Dear Daily Message Readers,
READ: Hebrews 6:1-12
Hebrews 6:1 (NIV) "Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity..."
When we accept Jesus Christ in our heart, we enter the Christian life as spiritual babies and grow quite rapidly in our faith. It is after this time that we may resist the great teachings that make for spiritual growth. We may be quite surprised to learn that God wants us to do something quite different than we thought He would when we first became Christians. This might be in the way we view a moral issue, the way we approach our bodies, and our beliefs. As we try our best to resist these changes, our growth slows down. Eventually, though, the Lord brings us to the place where we give in and accept the new lessons and give ourselves to understanding them in His Word..
Once this realization comes to us, we might then experience a new surge of growth. For the first time since our accepting of Christ, we feel that we might at last overcome our sinful temptations. Then, to our dismay, we are put in a situation with the wrong person, and the sin that we thought was completely gone comes back again. Drooping with discouragement, we go to the Lord and say, "What's the matter with me, Lord? Why am I so immature?"
Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever experienced this kind of situation before? Even in my short life, I have many, many times. However, the one thing we have to remember is that God is not through with us yet. In fact, we gradually learn how deceitful the human flesh is and how it resists detection. This detection comes through the Holy Spirit and allows us to flee Satan's falsehoods into a deeper relationship with Christ.
Experiencing spiritual growth can be a long and difficult process. The very fact that you are growing closer toward Christ is a red flag to Satan to put more pressure on you to stop. When he does this, do not fear what he can do. We serve a God that is bigger than he will ever be, and is always ready to stand by His children. After all, it takes God years to grow a tree, and patiently trusting Him through Satan's attacks is the only way to "leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity" (Hebrews 6:1) Faith Lesson: The same Spirit who empowered the disciples some 2,000 years ago dwells within our hearts. The least we can do is learn to trust His leading and go forward in faith as we grow in Christ.
In Christ,
Darin Smith
READ: Hebrews 6:1-12
Hebrews 6:1 (NIV) "Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity..."
When we accept Jesus Christ in our heart, we enter the Christian life as spiritual babies and grow quite rapidly in our faith. It is after this time that we may resist the great teachings that make for spiritual growth. We may be quite surprised to learn that God wants us to do something quite different than we thought He would when we first became Christians. This might be in the way we view a moral issue, the way we approach our bodies, and our beliefs. As we try our best to resist these changes, our growth slows down. Eventually, though, the Lord brings us to the place where we give in and accept the new lessons and give ourselves to understanding them in His Word..
Once this realization comes to us, we might then experience a new surge of growth. For the first time since our accepting of Christ, we feel that we might at last overcome our sinful temptations. Then, to our dismay, we are put in a situation with the wrong person, and the sin that we thought was completely gone comes back again. Drooping with discouragement, we go to the Lord and say, "What's the matter with me, Lord? Why am I so immature?"
Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever experienced this kind of situation before? Even in my short life, I have many, many times. However, the one thing we have to remember is that God is not through with us yet. In fact, we gradually learn how deceitful the human flesh is and how it resists detection. This detection comes through the Holy Spirit and allows us to flee Satan's falsehoods into a deeper relationship with Christ.
Experiencing spiritual growth can be a long and difficult process. The very fact that you are growing closer toward Christ is a red flag to Satan to put more pressure on you to stop. When he does this, do not fear what he can do. We serve a God that is bigger than he will ever be, and is always ready to stand by His children. After all, it takes God years to grow a tree, and patiently trusting Him through Satan's attacks is the only way to "leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity" (Hebrews 6:1) Faith Lesson: The same Spirit who empowered the disciples some 2,000 years ago dwells within our hearts. The least we can do is learn to trust His leading and go forward in faith as we grow in Christ.
In Christ,
Darin Smith
