Friday Fight 211: God Growth

Every Friday, when I wake and pray, God places something on my heart to help fight darkness beginning in our minds. Today is FF211.

When we hear the word development, most of us would think about the apparent growth we see in children. There are various milestones that parents, teachers, and doctors look for in children to determine how progressed they are in their development. I remember my two year oldest son at the dinner table using the word 'apparently' when speaking to his uncle. We were astounded. However, reflecting on how purposeful we were with his vocabulary, we realized this was the exact outcome we were working towards. We then reflected on our approach and chose to continue after experiencing the fruit of our labor. Just as intentional effort shapes a child’s development, our spiritual lives also require purposeful nurturing. Let’s look at some ways we can do this.

God Growth:

One of the most common questions people ask me is, 'How can I get closer to God?' It may seem complex, but it just takes time and effort, like anything else we are trying to develop. Whether we’re learning a language, building strength, or growing in faith, the key is consistent effort. There is a process involved.

Intentional Time: To walk in a closer relationship with God, let’s consider being more intentional. Spend time with God alone and reflect on the time spent in the Word and with Him. Anytime we put aside our own biases and reflect on our actions, we will usually find the answers. Make this time a priority after looking at the current time spent. Then, make space for this spiritual discipline.

Purposeful Efforts: For this next part, consider making your reflection purposeful. As with anything we change, new habits mean new routines. Create a routine that allows for moments of solitude and reflection. For me, it is time spent listening to worship music. I try to look at my habits and ask where God wants me to invest my time. To grow in His grace, I reflect on His character in prayer. Our goal is not perfection, it’s progress.

Finally we have our past experiences, yes they matter. How often have we looked back and thought, "Wow, what a chaotic time, but somehow it all worked out?” Hindsight is always 20/20, but at the moment, nothing feels like it will work out. Or perhaps you can look at something that has happened, see the destruction in its wake, and see the mistakes made. We can be quick to dismiss past experiences, but they could have been God trying to reveal something we missed. Looking back can help many of us progress, do better, or maybe do something different. This last part is self-reflection but in past experiences. Reflection is part of our growth because we don’t always get things right the first time. We can look at strengths and weaknesses in ourselves and how to improve. This allows us to see the good, bad, and ugly without the bias of time changing how something happened. We should strive to be like Christ in our daily interactions with people and our time with the Lord. 2 Peter 3:18 says “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever.” God desires our intentional pursuit of Him.

God wants us to be intentional in our lives and we can do that through prayer, reflections, service and being obedient. Let’s commit to these spiritual habits of intentional and purposeful reflection along with using our past experiences. Intentionally praying, seeking, serving, and upholding his commands will make us more spiritually aware. Please join me in praying about these steps and their application in our spiritual lives.

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Pastor Shannon

River Church