#reSURGE Day 21 Todays Devotional. Topic: Hindrance to spiritual growth Text: John 10: 10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal and kill and to destroy; I am come that they might have life and that they might have it abundantly.” KJV Memory verse: I Peter 5: 8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” KJV I recall the story of a lady who accepted Christ many years ago at a tender age. She was very prayerful and devoted to the things of God. She consistently tithed, served in the house of God and did everything that pleased God. Soon enough, a young charming guy came into her life. It wasn’t long after they met that they decided to formalize the relationship, and so they began to date. He was a Christian also but pretty young and naive in the faith. He turned out to become a major influence on her, they engaged in wasteful acts; lying didn’t mean much, making out, et al became a tool for daily conflict resolution. As expected, her passion and zeal for the things of God began to dwindle. For a long while she consistently thrived in sin and at the dawning of every new day, it became difficult for her to retrace her steps, she was ashamed to go to God in prayer. Expectedly, she could barely hear from God anymore, and the spiritual depression became evident. Her immediate spiritual leader observed the new trend, and after a long session of discussion, she was able to counsel her back to the right path. The hindrances to spiritual growth are innumerable but chief among them is Sin which is manifested in different forms. For instance, Deut. 28:1 “And it shall come to pass, if thou shall hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth” God’s word says that without obedience, there is no blessing! Disobedience to God’s word is sin. We may be faithful in tithing and church attendance but if we are not walking according to God’s word, we are in disobedience, hence in sin. Sin is developed in stages; they start out as thoughts, expressed in words and ultimately manifested in actions. As a Christian, we must strive to keep our thoughts pure and in line with the word of God. At other times, our incomplete understanding of the word of God hinders us from growing spiritually. When we have a faulty perspective on the things of God, that is, a failure for instance to understand that we live by God’s grace and have grace orientation, we are limited in our spiritual maturity. If we are able to comprehend that the life we live is primarily a gift from God and that we are accountable to Him, we would seek and yearn to develop a closer relationship with God. Especially as young people, the company we keep directly impacts how we live our lives. He who walks with the wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Prov. 13:20. We take the tinge of our character from our companions and in return give back the brighter hue, the colour of our own to them. If you keep a friend base of spiritually sluggish people, soon you would become like them, and maybe their boss. Shedding the weight of friends that are spiritual burdens to us is important for us to grow in our walk with God. Lastly, unbelief has turned out to be a subtle hindrance to spiritual growth. While Faith is a fact and an action, unbelief is a thief that threatens our trust in God. Rahab through her action (hiding the spies) because she believed them through God to deliver her and her family when Jericho fell to the Israelites obtained life. She had every reason to doubt, but she trusted. (Jos. 2: 12-13.) Sarah received strength to carry and deliver a child when she was well past child bearing age, not because of her circumstances, but because of her faith. She believed God. (Gen. 21:2; Heb. 11:11.) We must consistently x-ray our relationship with God to ensure that we are aligned with His will. The cares of life have a tendency to choke us and subtly edge us out of God’s plan. As we desire to grow daily God is faithful to make grace available to us unto perfection. Prayer: God, I receive the grace to discern and know your will for my life per time. I will not miss out in your plan and purpose for my life, Amen! ____________________________________________________________________________________
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 05:45:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015