Growing Up Spiritually

One of the saddest things you can witness is the "lack of spiritual growth" in the life of a Believer.  Many people I know, have been Christians for years, yet they have had little change or spiritual growth in their lives and as a result they are less effective for the Lord now than they were when they first became a Christian.  It's important to know that spiritual growth doesn't happen by default.  Spiritual growth only occurs when we do what is required to grow.  God's Word gives us several insights as to why spiritual growth is necessary and how it can happen in your life.

1.  It Is A Command

Peter ends his second epistle with the command to grow in "grace" and in "knowledge."  It is only through the grace and knowledge of God that we can grow and mature spiritually.  This growth is not an option that is reserved for a "select few Christians."  The Word of God commands us to grow.  We cannot just sit still and expect growth to happen.  Peter also admonishes the believers how to grow.  In 2 Peter 1:5-8 the word tells us to add to our faith such graces as virtue, knowledge, self control, etc.  Abounding in these graces will cause us to be fruitful which implies a growth process.  All of this takes work which brings me to my second point.

2.  Growth Requires Diligent Effort

Unless there is some physical disorder, people will grow physically just by virtue of the passage of time, physical activity, and eating properly.  But just because you grow older and bigger doesn't mean you grow spiritually.  There must be effort and diligence in growing spiritually.  Two times in 2 Peter, the Apostle tells the reader to give "diligence" to their spiritual calling.  And Paul told Timothy that spiritual growth requires regular exercise (1 Timothy 4:7-8).  Spiritual growth isn't easy, you must work at it everyday!

3. Spiritual Growth is Assisted by God

Thankfully, we are not alone in our efforts to grow spiritually.  It is God who strengthens our efforts.  You and I cannot do it ourselves, we must have God to help us.  How does God strengthen us?

• He strengthens us by His Spirit in our inner man (Ephesians 3:16)
• He empowers us with unimaginable power that is in us (Ephesians 3:20)
• He provides the armor to stand strong in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10-11)
• He strengthens us through Christ so there are no excuses (Philippians 4:13)

With God  as our helper, spiritual growth is possible.  Just as a parent helps their children to grow, our Heavenly Father will help you.

God has blessed our spiritual growth now.  It isn't something we have to wait till we get to heaven to enjoy.  Ephesians 1:3  tells us "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us will all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ."  Those are blessings for us today!

What kind of growth is taking place in your spiritual life?  Is it a vibrant kind of growth in which you are abounding in love, joy, and peace, being faithful and fruitful in your service to Jesus Christ?

The Nature of Compromise (Part 2)

In my last post I covered the nature of compromise and what it is that people compromise on.  In this post I want to cover why people compromise, the consequences of compromise, and the characteristics of a person who won't compromise.

Why People Compromise

No doubt there are many reasons why people compromise on their faith.  Some include:

• Fear of what others may think or say
• To avoid conflict
• For acceptance
• Peer pressure
• For profit
• It's the easy way
• Spiritually weak

When it comes to the important issues of your faith, there are no valid reasons to compromise on the truths of the Bible.  You must stand firm on the foundation that your faith is built upon.

Consequences of Compromise

Compromising on issues of our faith can have some serious consequences. If you aren't careful you will find yourself weaker and less effective each time you compromise.  Some consequences include

• It weakens you spiritually
• It hurts your prayer life
• It infiltrates all areas of your life
• You develop a lack of conscience for right and wrong
• You end up abandoning God's Word
• You become untrustworthy

Characteristics of a Person Who Won't Compromise

• They have a strong conviction about the Bible (they know what they believe)
• They have faith in the promises of God
• They have courage to stand when no one else will stand with them
• They are secure in their relationship with God
• They can easily discern right from wrong
• They have a sense of direction
• They are governed by principle, not preference
• They want God's approval over man's

Have you been guilty of compromise?  Are you compromising on important issues now?  If so, what if anything, are you doing about it?   Leave some feedback in the comments section.

The Nature of Compromise (Part 1)

It's been said that "compromise is the sacrifice of one right or good in hopes of retaining another---but often resulting in the loss of BOTH!"  Unfortunately, too often this is true.  Compromise isn't always bad because it is a useful tool when trying to reach a settlement or in resolving a conflict between two parties.  But when we compromise on serious issues of faith and morality, now that's a different story.

Compromise Defined: There are several definitions for compromise.  The one I want to emphasize is--to settle by concessions on both sides or to surrender (one's principles).  It is this surrendering of one's principles that makes compromise so dangerous.  It's one thing to compromise when discussing where your family may vacation.  There will always be a "give and take" when trying to reach a decision of that nature.  But to compromise in one's faith or morality is totally different.  This type of compromise can dangerously affect your life!

Nature of Compromise

Compromise often starts out as something "small and insignificant."  But what happens is that it becomes a slow digression that ultimately leads to more and more serious compromises.  Compromise weakens our spirit man each time we let our guard down and compromise on an issue that our spirit tells us we shouldn't.  Make no mistake about it, every time we compromise we "lose."  Compromise is a subtle and deadly poison.  It takes a careful examination of our lives to rid ourselves of compromise.

What People Compromise

People can compromise on many issues.  You will find they compromise on their morals, principles they know are true, their church attendance, issues with children, their dress, language, conversation, integrity, and the list goes on.


A quick survey of statistics from the Barna Group is evidence that Christians are compromising many of their basic beliefs:

• Christians spend seven times more time on entertainment as they do on spiritual activities.
• Desiring to have a "close personal" relationship with God ranks 6th among the 21 life goals tested.
• Among "born again" adults interviewed none stated that the "single most important goal in their life is to be a committed follower of Jesus Christ."
• Two-thirds of teens know the basic teachings of the Christian faith, yet 2/3 reject the existence of Satan, 3/5 reject the existence of the Holy Spirit, and 1/2 believe that Jesus sinned.
• When in comes to "absolute moral truth" one 44% of born again adults and 9% of born again teens believe it exists.
• Activities that are deemed "morally acceptable" among the majority of Americans include gambling (61%), co-habitation (60%), sexual fantasies (59%).
• Other disturbing trends of "acceptable" behaviors: having an abortion (45%), sexual relationship outside of marriage (42%), pornography (38%), profanity (36%) drunkenness (35%), and homosexual sex (30%).

These statistics and others should be an alarm that compromise is prevalent not only in society as a whole, but in the church as well.  What are you compromising?  Are there areas where you may have let your guard down?  We must maintain a vigilance in keeping the faith and maintaining a moral compass that keeps us from compromising the important areas of our life. 

People of Faith

As Christians we all desire to be successful in what God has called us to do and be.  True success however, is determined by our ability to walk by faith.  Hebrews 10:38 tells us "Now the just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him."  It is by faith that we should live our lives!  If we are to fulfill the will of God in our lives we must be people of faith.  The Bible is full of examples of people who lived their lives with faith in God.

There are seven attitudes you must possess that will help you become a person of faith.  These were exemplified in the lives of many Biblical characters and it was these seven attitudes that enabled them to go from "faith to faith" when the natural circumstances of their lives seemed hopeless or impossible.

1. Possess a thorough understanding of submission and authority -- When the centurion asked Jesus to heal his paralyzed servant, Jesus was willing to go to the place and heal him.  But because the centurion was a man under authority, he understood and recognized Jesus' authority to heal.  So he simply told Jesus to speak the word and it would be done.  Jesus did and the servant was healed and then Jesus turned to those listening and declared "I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith."  (Matthew 8:5-10).  To be real people of faith, we must understand submission and authority and it's roll in answered prayer.
2. Worship the Lord with reverence -- People of faith have an attitude of worship and reverence towards God.  The word worship means to bow down and give reverence. When we do this, it puts us in a place of relationship so we can hear clearly what God wants to say to us.  Worshiping God with reverence helps us to be people of faith.
3. Convinced that Jesus is able -- We must be fully convinced that God is able to do what He has promised through Jesus Christ.  Convinced means to be "completely certain about something;" "firm in one's belief."  People of faith are completely certain that Jesus is able to do everything He has promised.  Are you convinced that God is able to perform all He promised through the New Covenant that was established through Jesus Christ?
4. Press in regardless of the obstacles -- There are many obstacles, disappointments, worldly cares, distractions, and trials that will try to cause you to lose heart and not press in.  Sometimes the only answer we have is to "press in," not give up but know through the difficulty, the prayer will be answered.  Just like the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8:43-48 pressed in to touch Jesus, you too at times, must press in to touch the Savior!
5. Exhibit boldness in the midst of unbelief and mockery -- When we take steps of faith it sometimes seems foolish to those around us, but we need to press in regardless of how foolish it may seem or who may be mocking us.  It is the boldness that will take us to the next level of faith!
6. Be Persistent -- Don't give up if you don't see immediate results.  Keep believing and standing on the Word and know that the answer is on the way.  Too many times we quit believing just before God is ready to reveal His majesty in our lives.  Once you have prayed with faith, then continue to claim God's promise!
7. Act upon your faith -- James tells us that faith without works is dead!  We must act on what we believe and what God has promised.  People of faith do more than just pray, they also "do."

Working to make these seven attitudes a part of your daily life will help you become a person of faith.  Faith doesn't just happen...it is a spiritual part of our lives that we have to cultivate and grow.  If you want to be a person of faith, begin by working on these seven attitudes in your lifefulol.