A Hindrance to Spiritual Growth

Is it a comprehension problem with some people that keeps them from putting the Word of God into practice to get through struggles? Or, is it a lack of knowledge of the Word altogether?

One may cause the other.

A pastor who wants to encourage and equip those who “get it,” those who are growing in Christ, love God, and submit to His Word, may be hindered by those who don’t “get it,” and are always “in a crisis,” asking for prayer, counsel etc. because they don’t put the effort necessary in being able to stand during times of trials themselves.

It’s like a teacher who wants to challenge those who are smart but are held back by those who need extra attention. I’m not talking about those who are trying to learn but take longer to comprehend, or those with learning disabilities—but those who are lazy and don’t want to take time to study, or who don’t have motivation to learn. Of course, we all need the support of the body at times, but we also need to learn to stand ourselves (Eph. 6:10-18).

What is the solution?

Pastors have to be able to feed and equip those who are growing, who want to pursue their call and purpose, while at the same time, nurture the true babes who need to learn the basics.

Hebrews 5:11-14

11: Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
12: For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 

13: For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 

14: But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

The writer of Hebrews, (let’s say it’s Paul), had much to say to his readers, yet it was hard to explain because they had become dull of hearing. He wanted to explain to them about Melchizedek, and the priesthood of Jesus, yet it was hard to do because they had become dull of hearing.

Why did they become dull of hearing?

They should have already learned the basic foundational principles of the Word to where they could teach others. Yet they didn’t even understand them themselves. They needed to be taught AGAIN these basic principles. They started to grow but had reverted to a place of needing milk again.

Why?

They had heard these “elementary principles”, but had never put them into practice. They did not have their “senses trained to discern good and evil.” They were not “accustomed to the word of righteousness.”

Jesus called “righteousness” things like giving to the poor, prayer, and fasting (Matthew 6). He described how to “practice” your righteousness (Matthew 6:1) and went on to say at the end of the sermon that those who hear and act on His Word will be the ones who hold up under the storm—because they have built a strong foundation (Matthew 7:24-27).

This hindrance to growth occurs when people neglect the Word of God—the very thing needed to bring them what they need, and to the place they want to go, that they are destined to go—and want others to do it for them.

It will come to a point in your Christian walk, when the prayers of others will only go so far for you—you must resist the devil, and speak the Word to him yourself (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10). But you’ve got to KNOW THE WORD in order to do so. Even if you use the authority in the name of Jesus you’ve been given in Him, if you’re not in the Word, your faith in His name can begin to waver.

A “snowflake” mentality infiltrated the church. A snowflake was used to describe those young people who had grown up so coddled that they didn’t learn how to handle the challenges of life once they reached adulthood. They were never disciplined, always got what they wanted, so they never learned how to handle denial, disappointment, inconvenience, or failure. As a result, they melted at the first bump in the road.

Hebrews 6:1-3

1: Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

2: of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. 

3: And this we will do, if God permits.

There are times we will teach on the basic principles of the Word, even after coming to maturity, to strengthen our foundations but that is not the place we are to stay. If we don’t grow beyond that, we won’t develop the stamina we need to overcome in this life.

If a baby receives milk and grows, that’s a good thing. However, if he spits out food when he’s given it, his body will not receive the nourishment it needs to sustain itself and continue growing. He’ll remain perpetually hungry, dissatisfied, and malnourished. By rejecting the solid food and the extra effort it takes to chew and digest, he won’t have the strength to grow, to walk, to run, to live a healthy life. So it is with spiritual babes in Christ. We must put effort into studying the Word of God, getting before the Lord in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to give us understanding and revelation, and applying it to our lives.

There is a danger to not doing this.

Hebrews 6:4-6

4: For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 

5: and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 

6: and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.

It’s dangerous to grow to a point in Christ, a point of enlightenment, tasting and partaking of His gifts and goodness but then falling away. There's a certain amount of perseverance and faithfulness required on our part to grow in Christ. Paul reminded his readers of the “former days,” when after being enlightened, they endured a great conflict of sufferings.

Hebrews 10:32

32: But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings,

Learning to endure will bring growth, much like when we train our muscles with extra weight so when we need them, they are strong. So it is with our spiritual endurance.

Hebrews 10:35-36

35: Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 

36: You have need of patience, so after you have done the will of God you might receive the promise.

There is a reward--a great reward--and promise. The effort we put into our own spiritual growth is very highly worth it!

The Consequence of Being Deceived

When we see people doing things that are harmful to themselves or others, the question we might ask is:

• Whether they are innocently or naively, doing these wrong, harmful, ungodly, things, or,
  
  
• Whether they are doing so intentionally, knowing it’s wrong but either not caring, or (arrogantly or naively) thinking they will not suffer consequences, or that the consequences will be minor. There is some bigger payoff for them.

Oftentimes, the deceived ends up deceiving others without realizing it. The problem with being deceived is that you don’t know you are deceived; you think you know the truth about the matter, and the message you “preach” to others, may lead them astray as well. Of course, there are those who intentionally deceive others—that, is wickedness.

Yes, it might be good to know people’s intentions—whether they are committing an honest mistake or an intentional wrongdoing. However, at some point, the deceived suffers the same fate as the deceiver.

1 Timothy 2:14

14 And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

Eve was deceived by satan’s lies, which caused her to not believe that God had told them the truth. Yet both her and Adam, who was not deceived, shared the same fate, (and all of mankind for that matter).

To deceive someone is to cause a person to believe was is false—what is not true.

• Eve started out with a misunderstanding of the truth. She thought God said they couldn’t even touch the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil or they would die (Genesis 3:1-3), but God didn’t say anything about touching it, He had said not to eat of the tree or they would die (Genesis 2:16-17).

• When the liar came and told her a lie—that they wouldn’t die, but would be great, like God (Genesis 3:4-5)—then she picked the fruit, touching it. She didn’t die when she touched it. That was a false confirmation of the lie she was told.

• She and Adam both ate, and both experienced spiritual death, with the process of physical death beginning in their bodies, as they no longer had access to the tree of life (Genesis 3:7-24)

Misunderstanding of the truth led to Eve accepting a false confirmation of a lie, which resulted in her being deceived and experiencing the same consequence that Adam experienced—death. The deceived suffered the same fate as the one who knew better.

Adam may not have been the one to deceive Eve, he was not the deceiver—satan was. But Adam knew it was wrong to eat of that fruit. He knew that God had told him truth, which was that they would die if they ate the fruit of that tree (Genesis 2:17).

Did he not care? Did he think the consequences wouldn’t really be that bad? Did he not want to be “left out” if Eve gained this great place of being “like God, knowing good and evil”? Or did he just decide to go the way of satan, rather than his creator, God?

My point is, whether we knowingly or unknowingly do wrong, and go against the ways of God, there are consequences we will suffer for that, and not just us, but others may suffer as well. We MUST be seekers of truth to avoid this, and there is only one place to find truth—that is in the One who created all things—God, through His Word/His Son, and His Spirit (See Genesis 1:1-3, Psalm 33:6, John 1:1-3, Hebrews 1:1-3 ).

Jesus said to the Father, “… Your word is truth, (John 17:17).

Speaking to His disciples, He called the Holy Spirit, “the Spirit of truth,” (John 16:13).

Truth is found in the Word of God (written in the Bible) and in the Spirit of God. Ask the Spirit of God to reveal truth to you as you read the Bible.

The first thing Jesus told His disciples when they asked Him what would be the sign of His second coming and the end of the age was, “See to it that no one misleads you.” (Matthew 24:4).

The Apostle Paul told the Thessalonians that those who did not “believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness,” would be judged. (2 Thessalonians 2:12).

Whether we are being misled, or are intentionally choosing wickedness over truth, the consequences, in the end, are the same. 

We must be seekers of truth—those who pursue understanding of God’s Word and His ways—if we are to avoid deception, wickedness, and where those paths lead. And thank God, by following His ways of truth, we do more than escape those fatal consequences, we have His life and freedom from all forms of death, eternally.

“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Jesus, (John 8:31-32).

Will You Give Him a Rose?

 

Many years ago, my adult daughter and I went to a Renaissance Festival. While we were there, we browsed the arts and crafts section where people dressed up in the clothing of that day sold a variety of things that represented that era.

In one little hut we came across a wooden rose. It was made from very thinly sliced wood which had been formed into a rosebud on a stem. It was then dyed or painted to make it look realistic. As we admired the intricacy of this rose, my daughter said this was for me, (since my name is Rose), and she bought it for me. Even though it wasn't a lot of money, it touched me deeply because I knew she didn't have a lot of extra money at the time.

Over the years, that rose has been moved around to different spots in the house for display and has finally settled in on top of my dresser in the bedroom where it's been for some time now. The other day, as I was dusting off the dresser and carefully moving the rose as I always do when cleaning, I thought back to when she bought it for me. It has lasted a long time in my home. Many other decorative items haven't lasted as long. I often purge these kinds of things when I'm in a decluttering frenzy. It's a little worn for the wear, the fabric leaves that were attached to the stem have fallen off, but I still treasure it.

I asked the Lord, "What is it about this rose that still touches me so deeply?"

His response came surprisingly quickly, "Because," He said, "She gave you this gift, not because it was your birthday, or Christmas, or Mother's Day, or any other holiday. She gave it to you, 'just because.'"

He paused and I let that sink in.

Then He continued, "I'm the same way. When my children come to Me, not because they have a need, or feel obligated, or simply because others around them are praying; but when they come to Me 'just because' they want to be near Me, and give Me their time, it touches Me, and I remember those times dearly."

I knew that He wasn't saying we shouldn't go to Him when we have a need. He didn't mean that at all, but that He treasures most deeply the 'just because' time we spend with Him. And I understood. He loves us deeply, and truly enjoys the simple, heart-felt gifts we give Him. Today, will you give Him a rose, just because?