Wholesome growth is a concept that involves making sure that all aspects of your life are healthy and balanced. It's not just about achieving physical or financial success, but rather having a holistic approach to your life. Wholesome growth is a great way to ensure that you are living a balanced and meaningful life.
While in Spiritual life also there needs to be growth in all areas, Growth in spiritual life is not automatic, Ageing does not produce that growth automatically, Just believing God’s promises is not enough. We must lay brick over brick and bring up the structure to grow further. In this we need to ensure we lay the right things to get a wholesome growth spiritually
Areas which we need to focus for a wholesome growth spiritually
Growing in Biblical understanding
Many look at booklets / Calendar verse to see only the “Promises” of God!
Bible has Laws of God, It has history of how God led his people, it has prophecy, it has wisdom to glean for current context, it has sound doctrine on how our christian principles should be. so the Bible has to be understood entirely on the Promises, Commands, warning / guidance for us..
“Wholesome” growth not possible without the “whole” Bible 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) - 'All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.'
Take time to bring a Discipline to read the Bible Daily.Try to read the Old Testament and New Testament, don’t ignore any word that’s written in the Bible.
Every word is God’s breathed word, So read it with a spirit to learn and have God talk to you, Mediate the work of God if you want to really grow further.
Growing in Prayer
Prayer is the Oxygen for Spiritual Growth. Think of it for a moment, our view of prayer is to lay the problems we have and ask God fulfil. Where as God’s does not view that way. God views Prayer as a relationship with God, where you say to God all your personal things and ask for help.
Ensure your prayers have petitions to God, Intercessions for others and Thanksgiving for the work that he has done for you and others. 1 Timothy 2:1 (NIV) 'I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— '
Once you understand the will of God, your prayers can be a effective prayer. 1 John 5:15 (NIV) 'And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. '
Reading the word of God makes us understand his will and also convicts us of our mistakes Hebrews 4:12 (NIV) 'For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. '
Growing in Worship
Worshiping God has different forms, some do it in prayer, some sing loud and dance and worship. Some shout and praise him to worship
We were created in the world to worship God, We quite often forget that and worship only when we are in trouble or in Sundays.
God expects us to worship every day / every moment / every blessing & honour we get has to be worshiped with God.
Practice worshiping God in a way as this worship can continue in eternity when we go heaven. Worship his Glory / Goodness / Honour & Power / Faithfulness / Love
Praise God for who He is! i.e. His worth Revelation 4:11 (NIV) '“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”'
Growing in Holiness
We are filled with a dirts of the world, we will trip and fall down in some sin in our day to day life. The key to spiritual growth is to realise the sin which we tripped over and ask for God’s forgiveness and cleansing.
Our sinful nature keeps us from fellowship with God.
To begin with, start confessing sins of commission only - A sin of commission is a sin we take action to commit, whether in thought, word, or deed. A sin of commission can be intentional or unintentional. Try Matthew 15:18-20 (NIV) 'But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” '
When we mature, Confess your sins of omission also - A sin of omission is a sin that is the result of not doing something God’s Word teaches that we should do Romans 7:18 (NIV) 'For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ' God’s word teaches us to help someone in need, many times we miss that, its a Sin in God’s eye.
We always compare others to say we are better off, Compare with Jesus to grow in the holiness Leviticus 11:45 (NIV) 'I am the Lord , who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. '
Growing in Obedience
Many times we don’t obey what God calls us to do, thats because of Satan’s control over us Ephesians 2:1-2 'As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. '
It’s said about Jesus that He “learnt” obedience! Hebrews 5:7-9 (NIV) 'During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him ', We need to emulate the character of Jesus in us to walk even when we suffer, so that we are made perfect.
He was always obedient and never yielded to temptations to disobey God.
To Grow spiritually , we have to Obey willingly, Obey wholehearted, have a delightsome experience in obedience and have a attitude of instant obedience
Growing in Forgiveness
Forgiveness is the hardest to follow and grow, as we have our ego’s stop us from the growth. Many times we forgive once, if its repeated, we tend to let our ego take over than obey God’s word.
Jesus taught us to forgive 7 times then 70X7 - Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV) 'Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. '
Jesus does forgive us like what he has written as we make mistakes again and again. We need to grow in that attitude. I know its very hard. Seek God’s help to change you.
Growing in Patience
Many of us we want instant results as we live in the world of quick information world. We expect the same in our spiritual life as well.
As we grow spiritual, we get the fruits of spirit one of them is “gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) 'But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. '
Once you have this “gentleness and self-control” we will grow in patience eg) In Prayer
Beginning of our Spiritual life we get Immediate answers
Growing we get Delayed answers
Further growing we get Different answers
Growing in humility
We need to grow in humility as we grow spiritually. This is the one that separates us from God.
Satan infuses us with a spiritual pride as we grow further, making us feel we are close to God so we can do that thing or this thing, make us behave like a son of rich parent, its a trap for us to fall from God’s grace.
Instead we follow the example of Paul
As a sinner: “Whom I am the worst” - 1 Timothy 1:15 (NIV) - 'Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. '
As a saint: “I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people” - Ephesians 3:8 (NIV) 'Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, '
As an apostle: “Least of all the apostles” - 1 Corinthians 15:9 (NIV) - 'For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. '
Pray God that he will guide you to help grow wholesome with these in your life..
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