Archive for February, 2010

Spiritual Growth #8 (Feb. 19, 2010)

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

One of the questions we need to ask ourselves if we are interested in spiritual growth is:

What kind of spiritual growth are we interested in?

The bible makes it very clear that there are many spirits in this world and they desire you. They want to enter you and use you for their own purposes. They want to control you. They are not interested in your spiritual growth. I expect all of you have encountered people that are involved in spiritualism, there is a lot of that around, don’t become involved in it.

There are also many religious spirits in this world. They are spirits, and are involved in all the churches in this world. Whatever church you go to, you will find religious spirits at work misleading people away from the gospel of Jesus Christ. Don’t be taken in and deceived by them.

In the media and on TV there are many deceiving spirits working. This is not the spiritual growth you want.  Read the warning in Deuteronomy18:9-12. There are people around us that practice divination, witchcraft, sorcery, spiritist and mediums who call up the dead. Don’t go to them for spiritual growth!

Jesus said; “You must be born again to see and enter the kingdom of God”. That’s the spiritual growth we want.

Why is it that we must be born again for the spiritual growth we want?  Because we must become a new creation!

It is important to understand that we are body, soul and spirit before we are born again and become a new creation. We can become spiritually active before we are a new creation.

God has sent us Jesus and His Holy Spirit so that we can become born-again, new creations. That is more than man’s spirit becoming active and being involved in these other spiritual things that are listed here.

After we have a born-again experience; we are body, soul, spirit and a new creation.

Spiritual Growth #7 (Feb. 16, 2010)

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

I want to start this session with another question; were you aware of God’s presence today?

It what ways and in what circumstances were you aware of Him?

One of the most important aspects of spiritual growth is a deepening relationship with God and people around us. For this to happen we must become more aware; more of the time. If you are not aware of someone, how can you have a personal relationship with him, you can’t.

Relationship is very important in spiritual growth. I find that I am in control of how deep a relationship I want to have with God or with people, of course the other party is also involved, they may want a very shallow relationship and you can’t do anything about that. I believe God wants a very deep relationship with all of us, so how deep we want to go is up to us. I don’t believe you can force a relationship on anyone that doesn’t want it.

There are also blocks we put in the way that hinder a relationship from going very far. For example you invite someone into your home and close of part of your house that you don’t want them to see. We keep things hidden for all kinds of reasons, and all these hidden things are hindrances which keep our relationships from going any farther.

There are certain things in our lives that are private, untouchable, hidden; we don’t even want God to touch them.

I think if we really realized how secrets affected our relationships with people close to us, we would stop having secrets. I think one of the works of the Holy Spirit is to free us from the fear of being exposed. Do you realize that fear is like a guard in a prison; it keeps you from escaping and guards you so that you cannot be a free person. In other words, secrets keep you in jail and truth sets you free, we don’t have to hide anymore.

Secrets are fig leaves and we hide from God; and one another. You want spiritual growth?  Get rid of the secrets and the fig leaves and then a close relationship happens. Then spiritual growth happens with God and with people around you.

Spiritual Growth #6 (Feb. 9, 2010)

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

What is spiritual growth? 

The other day some friends were visiting us and we were talking about this spiritual growth series. I realized that spiritual growth can mean different things to different people. So I asked the question; “What is spiritual growth; what does it mean to you?

I also realized that I did not have a clear understanding of what spiritual growth was, or what it means to me.

We had a good discussion and everyone shared what they felt spiritual growth was. When everyone had finished sharing, someone asked me what it means to me. As I was listening to what everyone else had to say about spiritual growth, I saw what it means to me.

What spiritual growth means to me is a developing relationship with God the Father; with Jesus the son; and with the Holy Spirit. It is becoming more aware of them in my daily life. It is developing a walking talking relationship with them moment by moment in all kind of situations. It is also a doing relationship; you understand what God wants you to do or say and you become obedient and act.

There is another aspect to spiritual growth; it has to do with the people around you. You develop a deeper relationship with the spiritual people around you; the body of Christ.

I have often wondered about the fact that you can be a long time away from some of your Christian friends but when you do see them it is like you were never separated. This has to do with our spiritual relationship and the truth is in the spirit you were never separated for a moment.

How you recognize spiritual growth is by the fruit of the spirit; not the gifts of the spirit.

A person can have many of the gifts of the Holy Spirit active in their life and have no spiritual growth. We see all this spiritual activity and think, wow; this is a real spiritual person and what they really are; is a baby in Christ, with very little spiritual development. This does not mean their gifts are not of great value; they are and everything should be done to encourage them.

                                                                                                            

I received this comment from another friend:

Most Christians fall in the soul realm or logical realm.  The thing that brings about spiritual growth is information {God’s Word} that leads to Revelation  {light}  that brings about Transformation {Change or Growth}.  For years I was born again and just plastered over my old way of thinking with religion, until I was Baptized in the Holy Spirit.  Most of the Religious thinking of today is a referral center, send the sick to doctors and psychiatrist.  I am not against Dr.’s but that is logical, laying hands on the sick and obeying Gods word is not logical.     Gregg Gunby  

Spiritual Growth #5 (Feb. 1, 2010)

Monday, February 1st, 2010

One of the important keys for spiritual growth is hunger and thirst. I must desire it with all my heart with all that is within me.

Another important key to spiritual growth; I must be willing to become a fool for God.

As spiritual growth happens in us we begin to think differently, reason differently and act differently. It does not happen overnight, it is a long slow process that happens over a matter of years. We are born of the spirit in a moment and the potential for a mature spiritual person is there, but I wonder if we will ever reach the fullness of that potential while we are still in this body.

When Pauline and I experienced the born-again spiritual experience and began to see and hear spiritual things, everyone in our church and family thought we had lost our mind and were crazy. All that had happened was that we had begun to see and hear what God wanted us to do and started doing it.

I expect there are some that want to be spiritual giants greatly used by God but you don’t want to upset anyone in your home or church. A strange thing happens when we begin to grow spiritually, people around us and in our churches get upset and you get rejected. That’s when you begin to understand some of the things that Jesus said; we will have division right in our homes and in our churches.

When the Holy Spirit begins a work in your home or in your church, there is going to be division. Why do the scriptures tell us; do not be unequally yoked? Can we even begin to guess how many churches have split; not because of man but because of the Holy Spirit.

If you are truly interested in Spiritual Growth, you are going to upset some people and might cause some problems in your church.

A friend of mine that was a pastor for many years; started a church and built it up to a sizeable church, he then had a wonderful experience with the holy spirit and tried to share it with the church and they voted him out.

                                                                                                   

I received the following from a person some of you know Nancy MacQueen. Thanks Nancy.

Hi Ralphie,

The last time you were here, you asked as you often do what was the last thing I heard from God.  I have always had a hard time with that question as I have thought that I should have some great new awesome revelation. Great and awesome revelations don’t seem to be my way of functioning. I do hear from God frequently saying things like “Give so and so a call”or “pray this way”.  Those are quite true in my life and are what you might call spiritual direction.  However, His communication with me is so much more practical as I call on Him to help with sewing, housework, shopping–just daily stuff. He has given me insights to help in all those areas–and more. I am sometimes inclined to ask, “Lord, are you here with me?” and am comforted when I sense HIs “Yes, I am here.”  So, today, if you ask what is the last thing I think the Lord said to me, I would answer, “I believe He told me to write this”.