SPIRITUAL GROWTH!

Colossians 1:9-10 TLB

So ever since we first heard about you we have kept on praying and asking God to help you understand what he wants you to do; asking him to make you wise about spiritual things; [10] and asking that the way you live will always please the Lord and honor him, so that you will always be doing good, kind things for others, while all the time you are learning to know God better and better.

 

Every organism—plant, animal, or human—has breath in it, and must grow! Life is not static; it is progressive, moving from one degree of growth to another, from season to season. There is a developmental stage to every aspect of life, including the spiritual. Humanity grows at every stage of life. As believers, we need to grow in our knowledge of God and our love for one another.

Change and growth are important because they signify life and the progress of God’s people. Our relationship with Him changes us daily. God is always working to bring about change and growth in people, so that the more time we spend with the Lord, the more we become like Him. As 1 John 2:6 puts it, “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” It is spiritual growth that enables believers to walk as Christ did, imitating His faith, love, devotion, obedience, and selflessness.

Spiritual growth is the process of becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. When we place our faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit begins the process of making us more like Him, conforming us to His image. Romans 12:2 admonishes us not to be conformed to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. It is only through discernment that we avoid becoming like the world, and instead grow spiritually, regardless of where we find ourselves.

Spiritual growth is best described in 2 Peter 1:3-8, which tells us that by God’s power we have “everything we need” to live lives of godliness, which is the goal of spiritual growth. Notice that what we need comes “through our knowledge of Him,” which is the key to obtaining everything we need. Our knowledge of Him comes from the Word, given for our edification and growth.

We must grow! Hebrews 6:1-14 warns against retrogression, which leads to apostasy, explaining that the time comes when we must move beyond the elementary doctrines to deeper and higher doctrines of Christ. Spiritual growth is moving from “baby Christianity” to mature Christianity, as stated in Hebrews 5:11–6:20. This passage challenges believers to grow in their faith, listing the basic things that believers should already know as they grow spiritually, and warns about the danger of falling away from faith due to apostasy and lack of the Word.

Are you growing spiritually? How are you achieving that? Is there a marked difference in the way you engage in spiritual activities now compared to earlier in the year? Have you learned more and relied more on Scriptures than on man’s word?

Our spiritual diet must move from milk to solid food as we grow spiritually. Proverbs 1:5 says we grow and increase as we learn, meaning there must be added increase to our lives from spiritual pursuit. We must have a spiritual growth mindset so we can and should reach our full potential, holding on to the Word of God and being led by the Spirit of God.

Spiritual growth involves hearing, learning, and following. We see this demonstrated clearly in Deuteronomy 5:1-12, where the people had entered into a covenant with God, and Moses commanded them to listen, learn, and obey God's statutes. As believers, we too have entered into a covenant with God through Jesus Christ and should be responsive to what God expects. Moses’ threefold command to the Israelites is excellent advice for all God’s followers: 

- Hearing is absorbing and accepting information about God. 

- Learning is understanding its meaning and implications. 

- Following is putting into action all we have learned and understood. 

All three parts are essential to a growing relationship with God.

We must not be like the people described in Isaiah 27:11—dead wood, good for nothing but kindling. Neither must we be like the Israelites whom God called senseless and without understanding.

Our mindset must shift from worldly, carnal things to spiritual and godly things if we desire to grow and mature spiritually. As instructed in 1 Peter 2:2, we must be like infants longing for pure spiritual milk to grow.

PRAYER: Lord my God, thank You for enhancing and empowering my spiritual growth through Your Word and by Your Spirit. Help me to feast only on materials that will facilitate growth, in Jesus' name. Amen.

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/womenoflight/episodes/SPIRITUAL-GROWTH-e33h4qj

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WE APPRECIATE YOUR GENEROUSITY AND SUPPORT.

SHALOM

 

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