Genesis 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
1 corinthians 14:20: Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.
Ephesians 4:14: As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming.
As believers, God wants to see his children grow up, become stronger, and lead others to Christ. This is because giving our life to Christ is not the stopping point, it is only the starting point of our journey as Christians, and ultimately disciples of God.
As we surrender our lives to God, He begins to change, develop, and direct us to our new being. We therefore, cannot live a double life (one leg in Christ, and one leg in the world). We must understand that we cannot quantify what sin is or try to rationalize things that are clearly stated in the bible for us to avoid. We begin to negotiate parts of the commandments to obey or what parts of the bible favors us. We unknowingly begin to set our own standards, and then ask God to bless our disobedience. God expects us to grow up, increase in our faith, develop our character, and build a deeper relationship with Him. He needs us to grow, and serve others like Jesus came to serve us.
We must remember that whatever we ask God for, comes with responsibilities;
when we ask God to bless us with riches, are we ready for the burden that comes with the riches?
we ask God for a child but are we ready for the sleepless nights? are we ready to sacrifice our lives, time, and resources to train the child? are we ready to respect, and not provoke the child? are we ready to bring the child up in the ways of the Lord?
we ask for promotion but are we ready to work on our character, anger issues, pride? are we ready to be a good leader? are we ready to be honest, and fair towards our colleagues? are we ready for the extended hours, and workload? are we ready to serve our juniors?
we ask for healing but are we ready to go out, and help others in the same situation? are we ready to share the testimony of the healing?
we ask God to reveal our purpose or give us new ideas but are we ready to trust God even if the idea does not align with what we expected? are we ready to use that idea to bring others closer to God? are we ready to do some research, and put in the work?
we ask God for a new house or car but are we ready to save the money? are we ready to build our credit score? are we ready to forfeit all the unnecessary spending, and be on a strict budget?
if we get the car, are we ready to give others a ride?
Even if it is something as simple as food or clothes are we willing to share? are we ready for the challenges that will come? is our character mature enough for the blessing not to take us out? Yes, do you know a blessing can become a curse if we do not handle it well? when our character is not developed we will not be able to sustain it, and then we begin to pray for God to take away the blessing.
Today, God is telling us to grow up, no parent want their child to remain same, the joy of being a parent is to see their child mature.
I pray for wisdom and courage to abide by God's words. IJN, Amen.
Salvation Prayer: If you stumbled on this blog and you do not know this "God" I write about, but you feel a leading in your spirit to know more. Well, Welcome! God loves you and has led you here for a reason. If you desire to build a relationship with Him, the first step is to say this prayer below:
Lord Jesus, I come today as a sinner.
I know that I have turned away from You several times.
Today, I confess and repent of all my sins,
I believe You died for me and rose again,
I ask that Your precious Blood purify my life.
I ask that You change me, renew me and lead me.
Become my Lord and personal Savior.
Now, I am yours and I am Born Again.
Thank you Lord for saving me. Amen.Congratulations, the Bible tells us that every time someone gives their life to God, there is a celebration in heaven over that person, you are loved and celebrated at this moment and forever. Amen!
Next steps: I urge you to find a church to join, you may also reach out via the Contact section if you have any questions, we would love to help you with your walk with Christ. God loves you!