God's Process For Growth

Three Ways Circumstances Come About:

• From my own doing

• From Satan

• From God (He directly allows them)

Three Ways You Can Deal With Circumstances

• You can remove the circumstances

• You can remove yourself from the circumstances

• You can allow God to work out the circumstances

How God Uses Circumstances to Help Us Reach Our Dreams:

1. God uses circumstances to expose certain needs in our lives and then to

establish the characteristics of Christ in these areas.

2. God uses circumstances to deal with our inner self and then for the life of Christ

to be revealed to us.

3. God uses circumstances so that we can find the abundance for every situation.

4. God uses circumstances in order to bring us into a place of spiritual enlargement.

• God determines the limits to which evil and its effects may go.

WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES DON’T GO YOUR WAY…

1. Train your eyes to see the potential around you.

• Look for evidence of God’s presence not His absence

2. Use well the authority given you.

3. Do what you can with what you have.

4. Don’t compare yourself to others

TODAY…

GOD’S PROCESS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH

I believe that God wants you to dream big dreams for your life and go to a higher level.

However… I know that there is a process in order to get us ready for those dreams.

I want help you understand a little on how God works in our lives.

How many know that God will go to great lengths to get our attention?

How many know that it is God’s desire that you grow?

Remember from the last sermon… that it is God’s desire for all of us to grow spiritually and that we be conformed to the image of His Son.

We all read Romans 8:28 (All things work together for good…) but we neglect v.29…

Rom 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. (NKJ)

Phil 2:13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him. (NLT)

Some Things You Need To Know…

Some suppositions…

• It is God’s desire that we grow and move to the next level.

Isa 54:2 "Enlarge your house; build an addition; spread out your home!

Isa 54:3 For you will soon be bursting at the seams. (NLT)

Eph 4:15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.

• There is a process of growth for every Christian.

It doesn’t "just happen.

Even the men and the women of the Bible had "to grow."

John The Baptist

Luke 1:80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit;... (NIV)

Jesus

Luke 2:40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. (NKJ)

Acts 9:22 But Saul increased all the more in strength...

Stages Of Spiritual Maturity For Christians

1. The Baby Christian

This is the newly born-again believer who has just accepted Christ as Lord and Savior.

He is like the natural baby in that he/she needs to be care for. You are always having to burp them and change their diapers.

One of the greatest days of our lives was when we able to leave the house without a diaper bag.

1 Pet 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,(NKJ)

When you first come to Christ you should desire the word of God.

What do we know about the baby Christian?

• Their sins are forgiven - 1 John 2:12

1 John 2:12 I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.

• They are admonished to sin not - 1 John 2:1

1 John 2:1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

• They are admonished to grow up 1 Peter 2:2

1 Pet 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby..

2. The Carnal Christian

This is the person who is still governed more by his soul than his spirit.

He is up one day and down the next. He never knows total victory in Christ.

He is hot and he is cold.

1 Cor 3:3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

3. The Young Man Stage

Keep in mind that this is not a gender issue but a spiritual issue.