Am I Growing As A Christian?

This morning I was watching Charles Stanley, who rarely if ever has a non-interesting lesson. When he began to introduce his subject about how to tell if we are growing as Christians, my ears perked up. I picked up my pen and pad, because I knew that I was going to receive useful info. I am always ready to evaluate my Christian position and growth.

The first sign that he shared of Christian growth is when we become increasingly aware of things in our lives that just don't feel right. Whether habits, issues, our environment, possessions, etc., we suddenly begin to see non-Godly things for what they are. His #2 point automatically follows the first revelation. As growing Christians we swiftly respond to this knowledge. We are anxious to remove ourselves from this undesirable circumstance, or remove the offending thing from our lives.

Dr. Stanley shared that when our spiritual battles intensify, though we may feel distress we are still able to rejoice in the Lord. This is more than trying to convince ourselves that we are okay, or that everything is alright. Instead, when we are growing, we find ourselves being so confident in God's love for us that we are able to praise Him and glorify in His plan and purpose for us. We are able to see the direction in which he is leading us, so we feel joy unspeakable and the peace that surpasses all understanding. We don't have to strive to feel these things when we are advancing as Christians. They are there, within.

Other points that Dr. Stanley shared include:

• We are able to view all things as coming from Him. His emphasis was on VIEW, whether all things are from Him or not. He also shared that this point was vital in his life, especially when he was being harassed and hindered by others.
• We worship and praise God more.
• We more often want to share what Christ is doing in our lives.
• It is not a burden to perform service to Him, but an honor. He stated that sometimes we say that we don't have time to serve in the church. He further said that God can arrange for us to not have time for anything, job, home, recreation, etc. His point was that the time we spend doing all that we do is allowed by God to continue. We wouldn't be able to live the life that we do without God. We should be happy to devote some of it to Him. He said that though we all can't do the same things, we can find out what we can do.
• We recognize His presence more.
• We have a desire to give more.
• We become more hungry for God.

Dr. Stanley shared very effective barometers for measuring our spiritual advancement. You can view his video of the lesson by clicking the link below.

God bless you to grow more in Him each day!

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Source: "The Second Step - Growth". InTouch Ministries. http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/this-week-on-tv

Image Credit: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2013/02/20/refining-the-kite-rules/#prettyPhoto.