Stunted Growth (Part 1): Rejecting God’s Word (Reasons We Fail to Grow as Christians)

3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up…  18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

-Matthew 13:3-4, 18-19

Arrested Development Produces Alarm!

Any parent would be greatly troubled if they realized  their child had stopped growing?  It wouldn't matter which part of their toddler’s development was arrested.  They’d quickly visit a physician for a diagnosis and apply his recommended solutions. 

Is God Pleased with Our Development? 

If you were to look at yourself through your Heavenly Father’s eyes, would you see a spiritual being that was developing in a healthy, balanced manner?  Or would you see a precious soul that appeared stunted?

If we were having an honest conversation with God (and we can), most of us would admit there are areas in our lives in which we have experienced dramatic growth, moderate growth and no growth at all. 

If you are reading this blog, chances are you are spiritually alive.  And that’s a big deal.  Being a new creature in Christ represents a heart that beats for God!!!  Going from spiritual death to a Spirit filled life is the starting point of all growth.  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Take a "Heart Inventory" 

Today, as you consider the scriptures above, ask yourself, “Which areas of my life are failing to reflect God’s direction?”  Use the Biblical definition of love as your as your starting point (Mark 12:28-31).  As you review the scriptures below, I have added questions in parenthesis to assist you with taking a “heart  inventory."

Biblical Definition of Love

4 Love is patient, (Am I patient?)

love is kind.  (Am I kind?)

It does not envy, (Am I envious? Or am I excited to see good things happen to those around me?)

it does not boast, (Am I boastful person?  Or do I describe my accomplishments modestly?)

it is not proud. (Am I humble?  Or do I look down on those that are different than me?)

5 It does not dishonor others, (Am I a person that strives to honor those around me?  Do I focusing on seeing God’s value in each individual I encounter?)

it is not self-seeking, (Am I a person that exalts my wants over the needs of others?)

it is not easily angered, (Am I easily annoyed?)

it keeps no record of wrongs.  (Am I constantly reflecting on the ways people have hurt me?  Or am I continuously reflecting on the way God has blessed me?)

6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (Am I more interested in gossip regarding someone else’s shortcomings?  Or more excited about the fact that God can transform them just as He’s transformed me?)

7 It always protects, (Am I protective of that which deserves protecting?)

always trusts, (Am I appropriately placing my confidence?)

always hopes, (Am I hopeful regarding my future and expecting to experience life’s best?)

always perseveres. (Am I person that keeps working toward my goal?  Or do I easily give up?)

-1 Corinthians 13:4-7 

(Scriptures Italicized)

Questions for Reflection

A few additional questions to think about... 

• What biblical truths have I shielded my heart from receiving because (even though God has made me a new creature) I wasn't ready to give up old, unproductive ways of living?

• What does God’s Word say about those areas of my life?

• How would my life be better if applied God’s direction to my life instead of doing things my way?

Prayer

God, bless us to live the abundant, productive, loving lives you had in mind when you created us.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Truth: The Foundation of Praise

"I will extol You, O Lord, for you have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me." -Psalm 30:1

If you ever find yourself in a spiritually sluggish mood, Psalm 30 is effective medicine.  In this Psalm we find King David, perhaps the best known worshiper in the Bible, praising God fervently.  This passage not only  reveals what David was doing but his motivation for doing it.  David's stimulus for exalting God rests upon one word--Truth.

Two "Praise Producing" Aspects of Truth
When we feel apathetic or lethargic about worshiping God, like David, we will be greatly helped by concentrating on the following aspects of God's truth:

Fact One:  God is...

Fact Two:  God has...

Truth One:  God has...

...Not let my foes rejoice over me. (Psalm 30:1)

...Healed me. (Psalm 30:1)

...Resurrected me to eternal life and purpose. (Psalm 30:3)
...Transformed the expected  (or deserved) outcome into exceedingly, abundantly and positively more than anything I hoped for or imagined. (Psalm 30:11)

Truth Two:  God is...
...Listening to my prayers (Psalm 30:6-11)
...My Helper (Psalm 30:10)
...Merciful and Empathetic (Psalm 30:6-10)

An Insulting and Insightful Prayer
In Psalm 30:6-10 David uses language with God that is both insulting and insightful.  On the one hand David says, "God, if you allow anything to happen to me, you will put Yourself in a tough position.  If I die, who will praise you?  Who will declare your truth?"   

Reading David's prayer it's easy to think, "Really David?  God of the universe needs you?  It all falls apart if one guy exits earth early?  God, who made Heaven and Earth by simply speaking, is hostage to your existence?"  It takes audacity to pray those words but then again the Bible does instruct us to come to God boldly.  (Hebrew 4:16)  Another way of saying that is we can come to God even when we are not thinking straight!  Why?  Because there is nothing but love, correction, protection, growth, productivity and purpose in our Shepherd's arms.  Fact is, Our Father would rather us say the wrong thing to him than say nothing at all.

David's prayer is insightful for two reasons:
1.  More important than knowing what to say to God is simply knowing to talk to Him.  The more you talk to God the clearer the truth will become.  A lot of times we make the unprofitable decision of only having a conversation with God when we feel spiritually fit and focused.  This is a grave mistake.  One of the most wonderful aspects of having God as our Father is the privilege of arriving spiritually, emotionally and physically empty and leaving full.

At the end of David's prayer, he appears to realizes negotiating with God is a hopeless effort.  He then, in full sincerity, simply prays one of the best prayers of all, "Hear, O Lord and have mercy on me.  Lord be my helper!"

2. David's prayer also demonstrated his belief (faith) that God cares, listens and responds to our prayers.

The Only Appropriate Response to the aforementioned aspects of  truth is, "I will... 
...Extol the Lord. (Psalm 30:1)
....Sing Praise to His name. (Psalm 30:4)
....Verbally and Mentally express thanksgiving as I meditate upon each of the ways, large and small, God has blessed me. (Psalm 30:4)
...Give thanks forever (Psalm 30:12)

Game Changing Exercise
Complete the Following Phrases:

• God is.... (What is God to you?)
• God has... (What has God done for you?
• I will... (In response to God's Person, Character and Past actions, what will you do for God?

Affirmation

I will remember God's work in my Life.  I will praise God for it!!!!

Are you Awake?

5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 
(1 Thessalonians 5:5-8)

My 15 month old wakes up ready to conquer the world.  When he opens his eyes, it's "game on!"  His only concern is securing the assistance he needs to accomplish his goals which I suspect are eating, playing, loving and learning.

I wish I woke up each day like my son.  However, I do not and this morning was particularly challenging.  As the alarm clock reminded me that it was time to face the day, I felt....
Sluggish
Worried
Sad

A Habit of Morning Worship is Key.... (Psalm 63)
Almost without thinking, as a result of investing time to learn scriptures during my better moments, I was able to mentally access and repeat a portion of God's Word.

Physically and Spiritually Awake
Mentally, I kept repeating the phrase, "I will bless The Lord at all times.... I will bless The Lord at all times... I will bless The Lord at all times...." (Psalm 34:1)  And gradually I found myself going from being physically awake to being spiritually awake.

My spiritual awakening was characterized by two movements:
Movement One:  Appreciating the "Enough's" in My Life
Movement Two:  Replacing Mental Trash with Spiritual Treasure

Movement One:  Appreciating the "Enough's" in My Life
As I silently repeated, "I will bless The Lord at all times" my thoughts shifted from the concerns of the day to the evidence of God's care for me and my day.  I found myself thanking The Lord for the "Enough's" in my life.  I am thankful that I am....
....Habitual enough in my daily posture to praise God at the onset of the day.  (Psalm 5:1-3; Psalm 92:1-4)
....Blessed enough to know this is the day The Lord has made and I will rejoice in it and be glad. (Psalm 118:24)
....Aware enough to know when my feelings are not in accordance with my faith.  (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

As I continued thanking God for the "Enough's," I began to feel God's Hand positioning my day towards productivity.

Movement Two:  Replacing Mental Trash with Spiritual Treasure

Next I thought, "It's time to deal with the morning dew on my spiritual windshield.  I need to remove anything preventing me from seeing God clearly today."  So I began to confront those negative feelings (i.e. Mental Trash) that initially characterized my morning with God's Word (i.e. Spiritual Treasure)

Sluggish.... "The joy of The Lord is my strength." (Nehemiah 8:10)  When I think about the goodness of The Lord, I find myself feeling more energetic.  It's real hard to quote Psalm 103 without feeling God's warmth, passion and abundant love.

Worried....  I have a lot to accomplish today.  My family is depending on me.  Bills need to be paid, futures must be made secure and when I consider yesterday's unfinished business and couple it with today's "to do" list, it feels as though I am looking at a mountain of demands.  Yet, my soul is encouraged because I recall that I serve a God that can move mountains.  (Matthew 17:20)

Sometimes He moves them through my faith. (Matthew 8:5-13) Sometimes He moves mountains through circumstances. (Exodus 12:6)  And sometimes, out sheer mercy and kindness, He speaks to them directly. (Mark 4:35-41) Thank You Lord for the mountains!  For without mountains there would be no canvas to watch the miracle unfold!

Sad...  Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:4-5) I am spiritually awake and experiencing His joy!

I strongly encourage you rid yourself of spiritual, emotional and mental trash and replace it with the treasure of God's word.  It takes you from feeling and/or being poor to being emotionally, spiritually and mentally rich in an instant!

Affirmation

I am physically and spiritually awake.  I will meditate on God's truth.

A Prerequisite to Greatness: Self Awareness

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We 
are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we 
shall be set free?” (John 8:31-33)

Self-Deception is Deadly
In the scriptures above, Jesus' basically tells a group of dying people (and they were literally dying), I am am here to save your life. Their response is most interesting. They essentially 
looked him in his eyes and said, "We are not dying."  Sadly, by denying their problem (i.e. certain death), they failed to take hold of the solution. (1 John 1:5-9)

Self Deceptions Blocks Greatness...
Self Deception blocks us from achieving greatness. Each of us were created for a grand  purpose. Indeed! A purpose so grand that if we were living it, if we were doing it, if we were being it, people would know us, honor us and celebrate us. Why? Because "PURPOSE" is God's marketing tool. 
(Ephesians 2:10; Matthew 5:14-16; John 14:12-14)

God's Marketing Plan
God's marketing plan goes something like...

Step 1: An invisible God opens the eyes of people to His presence... It seems like He allows us 
to see Him not all at once but in groups. It's almost as if the awakening to His presence occurs in phases.

Step 2: By honoring God we tap into His purposes for our lives.

Step 3: As we pursue His purposes, He equips us with the ability to accomplish miraculous feats.

Step 4: People that do not know God see those remarkable feats. They celebrate us and ask, 
"How were you able to get to where you are? How were you able to accomplish X, Y and Z?"

Step 5: We point them to our God.
(Acts 16:16-34; 1 Peter 2:9-12)

Self Awareness is a Requirement for Greatness
God's greatness is prevented from occurring through us when self deception is present. You see...
People that refuse to admit they are ill will never seek a doctor.
Folks that refuse to believe that are lost will never seek direction.
Individuals that refuse to acknowledge that life is too big, too complex, too dynamic for humanity to fathom without the wisdom of an all knowing God, will never seek, acknowledge or accept Him. (Matthew 9:9-12)

Admitting that we lack some quality, some dimension, some thing that we may not even be able to articulate is the switch that ignites us to pursue, receive and revel in completion. (James 5:16)

Self Reflection Leads to Self Awareness: 
A Few Questions for You....
1.  What issues continue to hinder your relationships?
Hint: Generally, people from all aspects of your life (Family, Friends, Work, School etc. that  don't even know each other) have repeatedly said things like,
"John, you need to stop interrupting people when they are talking." 
"Mary, you take constructive feedback too personally.  You become defensive instead of better."
"Joe, you often react to unexpected circumstances in a destructive manner." 

2.  What problems within your control have generally stopped you from achieving your goals?
Hint: Most of the time this list isn't long. It's short. The same internal opponents seem to consistently  block us. Internal opponents such as Lack of Discipline, Doubt, Excessive Self Criticism, Poor Time Management, Procrastination... Beat them once and for all and you will unlock a new and more fulfilling life.)

3.  Are you destined for death? Or are you eternally alive? Have you pushed down that nagging to know God by convincing yourself He doesn't exist?  Or if you know God have you muted that longing to bring a particular behavior or area of your life in alignment to His Word by convincing yourself God doesn't care about it?

DO NOT miss your opportunity to achieve greatness by denying your needs.  God is offering eternal fulfillment to you!

Affirmation

I will  acknowledge my incompleteness & ask God to complete me.

Living in a State of Perpetual Blessings

Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you. 

-Psalm 84:12 NIV

"Were blessed because we trust in Him!" What a liberating thought?!  

God's Blessing Eliminates Worry

Some mornings I wake up a little tired and I wonder if I will have enough strength to make it through the day.  Some days I fail to complete my daily exercise regimen and wonder about the impact on my health. Some days I fail to treat others with the love they deserve and wonder if my relationships will recover from my lapses in judgement.

It is simultaneously liberating, challenging and inspiring to think, "I am still blessed because I trust in Him." 

Liberating

The thought is freeing because as a Christian I believe, "All things come together for the good of those that love the Lord."  (Romans 8:28). While I abhor irresponsibility, I love knowing at the end of the day, God is in control.  I'd be a slave to perfect outcomes, and not a servant to God, if I walked around believing, "Success or failure rests totally on my shoulders."  Thank God that when I stumble, like a loving Father, He is there to ensure my fall is not spiritually fatal. (Psalm 37:24)

Challenging

The thought is challenging because when I consider all that the Lord has done for me, I want to be a blessing to others.  As a result of God's incomparable investment in my life, I want to comfort, empower and make the world a better place for all of God's children. (2 Corinthians 9:8-11)

Inspiring

Visions that excite are often so large that they can be paralyzing.   Isn't it fascinating that the same visions which initially inspired us can later cause us to doubt our abilities to bring them to pass.  Yet, we march on because we know that God is able to complete every good work He has started in us. (Philippians 1:4-6)    We work on because we know that God will supply all the effort, intelligence, collaboration and any other resource we need through His riches in glory. (Philippians 4:19)  We don't stop moving forward until victory is achieved because we know God has called us to success and not failure. (Joshua 1:7-8)

A simple truth that is worthy of ongoing application is, "Continuously acknowledging God allows us to appreciate the perpetually blessed state in which we live." (Psalm 1:1-3)

Affirmation

I am blessed because I trust in Him!!!

Confidence Correctly Invested

12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

-2 Timothy 1:12

No matter the size of my problem,

No matter the strength of my enemy,

No matter the failures of my past...

GOD IS MY CONFIDENCE!!!!

No matter the impact of my mistakes,

No matter the misunderstandings that threaten my reputation,

No matter the amount of my loss... 

GOD IS MY CONFIDENCE!!!

No matter the time I have wasted,

No matter the extent of my suffering,

No matter the weariness of my heart...

GOD IS MY CONFIDENCE!!!!

No matter the friends that have stop calling me,

No matter the supporters that have abandoned me,

No matter the crowds that align themselves against me...

GOD IS MY CONFIDENCE!!!!

Those are the words that flooded my mind with the unshakable, unmovable peace of God as I read 2 Timothy 1:12.

Confidence Correctly Invested (Matthew 7:24-27)

If my confidence, hope and faith were based on anything besides the permanent character of Almighty God, I would be devastated when situations, people or moments disappointed me. (Psalm 20:7)

However, in the words of the songwriter Edward Mote...

"My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,

All other ground is sinking sand;

All other ground is sinking sand."

God is a Glorious and Victorious FINISHER!!!

And God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  (Hebrew13:7-9, esp.v.8)

God's good, loving, merciful and kind.  (Psalm 100)

He's not just a starter.  

He's a FINISHER!!!! (Hebrew 12:2 and Phil1:5-7, esp.v.6)

While we don't always understand the plots and twists that occur in the middle of our story.  This we know...

-God started the story

-And He shall FINISH IT in a GLORIOUS And VICTORIOUS Fashion!!!!

This gives us reason enough to CONFIDENTLY...

Believe on!

Live on!

Love on!

and Fight on!!!! 

Affirmation

The Lord is my Confidence!!!

Weeping Yet Pressing Forward

³⁰ But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went...

-2 Samuel 15:30

Behind the Celebratory Curtain

A promotion at work, a college graduation, celebrating 50 years of matrimony are all celebratory occasions.  However, hidden behind the curtains of the aforementioned celebrations are the tremendous amounts of sacrifice that made them possible.  Achievements don’t just appear, they are earned.

Weeping as He Went

Today as I was reading 2 Samuel 15, the 30^th verse caught my attention.  It reads, “But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went… (2 Samuel 15:30)”  It occurred to me that greatness in any area of our lives often requires tearful, uncomfortable sacrifice.

Interpreting Tears Correctly

Painful instances do not always represent setbacks.  Assuming you are pursuing positive endeavors, those tough, tear drenched moments often signal that significant progress is being made.

Winners that Wept

In addition to David’s example of weeping yet pressing forward, consider a few more biblical examples:

Hezekiah

Hezekiah wept yet pressed forward in prayer.  The result God responded by healing him of a serious illness and protecting his city from an imminent attack. (2 Kings 20:1-5)

A Sinful Woman 

A woman in Luke 7, simply referred to as “a sinner,” wept yet pressed through her tears to serve the Messiah.  The result… Jesus ushered the peace of forgiveness into her life and elevated her as an example of authentic gratitude before a group of arrogant, judgmental men.  (John 11:1-43)

Jesus 

Jesus, our very savior, wept yet he pressed through the crowds, pressed past death, pressed passed those that doubted Him and spoke life into Lazarus.  The result…  A man that had been dead for four days walked out the tomb alive!

Weep Today, Rejoice Tomorrow  

Recovery, renewal and reaping rewards all require sacrifice.  Today’s message is simple… Weep if you must but keep pressing forward. 

See your tears as a road sign that says, "Speed up!  A Major Accomplishment is Ahead!"  The Psalmist said it like this, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.  He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”  (Psalm 126:5-6)

As you press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling you… Weep if you must but keep pressing on!  (Philippians 3:14)

Affirmation

Weeping or Not... I Am Pressing Forward!