5 Seeds for Growth in the Lord

 

A dear friend recently asked how some people mature in their faith while others seem to "get stuck."

Funny that Mary DeMuth should pose the same question within the beginning pages of her upcoming (October 16th) release, Everything.

Mary offers wisdom throughout the pages of her book that will help answer this question. In the meantime, I present Five Seeds for Growth in the Lord:

1. Observe spiritual mothers and fathers of the faith. My spiritual mother is a powerhouse in the Lord. She could be like Joyce Meyers or Fuchsia Pickett. She could minister before stadiums of people, but instead she chooses to raise up generations of Women of the Word in the town God called pastor and her to. She says she prefers to encourage women and push them off her shoulders to soar, rather than take the stage. I've made it a point in my spiritual life to watch, listen and learn from her. She emanates wisdom and smells like Jesus. I know she's a deep well to draw from, and I drink from there frequently.

2. Don't compare yourself to others. You are unique, created by God. We like to look at others and wonder why we're so different from them. Why we don't learn as quickly as they do. Why we don't have a particular quality they do. Remember these truths: God created you the way He wanted you to be. God gives each one of us a measure of faith. God gives each one of us gifts. We each have unique ways of learning. We cannot compare ourselves to one another, because we are each individual. We each have a plan and a purpose in life. No one else can do what we are called to do. Others may be able to do something similar, but God wants to use each of us for His unique purpose.

3. Be obedient in the things of God. There's really no mystery to it all. God knew we'd need His help if we were to accomplish what He has called us to do. So He left us a guide and an instructor. The Bible. His Holy Spirit. When we immerse ourselves in the Word of God, we get to know Jesus and His heart for humanity. We get to know who He is and what He requires us to do. When we allow the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, He whispers truth to our inward parts. He divides the old from the new. He divides the flesh from the spirit. He brings healing and causes change within our hearts. We become more like Jesus as we allow the Holy Spirit to move in our lives. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God(Romans 10:17). Our faith increases as we hear the Word of God spoken in our lives and are obedient to the truths contained within. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith (1 John 5:3-4).

4. Don't fear change. Step out in faith. Move from your comfort zone. Let's face it. Sin is comfortable. We don't like change. We are afraid of what we don't know. Here's where we have to trust our Leader. We have to understand that God has our best interests at heart, that He's our #1 fan. We have to trust Him to take care of us as we put feet to our faith and take steps toward a new life of allowing Him to be our everything. As we forgo the ways of our past and head toward the ways of His future for us, we must recognize His love for us and allow Him to replace our worries, fears, doubts, and anxieties with His peace, comfort, hope, faith, and love. Trust the change, knowing it will produce growth in our spiritual lives.

5. Accept that growth is a natural process that can't be forced and must be embraced. My spiritual father always says that the kingdom of God is organic. It comes complete with birth, life, death, and various seasons. To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under Heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1). When we are young in the Lord, we need milk, gentleness, comfort, soft embraces. We don't need hard slaps with spiritual rods. Until we grow a little older in our faith. Then, we need iron to sharpen our spiritual maturity. One day, we find ourselves able to chew on some meat. It's tough at first, maybe difficult to process. As we chew more and chew more, it becomes easier to swallow when someone brings a word of correction. Eventually, we're able to feed ourselves and find the Holy Spirit prompting changes in our behaviors. We start making better choices. We grow. We develop. We become the feeders, rather than the ones being fed. However, like a baby who needs formula, if we try to ingest food too advanced for us, we throw it back up all over the place. Because growth is an organic process. It comes line upon line and precept upon precept. Don't strive to be someplace you aren't. Let God process you, rather than forcing the process. Don't die before you've had a chance to live.

Where are you in the growth process? Are you a seedling, ready to sprout? Are you a sapling, hoping the wind doesn't knock you over? Are you a solid oak who can pour into the younger trees who stand in your shadow? Have you recognized God working out the process within you? I pray you embrace the growth process and thrive in the stage you're in as God prepares you for the next season of life.