RECIPE FOR GROWTH!

As children of God, growth is a necessary part of our journey. You cannot claim to know God and not grow in His knowledge. Even Christ grew!

Luke 2:40 says “And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace (favor and spiritual blessing) of God was upon Him. [Judg. 13:24; I Sam. 2:26.]”(AMP)

According to the passage below, it was explained that Jesus was a child. But even as a child, He grew in wisdom and grace. He outgrew the baby christian life.

On the 14th of January this year, the Holy Spirit ministered to me that spiritual infancy is dominant in the body of Christ today. It’s saddening because Jesus expects us to follow the path He did. He expects us to grow, just as he did.

2 Peter 3:18 says; “But grow in grace (undeserved favor, spiritual strength) and recognition and knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Messiah). To Him [be] glory (honor, majesty, and splendor) both now and to the day of eternity. Amen (so be it)!”(AMP)

Jesus called us to Himself so we can grow in the understanding of Him. Somehow, growth has been scarce. Even the growth we experience isn’t what God wants us to experience at any given time.

This should send a strong message to all children of God. It can only mean that we are not getting things right. It can mean that we are not doing the right things to yield the expected results.

It means that our sacrifices are in vain. It means that there’s a leaven leavening the entire loaf. It could mean that we still haven’t found out something. It could mean that we know these things but we are not obeying.

There are so many reasons why growth is scarce. I’m not here to complain or point out your faults to you. Rather, I’m here to help you follow the correct path that would lead to spiritual explosion.

The life of Christ is a life that is meant to be filled with daily growth. Without that, your understanding of Christ is limited. Christ is deep. We can only depend on daily growth.

The Recipe Is:

1. LOVE & OBEDIENCE

When we talk about love, a lot of people sigh. It’s really sad that so many people devalue the potency of love, God-ward and human-ward. We forget how much value Jesus placed on love.

John 15:13 says; “No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends.”(AMP)

Love is principal! In the life of Christ, sacrifice goes for growth. Love is a sacrifice. Without love, even if you go on a 3-days dry fast, your required growth will not be met up with.

However, love and obedience go together. St. John 14:15 says; “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”(KJV)

John 15:10 also says; “If you keep My commandments [if you continue to obey My instructions], you will abide in My love and live on in it, just as I have obeyed My Father’s commandments and live on in His love.”(AMP)

If you claim to love and do not obey, you’re just lying. Love is shown. Love shows itself. Jesus loved God and obeyed. Jesus loved us and died for us in obedience.

Most of us ‘burning’ children of God have issues loving each other. Some of us love God because of the ministry and power that comes with it. We do not even remember that our fellow men are gods too.

How do you show love? Do you even have love? Do you show love to only the Father? How is the level of your obedience? Can you boldly say you show love to man and God?

2. HUNGER & SACRIFICE

Matthew 5:6 says; “Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born-again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be completely satisfied! [Isa. 55:1, 2.]”(AMP)

The bible did not hide how beautiful it is for anyone to be ‘HUNGRY’ for God’s righteousness. All righteousness is God’s. Our righteousness is like filthy rags before Him, only He is righteous.

Romans 3:10 says; “As it is written, None is righteous, just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no, not one. [Ps. 14:3.]”(AMP)

However, the righteousness of Christ makes us righteous. When you surrender your life to Him, you own nothing, you are nothing. He is everything, He is expressed in you. At this point, you begin to subscribe to the righteousness of Christ to obtain righteousness.

Christ told us in Mark 14:38b; “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”(AMP). When you live a life that is always hungry, you will always make sacrifices to obtain. HUNGER without sacrifice is fake!

In as much as you are hungry, you will do anything to satisfy that hunger. In Theophilus Sunday’s words, hunger is blessedness. To be hungry is to be blessed. Hunger is the power in your bones to do the impossible for your lover.

Christ had a burning hunger to do all that His father wanted of Him. What did He do? He came to earth like a man and fulfilled the prophecy of the prophets. What does that spell out? SACRIFICE!!

His love for the father drove Him to such a great sacrifice even at the point where it felt like He couldn’t take it anymore (when He asked the cup to pass over Him), hunger prevailed once again.

Are you hungry? If you are, what is it driving you to do? 

3. THANKSGIVING.

A lot of people go to their secret place and start praying in tongues. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good. But when you do not speak to God in your understanding, it’s not helpful to your understanding.

1 Corinthians 14:14&15 says; “For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don’t understand what I am saying. Well then, what shall I do? I will do both. I will pray in the spirit, and I will pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will sing in words I understand.”(NLT)

Thanksgiving is a great way to pray with your understanding. Your understanding meaning that you pray from your heart. It can mean worshipping in spirit and truth according to John 4:24.

A man who doesn’t give thanks is a proud man. And what did God tell us about pride? James 4:6 says; “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”(KJV)

Thanksgiving is the lifestyle of a radical believer. You can’t grow spiritually when you are not full of thanks to God. Thanksgiving God is you subscribing for more. Thanksgiving is a way to bring God down.

Thanksgiving brings God down. Not just Him, His presence. Imagine how much a man loves when he is praised. Everyone loves it when his ego is inflated. How much more God?

Thanksgiving is exalting God above yourself. Anything raised above you will become the power you possess. Thanksgiving does not seek to belittle us. Rather, it seeks to help us fulfill purpose.

Thanksgiving is what His made us for. We’re just fulfilling purpose.

 
    I hope you are blessed!
    #GrowingInGrace.