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Top Ten Ways To Know You’re Growing In The Lord (IV)

06 Tuesday Sep 2011

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      We are continuing to examine the top ten ways to know you’re growing.  This is the fourth installment. 

      7.  A New Generosity!  Since God gives and gives of Himself, we are just being like Him when we give.  As we grow in Him our level of generosity is raised to new levels.  Where we place our money, time, resources, and energy reveals where our heart is.   The Lord wants all His children to become “cheerful givers.” 

      Jesus spent a lot of time speaking to the “internal” issues of a person’s life.  Giving is an external demonstration of an internal conviction.  The Lord doesn’t want us to just go through the motions of giving to others.  He wants us to be blessed by the process as well.  The more we receive from heaven, the more we will be able to give of our own resources, as well as heaven’s.  Is there an open channel from heaven to you and then to others? 

      8.  Joy In Anonymous Acts!  It is said of Jesus that “He went about doing good”  (Acts 10:38)  The growing believer will leave a trail of blessed people in his/her wake.  Have you found the joy of giving without expecting anything in return?  Our real blessings come when we never demand or expect anything in return. 

      Where we give is important to people.  How we give is important to the Lord and indicates if we are really maturing in Him.  If you struggle keeping your acts of righteousness off the radar, then you need work in this area.  Jesus encouraged people to pray and give in secret.  (see Matthew 6:3-4)   Most of our prayer for others should be anonymous.  If you feel the need to keep reminding people how much you are praying for them, then it may indicate your lack of faith and confidence in the power of prayer and the Lord.  Have you learned to pray anonymously and leave the results to the Lord?  Praying and giving the way Jesus prescribed can change your life!

Top Ten Ways To Know You’re Growing In The Lord

30 Tuesday Aug 2011

Posted by in Our Spiritual Process

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       Are you growing up in the Lord?  It’s not like you can stand in the doorway of God’s kitchen and let Him measure your height and make a notch on the door frame.  But there should be indicators that we are growing strong in the Lord.  I am not talking about church attendance or regular Bible reading.  Hopefully you have those things under control. 

     Follow in the next few devotionals and examine yourself to determine if you are truly growing. 

  1.  Your Appetite Changes!  Tastes for certain types of material and activities should leave your system and be replaced with a Godly appetites.  Job said, “I have esteemed the words of Thy mouth more than my necessary food.”  (Job 23:12)  If you struggle in this area, ask the Lord to change your appetite.  Once you move away from worldly junk food and begin treasuring the revelational words from heaven, your appetites will change. 
  2. You Become Disgusted With The Shameful!  The more you become like Christ (this is God’s plan for every believer) the more you will find yourself turning away in disgust at activities that once fascinated you.  There  is no need to list a bunch of activities to illustrate what is shameful.  Paul wrote that before we met Christ we were enemies with God and our “god was our belly and whose glory was in our shame.”  Now that we are His children, He gives us a “shame meter.”  The world doesn’t possess this type of shame meter, but the believer is given a strong sense of right and wrong.  We know we are growing up in the Lord when this shame meter speaks to us with clarity.      

      Remember, the Lord is not expecting you to inflict your appetite and shame meter on other believers.   These first two changes are internal transformations within you.  They are a part of the Lord’s “salt and light” program and reveal that we are His children.