The New Life, Inc.

One of the things that happen as we grow spiritually is, we begin to question how adequate we are.  This is a very important issue. Many of us have placed a lot of confidence in our own strength and in own abilities, this must change.

Paul speaks of this in 2 Corinthians 3:5-6:  And such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God. Who also made us adequate as servants, not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

I want to share with you an incident that happened to me a long tome ago. When the Lord brought me into this ministry He showed me some of the things that were going to happen. I made the mistake of trying to make them happen. After about a year of trying and failing I gave up and told God I don’t want this ministry I can’t do it.  He said; “no the ministry is yours; I did not show you what you had to do; I showed you what I was going to do!”

Don’t make the mistake of trying to be spiritual. When you were a child did you have to try to be a child? No! You just naturally did childish things. You have now turned to the Lord and have been born-again of the Spirit, you don’t have to try to be spiritual, and you are spiritual. Now it is just a matter of using your spiritual senses and letting them develop.

Relax, don’t try to be super spiritual overnight, it took you years to grow up naturally and it is going to take time for you to grow up spiritually. Look around you at the young people.  Do they make mistakes? Did you make mistakes growing up? You are going to make a few mistakes in your spiritual journey. Don’t be to hard on yourself, keep pressing on, keep your eyes on Jesus, and stay attuned to the Holy Spirit. You will find that in your daily life you will become more and more fruitful in your speech and in your actions as your spiritual growth increases and the old ways are left behind. You are in the process of becoming like Jesus, a servant.       

One of the things that hold back a lot of people from going further along on a spiritual quest is fear. Satan will use fear to hinder you and stop you.

What are the fears that hinder you?  A fear of being mislead. A fear of making a mistake or maybe a fear of the unknown.  Some people don’t want to go beyond their partner, if that is the case you may not go very far in your spiritual journey.

Spiritual growth demands that we increase, that we become larger in many ways. It demands that we start doing things we have never done before, using talents we have never used. Spiritual growth demands that we overcome our fears whatever they are.

Spiritual growth demands that we step outside of our normal boundaries and walk in new paths. We must see that some of the things that we thought was truth was not truth and be willing to see things in a new way.

I am reminded of Paul and the Damascus road experience. Paul’s whole foundation was shaken and reshaped. That is the same thing that happens to us when we go on a spiritual journey. Many of the things that were so important to us are now of no value. A new value system forms in our spirit and soul. Old things pass away and new things come.

We begin to see other people in a different way.  We begin to see ourselves in a new way. Some days we look at ourselves and think: I haven’t changed at all, and then you realize you are not the same and that you have changed a lot. You are not the same person anymore.

I now tell people I am a bigger person then I used to be.  Some people might laugh but I mean what I say. I am not the small person I used to be. This spiritual journey has greatly enlarged me and I know it will do the same for you. I used to be in a small box.  Jesus set me free from that little box I was in.

Many years ago I sat in church one Sunday and I saw that there had to be more to life and Christianity then what I had. Something welled up inside of me saying there is more and I want it. Years have gone by and I have been greatly blessed and increased. I still know there is more and I still want more! 

One of the comments I have heard many times in the past, from Christians and non-Christians alike; “I have a spiritual guide that directs me and helps me.”  I have three questions that you might think about.

For spiritual growth do I need a spiritual guide?

Do we have a spiritual guide?

Who is our spiritual guide?

John 3:3:  Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:5:  Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

For spiritual growth to happen we must be born of the Spirit.

To see and enter into the spiritual kingdom of God we must be spiritual.

Then we need a teacher and guide.

Acts 1:4-5:  Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for ^?what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit ^?not many days from now.”

John 14:25-26: “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the ^?Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name ^?He will teach you all things, and ^?bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

         John 16:12-14  “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  But when He ^?the Spirit of truth, comes, He will ^?guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

         From what I see in these scriptures and have experienced in my own life, we need to receive Jesus and then pray for the Holy Spirit to lead us and to help us.  Bringing a new power and authority into our life if we are to expect any spiritual growth.