Spiritual Growth #10

As we are wrapping up and getting into our last steps of spiritual growth, it’s important to remember that this is a transformation process to bring us closer to God. Allowing Him to live in us and through us as we serve His kingdom. 

13. Calling:

God has called all of us here to serve His kingdom. Within that, He has given us all a specific job and way we can do that. Our designed purpose is linked to our experience, opportunities, passion and abilities. Where all these things meet, is where we will find our purpose. Our calling is not just something we do for a living or a job to make money from, but our divinely pre planned service for God.  

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. - Ephesians 2:10

When I was in college, our coaches made us write on our shoes, what was our purpose for playing. They did this to motivate us and remind us that we have a bigger reason we all chose to grind and do all the hard work we are doing. Many players wrote down a family member or someone they knew that passed away. I remember having a couple different reasons why I played the game of basketball, especially at that intense level. One that sticks out to me that I wrote down on my shoe was, P.O.L. or providence over luck. Providence is God causing or allowing things to happen for His purpose. So for whatever reason, I know at the time God was using basketball to be a part of my life to help me individually and for His kingdom, ultimately leading me to my calling or purpose. 

14. Obedience:

The response of your spiritual growth is your obedience. We need to understand that God’s new covenant when Jesus sacrificed for all of us, embedded in us all His teachings and wrote it on our hearts for forever. Obedience activates the word and work of God in our lives. 

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.- James 1:19-25

 

One thing that changed my life was when I got to college and I saw what the definition of hard work really meant. Majority of the things I did in high school did not compare at all. I soon adjusted and was used to "working hard." So much that, even until this day my workouts are more intense than most people. When I played professionally in Germany, many times I had to workout and lift weights alone or with one other teammate and because of my changed nature, the workouts I did kept me in shape and healthy. 

 

15. Maturity: 

The absolute goal of spiritual growth is maturity within. You know when you have matured when you can consistently view and live life from a heavenly perspective rather than earthly view. When you operate this way, mature Christians can often see, hear and have thoughts on things that regular humans can’t. This is because they are close to God and able to detect when something is from Him rather than something from the world. The spirit is helping them to think God’s thoughts. Mature believers have transformed lives that reflect and transfer values of the Kingdom of God. 

12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.- 1 Corinthians 2:12

 Now that we have concluded our 15 step breakdown of spiritual growth, I highly encourage you to study and implement them all into your life. As a believer our goal is to grow closer to God and serve His kingdom, but first we must understand how and which steps to take. He has given us all the ability to do so, but it is on us to take the required actions to go forward.