Friday Fight 23 - Growth over Gain

Every Friday, when I wake and pray, God places something on my heart to help me fight darkness beginning in our minds. Today is FF23.

Ever look over the past year with frustration, not seeing the gain once hoped to achieve? Our prayers seem unanswered, and we worry about missed doors which add confusion to our frustration. For this lesson, imagine an ascending staircase representing God’s plan for our lives.

Growth over Gain:
When we believe we have missed our blessing, patterns are created that trap our focus on alleged failed decisions; it causes worry about future choices. As a result, we end up making an abrupt directional change that opposes God’s plan for our lives.

Growth comes gradually over time. But, our patience is limited when our perceived timing is different from God’s. As we move up this staircase, God continually fulfills us to succeed while using us to bless others along the way. As we grow towards God’s plan for our lives, we should remember that growth is not the same as gaining what we believe we have missed.

How does darkness work? When our position is not what we feel it should be, lies flood in that God failed, and we feel broken and vulnerable. Pride creeps in to allow darkness to trick us into skipping steps to reach a place we have been cheated from, but we fall to the bottom of the staircase. Thoughts of anger come when we mistakenly believe we wasted our time. Doubt is conceived, giving birth diminishing thoughts of ourselves and God. Satan then places a false urgency in our minds to change direction, opposing God’s plan for our lives. The goal of darkness is to do whatever is necessary to have us walk outside of God’s plan for our lives.

Growth and gain are spiritually different. Growth is continually maturing or increasing in something. When we walk in God’s will, He strategically places people around us to support us spiritually, emotionally through His love and prayers lifted to Him.

How do we fight? Awareness leads to victory! Look at the steps taken and for those God has carried us. Rest in the certainty that we can trust God’s promises regardless of how things appear. Growth does not equal elevation. Instead, change brings healing and transformation by renewing our minds. Growth is spiritual, while the perceived gain is of the flesh.

2 Peter 3:18

Pastor Shannon
New Life Church