4 REASONS WHY CHRISTIAN YOUTHS SHOULD DESIRE SPIRITUAL GROWTH

You got home from school only to discover a newborn in your house. You’ve always wanted a baby brother/sister and your dreams have finally come true. You are so excited to carry him/her and you just can’t get enough of the baby’s cuteness😊. A few years later the excitement fades off. Your baby bro/sis is still the same. Ain’t all babies suppose to grow😕? How would you play soccer with your kid bro if he’s still being carried around? Something is definitely wrong somewhere.

When we first became Christians we were newborns but as the years pass it’s expected of us to grow. I am not talking about natural human development/growth here. I am talking about spiritual growth.

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,….(1 Peter 2:2)

so, what is this spiritual growth and what’s the big deal?

WHAT IS SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Spiritual growth/development/maturity is a process of becoming like Jesus. It’s when you move from a baby Christian to a mature one.
To grow spiritually is to become more like Jesus and less of the world. It is to daily put off the old man with all his deeds and to put on Christ (Colossians 3:9&10)
To grow spiritually is to be so full of the Holy Spirit that men no longer see you(your Adamic nature) rather they see, hear and touch Jesus through you.

To grow spiritually is to be so full with the Holy Spirit that men no longer see you(your Adamic nature) rather they see, hear and touch Jesus through you.
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WHAT IS NOT SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Spiritual growth is not church activities. Although attending church regularly and taking part in activities helps in the growth process, they should not be used to measure one’s spiritual growth. One can be a churchgoer, be very active in the youth group, play vital roles in the church and still not live like Christ outside the church.

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Spiritual growth is not just knowing the scriptures. Again the knowledge of God’s word is very essential in the growth process but that’s not all. Its application to everyday life is what’s important. The church in Sardis had a name of being alive but Jesus considered them dead(Revelation 3:1). Other youths might compliment you on how you quote every scripture (aka walking bible) but are you really doing what those scriptures say?

Related post from daily she pursues blog: Five Poor Motives for Reading the Bible

Biblical spirituality is not self-enlightenment or spiritual awakening. As sad as it sounds, the new age belief has slowly crept into the church. It’s all about self-self-self. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with loving yourself, being aware of yourself, etc. But, the problem is when you focus so much on yourself how would you freely and willingly deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow Jesus? (Luke 9:23&24) On the surface, these beliefs sound ok but they tend to shift the focus from the Holy Spirit to yourself. Let me point this out, Jesus is the source of our growth and the Holy Spirit is the one that helps us grow. We might have the intention to grow but it’s God who plants in us the desire and not the “self”.

Related post from daily she pursues blog: 5 Common New Age Beliefs in the Church & Why Christians Should Know About Them (ft. Chelsea Christen)

To grow spiritually is to deny self

Spiritual growth is not a one-time event. Growth is a process. A baby born today doesn’t immediately start walking. When we enter the body of Christ, our Spirits have been saved but our flesh is still carnal. Salvation is just the first step up the staircase. God begins to work on us through the Holy Spirit. The truth is, there’s no “aha I am now fully grown” moment, we will keep on growing until we get to heaven. Take brother Paul for example, after all he did, he still desired to know more(I recommend reading Philippians 3, Colossians 1:9&10)

CHECK OUT TOP 20 CHRISTIAN YOUTH BLOGS TO FOLLOW IN 2021 HERE

WHY SHOULD YOU DESIRE SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Firstly I must congratulate you, it’s my belief you reading this means you have some interest in growing. I’ve already laid the foundation so i”ll just give you four reasons why you should desire growth. let’s dive in.

Visual and audio folks can watch this video, and the rest of us can keep on reading😁

1. TO DEVELOP A DEEPER RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

when I was a kid, I couldn’t understand why my parents did some stuff or made some decision.No matter how hard they tried to explain I just couldn’t get it. But as I grew it became clear and clearer. I have those moments where I go “oh, this was what my dad meant when he said— etc. As we begin to mature the things of God start to make sense. We begin to understand God and why He does some things. We can relate with Him on a deeper level and He can trust us with some secrets because He knows we’ve grown and are now big boys and girls.

2. TO BE AWARE OF SIN AND LIVE MODEST LIFE

So, we all have a basic knowledge of sin right? We can name a few things that are not right both in the sight of God and man. But what about those hidden sins in our lives🤔Those ones we are not even conscious of. I never knew I was judgemental until the Holy Spirit pointed it out. Seriously I didn’t know I was giving some people the “eye”(that thing where you go” hmmm🙄 he/she is——-” ) During the spiritual growth process, the Holy Spirit is very active in our lives, He brings to our attention those things which we do that are wrong. The reason is not to shame us but to convict us so we repent of it. I had to call those friends and apology and they were wondering how or when did I go all judgy on them(they won’t know lol, I mean how will they know😁).

As we keep growing not only are we conscious of sin, we tend to ask God for grace to live above it. This enables us to live a peaceful and modest life. In the end, all glory will be given to God and your lifestyle will draw men to Christ.

3. TO BEAR FRUITS

We are supposed to be fruitful people. We are to bear fruits of the spirit,fruits of the works of our hands etc. Men should see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven. But for a tree to start bearing fruits it needs to grow. A seed sown must germinate, grow and then start bearing fruits. thus to bear much fruit that remain we abide in Jesus and grow. (John 15)

4. TO BUILD CAPACITY

We are constantly battling sin. There’s this inward war between our spirit man and carnal man(Gal 5:17).To stand against the devil and live above sin you need to grow. You can’t compare yourself with your 6,7 or 9-year-old bro/sis. They can’t do what you do because they don’t have the capacity to do so. To build capacity you need to grow.

This means war
I’m not a stranger

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU DON’T GROW?

Well,alot! but the two most important are these:

You might not come to the full awareness of who you are in Christ, the authority you possess, and your responsibilities.
The devil will take advantage of your ignorance and you will fall prey to his lies and deceptions.

Spiritual growth is really a big deal in this kingdom. It is for all believers (both old and young) and not just Pastors and other Church Leaders. I pray we keep growing in our walk with Christ. Amen