up to eleven and get up before dawn” was falling asleep in his chair in front of the TV at night. 

Finally Sal went in for tests to discover he had a mild form of anemia which could be controlled by a change in his diet and adding supplements, especially vitamin B12. After a few months with new eating habits and supplements, Sal was his old self (minus the age factor of course) going toe to toe with his buddies on the field. 

Sal was fortunate that his form of anemia was easily reversed but what about Spiritual Anemia? In our bodies, if the red blood cells cannot be reproduced efficiently, we lose strength and exhibit signs of fatigue and lethargy. Spiritually, if our relationship with the Savior is neglected and becomes anemic, we display Biblical lethargy, fatigue and malaise. 

After his anemia scare, Sal realized that his walk with the Lord was anemic as well. But, contrary to his athletic endeavors, God does not require strong men, able to leap tall buildings. He requires obedient men, able to pray at a moment’s notice. 

Hosea 6:6  I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings. 

1 Peter 4:11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. 

James 5:16  Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 

2 Cor. 12:8-10  Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

Paul shatters our human ideals of strong, self-sufficient men, slugging their way through life, able to conquer all. The Apostle Paul, surely a man’s man, unfaltering in his desire to spread the Gospel under any circumstance, says he is pleased in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions and pressures. He is pleased! His weakness allows God’s strength to assume control. 

1 Corinthians 16:13 Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave and strong. Your every action must be done with love. 

Colossians 3:12-17   Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 

Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. 

Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. 

1 Peter 5:10-11 In his kindness God called you to his eternal glory by means of Jesus Christ. After you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. All power is his forever and ever. Amen 

Jesus Christ gave his own blood to cleanse our sins forever. Faith in Him is the cure for our spiritual anemia.