Tag Archives: spiritual growth

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Don’t Waste Your Adversities

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James 1:2-4

Are you wasting your troubles? Any time God allows trials to enter your life, He has a purpose for them. He wants you to squeeze out every ounce of spiritual growth instead of letting difficulties force you into despair and discouragement. If you’ll just respond in the right manner, the trial that looks as if it could destroy you becomes an instrument of blessing.

The most natural response to adversity is to groan and plead with the Lord to remove it. If that doesn’t work, we might get angry or try to find our own way out of the difficulty or pain. Sometimes we resort to blaming others for the trouble. And in truth, someone else might have caused the problem, but ultimately God allowed it. No matter where affliction originates, who is involved, or how evil their intentions, by the time it reaches you, it’s been dipped in the Father’s love and shaped to accomplish His good purpose. The question is, will you cooperate with Him, or will you resist?

Perhaps the key word is found in verse 4 of today’s reading. God wants to use our trial to develop spiritual maturity, but unless you let it do its work, that opportunity will be lost. If we could foresee every benefit the Lord designed our trials to accomplish, maybe we’d be more cooperative.

Although we can’t see all the specifics of God’s plan, we know that His goal is to use our adversity to supply something we lack so we can be mature and complete. Even though the experience is painful, rest in the Father’s comforting arms, and let Him do His perfect work in you.

Bible in One Year: Jeremiah 6-8

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Christ-Centered Confidence

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2 Corinthians 3:1-6

Confidently trusting the Lord brings many blessings. These include spiritual growth, personal achievement, peace, and influence.

When our reliance on God is steady, we will respond to difficulties by seeking Him for guidance and strength. In turn, we will experience the Holy Spirit’s presence, provision, power—and, as a result, spiritual growth. We’ll be capable of accomplishments far greater than imaginable when our assurance comes from the Lord. Perhaps we’ll demonstrate a depth of endurance while everyone else is in an uproar; we might receive a leadership position beyond our perceived abilities; or we might find pleasure and success in doing an unfamiliar task.

If we mix trust in God with reliance on self, our calm demeanor will waver. But when our security rests in Him and we show conviction about His promises, peace follows. Then others will notice that God has inspired our confidence. As they watch us achieve in unexpected ways, grow spiritually, or exhibit inner peace, they’ll want what we have, and we can influence them for Christ.

We build confidence in God by meditating on His Word, knowing who He is, and drawing near to Him through prayer. But we can lose our confidence by focusing on circumstances rather than Jesus, by allowing unconfessed sin in our life, and by heeding worldly advice.

What do your actions reveal about you—Christ-centered confidence or self-reliance? What steps will you take to deepen your belief in Him? The Lord is always worthy of our trust (John 14:1).

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Longing for the Word

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John MacArthur

“Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet. 2:2).

Scripture is our source of spiritual growth.

A newborn baby was abandoned in a pile of trash in a city alley. The mother had obviously left it there to die. The infant was near death when someone heard its faint cry and summoned medical help. The child survived, but not until it had received the attention and nourishment it needed.

That situation has a spiritual parallel, which Peter used to illustrate the believer’s dependence on God’s Word. If a baby is deprived of nourishment, it will soon die. Similarly, if a Christian doesn’t feed on the Word, he or she will languish spiritually and become ineffective for the Lord. On the positive side, a believer should long for God’s Word as intently as a newborn baby longs for its mother’s milk.

Scripture draws on the parent/child metaphor in other ways, referring to Christians as being born again (John 3:7; 1 Pet. 1:3), children of God (Rom. 8:16; 1 John 3:1), and adopted sons (Rom. 8:14; Eph. 1:5). Just as it is natural for biological children to grow and mature, Christians also have the capacity for spiritual growth. In fact, we’re commanded to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18).

The Word of God is the mainstay of your spiritual diet. It’s your primary source of nourishment. Paul said, “As you . . . have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed” (Col. 2:6-7). “Your faith” in that context refers to the content of Christianity—the doctrines of Scripture. As your knowledge and application of biblical principles increases, you will become more and more grounded in truth and steadfast in Christ.

Suggestions for Prayer; If you’ve lost your appetite for God’s Word, it may be because of sin (1 Pet. 2:1). If so, ask God to cleanse your heart and give you a renewed longing for His truth. Then commit yourself to daily time in the Word.

For Further Study; Read Acts 20:32 and 1 Thessalonians 2:13, noting the effect Scripture has on believers.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Lesson of Brokenness

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Charles Stanley

2 Corinthians 4:7-10

No one enjoys the feeling of broken-ness, but we can’t ignore its benefits to spiritual growth. Being broken gives us an entirely new perspective on the Lord’s plan for our lives. You see, enjoying a steady, uninterrupted stream of blessings has an interesting effect on most people: It distorts our view of the Father, often leaving us to assume He exists for us.

We ask the Lord for healing, success, and financial security. We ask Him to bless our family and our relationships. We ask and ask and ask. And the truth is, much of the time we aren’t really talking to God at all. In our mind, we’ve replaced Him with some sort of cosmic errand boy—we tell Him what we want and then send Him off to get it for us.

In all of this, who is actually at the center of our prayers? It certainly isn’t almighty God, our eternal Savior and Creator of the universe. No, instead we find ourselves at the center of these prayers. Therefore, the end result is the subtle belief that God exists for our benefit—a far cry from the reality of His divinity. This distortion breaks the Lord’s heart and leads us far away from truly knowing Him for who He is.

The antidote for this self-centered idolatry is brokenness. When God says “No,” when He takes away instead of adding more, when He divinely manages what we have, how much we have, and how long we have it, He is helping us keep our eyes on Him. Do not despise these moments. Instead, recognize them as the voice of your Father calling you back into His loving arms.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Path of Brokenness

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Charles Stanley

Psalm 51:17

John 12:24 gives a beautiful illustration of brokenness: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” That is, only by falling and breaking can a single grain produce a rich crop. If it remains isolated and protected, it will never produce anything.

That’s how the Lord works to mature His children. He breaks us in order to bring spiritual growth and supernatural ministry into our lives. And the process is always the same:

  1. God targets the areas in which we are not submissive to Him.
  2. He arranges circumstances and selects the tools with which to break our self-sufficiency.
  3. He controls the pressure and timing of those circumstances to bring us back into His will.

If we refuse to be re-formed through brokenness and instead cling to the things God wants us to release, He will put us on the shelf. Just like an unbroken grain of wheat, we’ll be fruitless and alone.

Yet we resist brokenness at every turn. We want to hang on to the things we think bring joy. We want to persist in relationships that stunt our spiritual growth. We want to take the path of least resistance and hope that God will bless our laziness. My friend, that isn’t the road to maturity. Our Father has a better way.

Brokenness hurts. The Word, however, proclaims that it hurts far more not to be broken. Don’t be distracted by short-term happiness. Look where your Father is leading you, and let Him do whatever it takes to get you there.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Growing in Servanthood

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Charles Stanley

Kids love to show off their height. They eagerly anticipate being tall enough to do all the things their short stature currently prevents. Many parents record and celebrate their children’s growth. They follow the tradition of marking heights on a doorframe.

God the Father also measures His children’s growth. He delights in seeing us reach new levels of spiritual maturity so we can accept greater responsibility. Because a new believer is like a little child in faith, his or her kingdom tasks are, at first, light. God is beginning the transformation process that will grow a saved human being into the image of Christ.

The call to servanthood requires us to do as the Lord Jesus did: act humbly on behalf of our fellow man. When we successfully minister where we are called, new opportunities will open up and offer fresh challenges.

Every opportunity to bless others honors the Lord and increases a believer’s wisdom and stature before Him. Much of God’s work goes on where only He can see it. But our heavenly Father is always measuring His children for future service. He’s gauging how much closer we are to His goal for us and what new task will draw us even closer.

God calls each believer to a life of service, just as He called Paul, Peter and James. This should be an exciting prospect. But too many people get hung up believing they can’t be “as good” as the apostles of old or the preachers and missionaries of today. A popular idea in the church is that the Lord’s servants are only those doing full-time ministry. Everyone else is simply trying to live well. Nothing could be further from the truth. From God’s perspective, you and I are the same as Paul, Peter, and James: servants with important kingdom work to do.

Some kingdom jobs look more important than others. But that’s only because we evaluate them with human eyes. Every work that advances the Gospel or serves a need is valuable—from cleaning the church or preaching to evangelizing or recording a praise album.

Everyone can’t be on a foreign mission field. But we can all share the gospel with a neighbor. Some people can sing in the choir. Others can put a dollar in the hand of homeless man. God invites us to do His work in the world, whether the task is great or small. We accomplish it by serving our fellow man. Ask Him what He would have you do.

Whatever your calling, remember… spiritual growth impacts our fruitfulness. The longer we’ve been believers, the greater our service should be. That does not mean tasks will be highly visible. Satan tries to convince people that some jobs are trivial. But the moment a believer falls for that lie, growth is stunted. God will promote those who put forth the best effort, no matter what the task is.

 

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Growth Chart

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Our Daily Bread

2 Peter 3:10-18

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. —2 Peter 3:18

If my family ever moves from the house where we live now, I want to unhinge the pantry door and take it with me! That door is special because it shows how my children have grown over the years. Every few months, my husband and I place our children against the door and pencil a mark just above their heads. According to our growth chart, my daughter shot up 4 inches in just 1 year!

While my children grow physically as a natural part of life, there’s another kind of growth that happens with some effort—our spiritual growth in Christlikeness. Peter encouraged believers to “grow in the grace and knowledge” of Jesus (2 Peter 3:18). He said that maturing in our faith prepares us for Christ’s return. The apostle wanted Jesus to come back and find believers living in peace and righteousness (v.14). Peter viewed spiritual growth as a defense against teaching that incorrectly interprets God’s Word and leads people astray (vv.16-17).

Even when we feel discouraged and disconnected from God, we can remember that He will help us advance in our faith by making us more like His Son. His Word assures us that “He who has begun a good work in [us] will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). —Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Dear God, I invite Your Holy Spirit

to mold me into the person You want me to be.

Empower me to keep reaching for

the holiness I see in Jesus.

Spiritual growth requires the solid food of God’s Word.

Bible in a year: Job 30-31; Acts 13:26-52

Insight

The exhortation to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord” is the end goal of every believer (2 Peter 3:18; cf. John 17:3; Eph. 1:17; Col. 1:10; 3:10; 1 John 5:20). God wants us to grow and not to remain spiritual infants (1 Peter 2:2).

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Growing in Servanthood

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Charles Stanley

Kids love to show off their height. They eagerly anticipate being tall enough to do all the things their short stature currently prevents. Many parents record and celebrate their children’s growth. They follow the tradition of marking heights on a doorframe.

God the Father also measures His children’s growth. He delights in seeing us reach new levels of spiritual maturity so we can accept greater responsibility. Because a new believer is like a little child in faith, his or her kingdom tasks are, at first, light. God is beginning the transformation process that will grow a saved human being into the image of Christ.

The call to servanthood requires us to do as the Lord Jesus did: act humbly on behalf of our fellow man. When we successfully minister where we are called, new opportunities will open up and offer fresh challenges.

Every opportunity to bless others honors the Lord and increases a believer’s wisdom and stature before Him. Much of God’s work goes on where only He can see it. But our heavenly Father is always measuring His children for future service. He’s gauging how much closer we are to His goal for us and what new task will draw us even closer.

God calls each believer to a life of service, just as He called Paul, Peter and James. This should be an exciting prospect. But too many people get hung up believing they can’t be “as good” as the apostles of old or the preachers and missionaries of today. A popular idea in the church is that the Lord’s servants are only those doing full-time ministry. Everyone else is simply trying to live well. Nothing could be further from the truth. From God’s perspective, you and I are the same as Paul, Peter, and James: servants with important kingdom work to do.

Some kingdom jobs look more important than others. But that’s only because we evaluate them with human eyes. Every work that advances the Gospel or serves a need is valuable—from cleaning the church or preaching to evangelizing or recording a praise album.

Everyone can’t be on a foreign mission field. But we can all share the gospel with a neighbor. Some people can sing in the choir. Others can put a dollar in the hand of homeless man. God invites us to do His work in the world, whether the task is great or small. We accomplish it by serving our fellow man. Ask Him what He would have you do.

Whatever your calling, remember… spiritual growth impacts our fruitfulness. The longer we’ve been believers, the greater our service should be. That does not mean tasks will be highly visible. Satan tries to convince people that some jobs are trivial. But the moment a believer falls for that lie, growth is stunted. God will promote those who put forth the best effort, no matter what the task is.

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Charles Stanley – When We Feel Disappointed

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Ephesians 3:17-19

Isn’t it wonderful to realize we cannot disappoint God? Since the Lord knows every decision we will make, He can never be surprised or let down by our wrong choices. He has no false expectations of what we can or cannot accomplish, and He loves us, no matter what.

When others face difficult, painful, or disappointing experiences, some Christians are quick to quote, “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28.) But do we apply that verse in the daily details and challenges of our own life? Do we have faith that God is engineering our circumstances—no matter how uncomfortable they may be—for our ultimate benefit?

We believe Jesus is the Messiah who will come again. We believe in salvation by grace alone. We believe we will spend eternity in heaven. And we heartily say “Amen!” to all that. But then some big disappointment happens in life, and we cry out, “God, where are You? Help me!”

It’s one thing to know the fundamentals intellectually, but it’s something else to live by faith. Can we apply the principles of Scripture to our daily lives so that unexpected disappointment won’t keep us from being the person God wants us to be?

Disappointments do not mean that our Father doesn’t love us. He desires that we profit from hard circumstances, and He wants what is best for us. Remember, God is more interested in our spiritual growth than in relieving our pain. His best may not always be our choice, but because it’s His nature to love us (1 John 4:8), we can rest assured even letdowns are sovereignly permitted for our good.

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Joyce Meyer – First, Do What Is Right

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Invoke blessings upon and pray for the happiness of those who curse you, implore God’s blessing (favor) upon those who abuse you [who revile, reproach, disparage, and high-handedly misuse you]. —Luke 6:28

When we make a decision to forgive, we probably won’t feel like forgiving. After all, we have been treated unjustly, and it hurts. But doing the right thing while we feel wronged is extremely important to our overall spiritual growth. It also glorifies God.

For many years I tried to forgive people when they hurt or offended me, but since I still had negative feelings toward them, I assumed I wasn’t successful in the forgiveness journey. Now I realize that no matter how I feel, if I keep praying for the person who injured me and bless rather than curse him or her, I am on my way to freedom from destructive emotion. To curse means to speak evil of, and to bless means to speak well of. When someone has hurt us, we can refuse to speak evil of them, even if we’re tempted to do so. We can also bless them by talking about their good qualities and the good things they have done. If we look only at the mistakes people make, we won’t be able to like them. But looking at their whole lives gives us a more balanced picture of them.

You cannot wait to forgive someone who hurt you until you feel warm and loving toward that person. You’ll probably have to do it while you are still hurting—when forgiving is the last thing you feel like doing—but doing it puts you in the “God league.” It puts you squarely on the road that is “narrow (contracted by pressure),” but leads to the way of life (see Matt. 7:14). It puts you on the road that Jesus Himself traveled on. Don’t forget that one of the last things He did was forgive someone who didn’t deserve forgiveness, and He did it while hanging on a cross being crucified (see Luke 23:43). I think some of the last things that Jesus did were specially designed to help us remember how important those things are.

Trust in Him: You may want to feel better first, but God wants you to do what is right first, which is to forgive. When you do, you are putting your trust in God.