JOURNEY

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me – Philippians 3:12

Growing up in the Spirit is like a JOURNEY. Spiritual development doesn’t come easily and may not come quickly. That’s why Paul encourages us not to lose heart: “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Gal.6:9).You usually don’t notice yourself getting older physically until you see an earlier photo, then it hits you. It’s similar with spiritual development; it’s hard to gauge how far you’ve come until you look back and see where you were before Jesus turned your life around. Indeed, growing up involves growing pains! So when you want to get discouraged, remind yourself that you’re on a spiritual journey. You’re making progress in spite of all odds and challenges. The devil will always look for ways to remind you how far behind you still are. Don’t listen to the liar. If you get discouraged and give up, the devil wins. And that is never the will of God!

Rather than giving up, the Bible says, “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2Cor.10:5). Learn to live beyond your feelings, to dig down inside to your spirit – where God’s Spirit lives. It may not always look like it, but each day you’re maturing and growing stronger in Christ. So don’t even think about quitting. Some people who seem to exhibit stronger faith can make you feel “less than,” when you compare yourself to them. You may feel like you are not measuring up. God is the Judge, not them. You must realize that everything that’s born needs time to grow and develop into maturity. Jettison the myth of immediate, spectacular, all-inclusive metamorphosis that would transform you into instantaneous perfection. Growth rarely comes that way. As long as your development is gradual and steady, keep trusting in God’s Grace.

Paul wrote: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (1Cor.13:11). You start as a spiritual infant, grow into a spiritual child, then develop into a spiritual adolescent, and eventually become a spiritual adult; but you never “arrive” on this side of eternity. No matter how a child may want to dress up in her mum’s high heels or his dad’s work boots, they couldn’t. That didn’t mean there was something wrong with the child; it just meant he or she was exactly at a particular stature for the age. From a spiritual perspective, you may not be as far along as you’d like to be, but thank God you’re still on the journey. Once upon a time you were a stranger to God’s grace, but are now belong to “the household of God” (Eph.2:19). As long as you keep reading, studying, meditating on, and believing God’s Word, it will continue to effectively work in you (1The.2:13b).

Moreover, you’ll mature much faster when you start living by what God’s Word says about you, not how you feel. How you see yourself affects your spiritual progress profoundly. Until your self-perception aligns with what God says about you in Scripture, you may continue to feel unqualified and unworthy, and that will hinder your spiritual progress. When God called Jeremiah, he informed God he was too young, wasn’t an eloquent speaker, and didn’t have enough experience. This was the divine response: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (Jer.1:5). If you were as perfect as you’d like to be, you wouldn’t need God’s grace. Your inadequacy should remind you how much you need Him each day. So, praise God for where you are right now and stop comparing yourself with other people. Spiritual development is a journey; reject stress; enjoy the journey all the way.