Grow in Grace (Part 2 – Tracking Spiritual Growth)

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Have you ever wondered how mature you are spiritually?

Some people have no way of even measuring their spiritual growth.

It is not a concern to them because they don’t see the repercussions of spiritual stagnancy. The following are the repercussions of spiritual stagnancy;

Unfruitfulness in the knowledge of God

This is evident when as a believer you are not making a difference. You have not comforted the weary in heart, nor have you borne the burden of the weak. You have not successfully witnessed Jesus to anyone. In fact, people who know you are shocked when you tell them you are a Christian. 

There is a problem when your knowledge of God has not brought blessing to people around you.

Dullness of hearing and loss of spiritual sensitivity (spiritual delusion)

When the person’s spiritual senses are dormant, they deteriorate till they become useless. If the person is gifted in teaching, prophecy, or any of the abilities that the Spirit gives, and fails to grow in it, he will soon stop manifesting the gift.

Loss of spiritual sensitivity could also mean that the person is no longer tuned to the leading of the Spirit, and silenced has His leading.

Lack of knowledge and understanding

Spiritual understanding comes with spiritual growth but when a believer is stagnant it shows by his failure to understand simple kingdom principles (like tithing and offering).

When a person is constantly struggling with spiritual truths over a long period of time; this is a sign of stagnancy.

Incapacity to sustain (to receive) spiritual revelation

“I have yet many things to say into you, but ye cannot bear them now.”

There were many things Jesus wanted to tell His disciples, but because they had not yet matured spiritually, He had to withhold it from them (John 16:12).

It was not until they received the Holy Spirit and grew in grace that they could handle deep spiritual mysteries.

Loss of spiritual status

When a believer remains stagnant, he lacks the knowledge to progress to a higher level of spiritual maturity. Even the little he has is taken away because over a long period of unuse, it gets worn down by time.

“There has been enough time for you to be teachers yet you still need someone to teach you the first lessons of God’s message…

Instead of being a teacher the stagnant believer remains a pupil that needs to be taught.

Exclusion from kingdom heritage

It is by the Spirit of God that we know, and receive our spiritual heritage (I Corinthians 2:12).

A person who fails to grow in the Spirit cannot know, and receive all that he has been freely given in Christ.

Spiritual death

If something is not growing, it is either dead or dying. Life is marked by growth so if a believer remains stagnant, death is inevitable (Luke 13:6, 7).

You will struggle to determine if you are growing spiritually if you are not paying attention to your spiritual life.

It is difficult to track growth over a short space of time. It is easier to see evidence of growth over a year than over a month, over a month than over a week and over a week than over a day.

As you are physically, it is almost impossible to see an evidence of growth between yesterday and today. And even over a year, you might not feel different; a sense of growth.

But the wider the margin you give yourself, the easier it would be for you to be certain of growth.

It’s the same thing spiritually.

Don’t mistake the manifestations of the Spirit as an evidence of spiritual growth

You will struggle to determine if you are growing spiritually if you are not paying attention to your spiritual life. If you don’t have any means to track the dealings of God in your life you will not note any progress in your growth spiritually.

This is where the similarity also comes in when considering physical life and spiritual life.

Physically you have a say over your growth. If a person decides to stop taking the nutrients his body needs to grow, he will begin to deteriorate.

Spiritually also, you determine how you grow. Spiritual growth is just as conscious, in the sense that you participate actively in ensuring the growth.

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How do you know you are growing spiritually?

• Increased sensitivity to the leading of the Spirit (Acts 16:18) – As you grow in the Spirit, you get more accustomed to His promptings
• Greater spiritual influence (Acts 5:28)
• Generally, the opposite of all that was listed in the previous point.

Don’t mistake the manifestations of the Spirit as an evidence of spiritual growth (this is important for ministers). The truest way to mark growth is the extent at which the spiritual virtues are operating in your life (II Peter 1:3-7).

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If  you have questions you can write as a comment or send to theinspiredblog@gmail.com

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Chimnomnso Eze (Chino)

 Chino is a leader in a students-based church in Kharkiv Ukraine. He serves as a minster, brother’s coordinator and assistant choir director. He is passionate about spiritual leadership and consecrated service to God.

https://theinspiredlifeblog.com/about-the-writers/

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