Spiritual Growth Takes Time

It takes time for us to grow into God’s fullness because we first need to be able to see the truth about our selves . Many times, that is the hardest part of growing because we don’t like what we see. We may pray for God to change our circumstances, but we need to be able to face the fact that He wants to change US—regardless of the circumstances. So many times the Holy Spirit will reveal things that we just don’t want to see about ourselves. But remember, the truth will set us free! So don’t be afraid to change; be more afraid of staying the same!

A lot of times, a great hindrance to our growth is our guilt. We simply can’t get past the things we’ve done. Our thoughts are powerful, and if we believe God is mad at us because we’ve sinned, guilt can eat us alive. And the enemy loves that!

But God is not mad at us. If you’re a parent just think of this: Can you love any of your children more than you do right now? Do you still want to see changes in their behavior? Well, it’s the same way with our heavenly Father. He loves us—period. He loves us now as much as He ever will. That will not change. But He still wants to see us grow and mature and experience the best He has planned for us.

The key for us is trust…trusting that He loves us…trusting that He always has our best interest in mind. And trust takes time. Our time and experience with God will teach us to trust Him. The more we trust Him, the more we’ll want to spend time with Him. The more time we spend with Him, the more we change and the more His power develops in our lives. And the more powerful our lives are, the more nervous the devil will be when we open our eyes!

The best thing, however, about time with God, is developing that close, intimate, loving relationship with Him. So, schedule a few private meetings with God. Talk to Him about your problems. Face the truth He reveals to you about yourself. Trust that He is always…and always will be working for your good. He wants you to live an abundant, fruitful, powerful.