SPIRITUAL GROWTH (4)

>>> ENEMIES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH

TEXT: Romans 7:15-25

Biologically, steady growth takes place where nutritional requirements are in place. A plant grows under many factors – the root system, photosynthetic process among others. Spiritually, growth takes place when certain spiritual raw materials are in place. When you see someone operating in a higher spiritual dimension, you can desire such, but just desiring alone is not enough to bring the anointing. That person grew to that stage. If you desire what he/she carries, then you have to grow.

There are baby-believers all around; some want to grow but don’t know how to go about it and others are not interested in knowing God more. They don’t know what the Bible says so they are easily wrongly indoctrinated. They believe everything they see on Facebook and what they watch on TV. They jump from one church to another looking for signs and wonders. They panic at the sight of an innocent cat looking for what to eat. They recite Psalms like incantations. They sleep with Bible under their pillows as a form of protection. They carry prayer point about looking for whom to pray for them. If you look at their lives, they have no consistent prayer life. They read the Bible once in a while especially on Sundays at church. They cannot stay without food till 12 noon and they sleep all their nights; no time to stay awake to pray.

When you look at how they utilize their time; they spend hours Facebooking, watching movies and sports, playing games, gisting and hanging around, and they can stay many days without praying or reading the Bible. Fasting is not on their agenda. They go to church, but it is either to fulfil all righteousness, show off their new clothes/dresses or to make friends (usually the opposite sex).

There are people who cannot give to God. These people can spend money buying cars, recharge cards, home videos, designer stuff (clothes, shoes, etc), but they cannot buy Bible to read, Christian books to read and gospel CDs/DVDs to watch. They may be working but their offerings in church never grow. They still give the same amount of offering they were giving five (5) years ago. Anytime there is a church project, they begin to murmur that the pastor talks too much about money. The truth is that it is never possible to grow spiritually if you have not grown in your financial discipline and commitment to God.

There are people whose spiritual lives have either failed to grow or been up and down because of the friends around them and/or their relationships. And yet for some, it is the environments they are that have halted their growths. Any friendship/relationship which cripples your spiritual life is a set-up from hell to drag you there; flee for your life and eternity!

The enemies of spiritual growth are so numerous ranging from laziness through lack of discipline to wrong associations. If you want to grow, you must first identify those enemies of spiritual growth around your life, remove them and you will find grace to grow being made available to you.

Tomorrow on SPIRIT SWORD we look at the spiritual ingredients and raw materials required for spiritual growth. If you are not growing, you are merely existing and not living. This won’t be your portion in Jesus’ name. Amen.