Maturing in our faith is a continual Growth process… You will always be learning
When it comes to faith, you will learn as you grow that you will never “arrive”. Many of the things we were taught early in our faith walk that seem so clear, concise and cut in stone begin to have caveats as you grow.
What Stage Are You In?
The “baby” Christian has just encountered Jesus. They are excited, full of hope, and enthusiastic. On the positive side, many new believers experience the highs of being able to ask God anything and miracles happen. Their faith grows exponentially, and so does their confidence. But there is a purpose to this.
God grows your faith in this stage so that when it is tested, you are shored up enough to pass the test. If your faith isn’t enough to extinguish a little spark, what is going to happen when confronted with a massive fire? God doesn’t work that way. He gradually builds up your faith so that you will succeed.
The negative side to being immature in your faith is… well, just that. New Christians can easily become discouraged if no one is discipling them. Those that do disciple them often experience a person being easily swayed when things go wrong, and having to clean up messes that the person leaves behind. Energy is sometimes exerted to get this person back on track, and “off the ledge”, so to speak.
Unfortunately, too many people stay in this stage of their development. Those that do are usually the whiney, complaining, always getting into emotional messes type of person. They often don’t want to grow enough to solve their own problems, or use their faith to draw closer to God. Some relationships can become quite toxic.
The “teenage” Christian is more grounded in their faith. Many of them know their scripture and can activate it. Yet they haven’t had enough experience to be realistic. It’s kind of a “honeymoon” phase of growth. They have all of the answers, things seem cut and dry… but as you mature, you learn that sometimes, the answers aren’t as easy as you may think.
The mature Christian knows that in order to be mature you need to walk in wisdom. They have accepted that the Christian walk isn’t easy- that sometimes God will ask you to do things that are uncomfortable, or will stretch you in some way. They aren’t easily swayed by signs and wonders, nor do they ask God to prove everything.
Mature Christians have learned to hear from God themselves. They have learned that God is their source, and the Bible provides all the answers they seek in life. They learn that not all trials are because God has abandoned or hates us, and they know that sometimes we might not know a why to a problem, but we have to persevere anyway.
They have learned that there are no pat answers for everything, but they have learned to dig into what God says about their situation. They remain grounded in God’s promises even when it appears that He is contradicting Himself in the natural. They trust in God, and even when they don’t understand, will still submit to Him because they have learned that life without Him isn’t worth much.
Our November issue will teach you how to mature in your faith, and obtain that deeper relationship with God. It contrasts some of the easier doctrine out there with sage advice. We discuss some of the caveats to what is being preached, and talk about some of the things that are never mentioned as you grow.
Yet without mentioning key aspects of a Christian walk, we realize that many people are falling away unnecessarily from their faith instead of growing.
If you are expecting that being a Christian is easy, effortless, and that you won’t have any problems ever… you might want to skip this issue. We are here to tell you that life isn’t always cut and dry, and answers to issues aren’t always obvious. But we do serve a God that will always be faithful to His promises, and that we shouldn’t get discouraged when our faith is tested. It is a part of life, part of experience, and the way in which we grow.
Grow your faith in our next issue which comes out on October 28, 2019!
