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.
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.
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