THE CAPACITY TO TAKE RISKS

TEXT: 2 Samuel 23:14-17

In life there are times when taking certain positive decisions would be tantamount to taking risks. Failure to take those positive risks would lead to frustration and stagnation. The truth is that many people would have moved forward in life only if they came out of their comfort zones and took certain decisions which looked like risk.

Someone might say we should live life by “leading” and not by “risking.” This is correct. And it is also correct that certain steps of faith are actually risk-steps but the difference is that when risk is anchored on God’s promise, it becomes failure-proof! You cannot fail obeying God.

Fear is the leading reason for failure to take necessary risks in life. There are places where preaching or living the gospel entails taking serious risk. The overcoming of fear is the birthplace of success and victory.

One of the most unsecured places in life is that place called “comfort zone.” It is a place of ease, convenience and satisfaction with the status quo. It is a place where mediocrity is celebrated and usually represents the last bus stop for some people; beyond their comfort zone nothing exists. They find it difficult to step out in obedience to God’s leading. The fear of failure consumes them and they cannot try anything that could move them into their next level of manifestations. The fear of failure is the reason for failure.

Nobody who fears to take risk makes any impact in life. Positive risk-taking is when you step out in faith for God. Esther took one such risk when she said: “If I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16). She did not perish! The risk paid off. The error that is often associated with risk-taking is when it is done in disobedience or outside God’s will.

April is about ending and another month about to begin. The truth is that you won’t be where you are now if you have taken certain steps in obedience to God’s leading even if they looked risky. But if it is God, it is worth taking. Timid people cannot go far with God. It takes men of courage combined with faith. Friend, from the month of May, be determined to go the distance with and for God. Even when it appears risky, if God is the one leading, be rest assured all will go well. Maranatha.

(SPIRIT SWORD DAILY DEVOTIONAL – Wednesday, 30th April, 2014. YOU CAN READ SPIRIT SWORD DEVOTIONAL AT: www.drwilliamsbukola.blogspot.com OR Visit www.treasuredhouse.org)

GO FORWARD!

TEXT: Genesis 26:13

One key to making progress in life is to constantly remind yourself that there is a better place than wherever you presently are. It is erroneous to imagine that where you are is the best place you can be. There is always a better place to be. There is always something better to know. There is always a yonder to proceed even in your relationship with God.

Someone said that the room for improvement is the largest room in the world. Very true! If you think you know so much, I tell you that there are many things you still do not yet know. If you think you are praying “so well”, the truth is that there is a yonder you can and should go. Don’t come to the point where you think you have arrived and need no more knowledge or where you think you are sufficient enough to need no one in your life.

You may have achieved some feats and you are basking in the euphoria of success…this is beautiful! However, the best thing you can do for yourself is to move on and try to achieve bigger things. The path of the righteous is under covenant to shine brighter and brighter and not to remain the same (Proverbs 4:18).  

Set bigger goals, aim higher, pursue higher dreams, pray deeper, study longer, evangelize more, give bigger offerings; just be sure you do not remain the same. Remember that the anointing of yesterday may not be sufficient to tackle the battles of today. Don’t carry “old oil”; let your life be renewed daily.

Remember, the best is always yet to come. As long as there is life, it can be better. And we keep moving forward until we fly higher at rapture. You will not miss out in Jesus’ name. Amen.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH (8)

>>> DANGERS OF FAILED GROWTH

TEXT: 2 Peter 3:18

When a person is not making progress, his life radiates frustration. To fail to grow spiritually has dangers for the person and this is what we consider on SPIRIT SWORD today as we round off the series on spiritual growth.

(1) Stagnation and retardation

(2) Increased vulnerability and susceptibility to spiritual assaults and destiny hazards.

(3) Existence at the mercy of competition. Dissociation from the covenant of manifestation. 

(4) Easy fallibility. Such persons fall so ‘cheaply’ to temptations.

(5) Existence in ignorance with a characteristic struggling life

(6) Tendency for lack of integrity…ask Gehazi!

(7) Living without impact and at risk of destiny – Swab

(8) Eternal risk of missing Heaven

FINALLY

When you do not grow, you cannot be fruitful. That fig tree had no fruit to offer Jesus…it had failed (spiritual) growth. As you express commitment to grow in grace, you shall bear fruits and your fruits shall abide.

>>> END OF SERIES ON SPIRITUAL GROWTH

SPIRITUAL GROWTH (7)

>>> EVIDENCES OF FAILED GROWTH

TEXT: 2 Peter 3:18

As we approach the end of this series on the necessity for spiritual growth we shall take a spotlight on some evidences of failed growth. When a man is not growing, he is under the spell of stagnation or retrogression and will manifest some symptomatic attitudes. On SPIRIT SWORD today we look at some of these features of absent growth.

(1) ARGUMENTS OVER SPIRITUAL ISSUES

A spiritually stagnated person will argue over unnecessary things. He/she will always try to justify his/her low spiritual degree and carnality. It is among them you find the most arguments over what is sin and not sin.

(2) LAZINESS AND PROCRASTINATION REGARDING SPIRITUAL THINGS

They are lazy to pray and reading the Bible is hard job for them. They defer spiritual exercises and fellowship with God. They make excuses why they are not able to pray, fast or evangelise, and their major excuse  is that they are busy.

(3) RISING AND FALLING (ZIG-ZAG SPIRITUALITY)

When a man is not growing, he is always rising today and falling tomorrow. He keeps committing and confessing the same sin over and over again. The sin he battled with years ago is still killing him uptil now.

(4) CONDEMNING SPIRITUAL THINGS

Since he is not growing, he doesn’t understand the move of the Spirit, so when he sees spiritual power and supernatural manifestations, he condemns them. His problem is that he is suffering from carnality and the carnal man does not understand spiritual things – they are foolishness to him (1 Cor. 2:14).

(5)  DISREGARD FOR SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP/AUTHORITY

He does not respect church/spiritual leadership. He is rebellious and disobedient. He talks to people and leaders anyhow. He does not regard authority. Humility and quietness are not on his own Bible because he lacks them. What he lacks spiritually he has replaced with physicality.

(6) HYPOCRITICAL SPIRITUALITY

He is a pretender and thinks he is smart. When he is with believers he acts spirituality and even attempts to speak in some odd tongues. But when he is away from the sight of God’s people, he is something else.

(7) HE HONOURS THE WORD OF MAN THAN THE WORD OF GOD

He can quote his favourite preacher several times but cannot quote Bible. It doesn’t matter what the Bible says, once “his pastor” says something is not sinful, he follows the pastor word and not God’s word.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH (6)

>>> GRACE AND GROWTH

TEXT: 2 Peter 3:18

Yesterday we began looking at spiritual ingredients that promote spiritual growth. Today on SPIRIT SWORD we look at the instrument of grace in relation to growth.

“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ”

There is a spiritual atmosphere that guarantees the flow of spiritual virtues which both fertilize and catalyse spiritual growth. This grace-atmosphere has two (2) basic functions: firstly, it chokes and eliminates anything that tries to prevent growth. In other words, “graceosphere” (from grace-atmosphere) is like a “weed-killer”; it kills spiritual weeds (such as distractions and others). Secondly, the atmosphere of grace attracts divine virtues such as divine presence, unction, power and the anointing – all these are raw materials for growth.

One question we should answer is: HOW DO I GENERATE AN ATMOSPHERE OF GRACE that would in turn make me grow from being a spiritual weakling to a spiritual heavy weight? Someone wants to escape spiritual stagnation, Lukewarmness and backsliding and is asking HOW DO I ACTIVATE THE GRACE-ATMOSPHERE AROUND MY LIFE?

The principle is simple: anything that attracts (the presence of) God attracts grace. Grace travels in the direction of divine presence. If you engage in the things that attract God to you, you automatically attract grace to your life. On the opposite, if you do things that displease and hurt God, your life repels grace. Here are some things that attract God and thus pulls grace into your life:

(1) A LIFE OF WORSHIP: sing worship songs to God; listen to worship (NOT WORLDLY) music and flow along. Worship atmosphere cultivates grace-atmosphere.

(2) SPIRITUAL FELLOWSHIP: this implies fellowship with God in prayers and also fellowshipping together with other believers. If you hate fellowship, you despise grace and you will not grow.

(3) CONSISTENT WORD INTAKE: read the word; eat the word; listen to the word on tapes. As you ingest God’s word, your faith level rises (Romans 10:17). Faith pulls grace.

(4) UNCOMPROMISING HOLINESS: God is attracted to the holy man. Holiness builds up grace; sin sinks grace.

(5) PASSION FOR SOULS (EVANGELISM): Jesus had genuine passion for souls and this is one of the reasons God gave Him grace without measure. If you are driven by souls and NOT for show, you become a candidate for grace.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to maximize the grace available for me to grow in Jesus’ name. Amen.

>>> THE SPIRITUAL GROWTH SERIES CONTINUE TOMORROW