Spiritual Growth, Eph.4:11-16.
Another obstacle to Spiritual Growth is- Resentment and Anxiety.
Resentment is a poison in the life of the believer. It will turn the person who resents into a prisoner and will lead to frustration, inner conflict, neuroses, etc. Resentment or bitterness must not be accepted or justified under any circumstances and must be put out of our lives at any cost- Heb. 12:14-15.
These verses show us that resentment can often be deep within our heart and play havoc with our spiritual life. Like a root, it will often bring up shoots to the surface to trouble us in many ways. Problems from childhood can often remain deep within us and if not dealt with effectively will trouble us in different ways, not always recognizable.
Resentment against parents, siblings, colleagues, circumstances, against God, against authority and many more are common causes for problems. Resentment defiles the christian character and we need the cleansing of the Word to be made whole again.
How do we deal with Resentment? Uproot it, in the same way we pull out roots from the ground to free things from their grip-Job 42:7-8. Job, though blameless, had to pray for his friends before he could be set free by the Lord. The roots of bitterness against his friends had to be cleansed before God could bless him. Bitterness in our being will stop God's hand working in our lives, and we shall find that spiritual progress will escape us.
Anxiety is directly related to lack of Growth-Matt.6:25-29. We grow in the Faith by not being anxious about growth but by how much we can absorb from God. Look at the simple example about nature. Those things do not grow by their own ability but by how much they can receive from God for their needs. When the care of things rests upon us through anxiety, God is left out of the process.
The Heavenly Father is very concerned about our spiritual growth. He watches over us to give us all that is necessary to this end, just as He feeds the birds, etc. A lot of believers try to achieve growth by effort, through activities, talents, etc., but the Lord called us to grow by feeding on His Word and by exercise (Prayer). Remember, God loves us for what we are and not for what we do. When we are anxious about tomorrow, the care of tomorrow rests on us, not on God.
Luke 10:41-42. Martha's care speaks for most of us. Jesus did not encourage Mary to be idle but showed Martha that she had got her priorities wrong.

Spiritual Growth Eph.4:11-16.                 Continuation
Another Obstacle to Spiritual Growth: Fear.
Fear is one of the strongest instincts within us and almost every human being is affected by it, some less some more. Where does it come from?
Fear is a direct product of Sin. We meet it right at the beginning of Creation in the Garden after the Fall-Gen.3:9-10. At that moment Adam and Eve did not fully understand the implications of their sin, yet fear gripped their hearts. This shows that fear is a direct result of sin. The person who is full of fear is gripped by it and cannot live a healthy life. Fear will keep him away from the presence of God and make him disloyal. Adam and Eve hid from the presence of God. They could not face a Holy God. The person who fears will be unreliable because he will always think of the consequences of his actions.
There are so many references in the Bible about Fear which show that God wants us to deal with it and be free. But to do that we need to have a right view of Fear, even though so many believers have such a distorted view of it.
There are Two kinds of Fear in the Bible:
1. The Fear of the Lord (Right Fear)
2. The Fear of man (Wrong Fear)
In Pro.9:10 we are told that the fear of God is the 'Beginning of Wisdom'.
This kind of Fear causes Reverence for God in the soul for His Word, His Commandments and causes us to walk in His ways-Pro.16:6.
This kind of Fear is a cleansing Fear and leads us to live healthy lives-Pro.19:23.
The opposite is true for the fear of man-Pro 19:25. When we fear man we want to please that person and therefore we will do things that are contrary to our will and beliefs.
Not all fear is negative and damaging in our lives. Natural fear as an instinct will prevent us from all kinds of dangers. When wrong fear fills our hearts it will make us unstable and will make us want to give up at the first trial or obstacle that comes along in our lives. One of the commonest fears in our lives is the fear about 'Failure', being afraid of losing the game of life or simply being a failure.
For most people the problem of fear is a result of the way that they were brought up, most usually in an environment bereft of love and security which becomes the breeding ground for all sorts of fears.
What is the Biblical answer to Fear? Perfect Love-1 John 4:18.
We cannot hold two opposite emotions in us simultaneously. Let perfect Love (Jesus) take control
and Fear will depart. Christ gives security in life. It is not difficult to see why Fear has such a suppressing effect on our Spiritual Growth. It is a deadly poison we have to wash out of our systems if we want to Grow in the Faith. Let the Lord cleanse us by His Love.

To be continued....