6 Things that could be hindering your spiritual growth
Hi guys. A few life updates:
I shared before that my job was at risk of redundancy. If you missed it, you can read it Here. I did get a letter telling me my job was at risk but an interesting thing happened. Whilst many other people were made redundant, people were speaking on my behalf without my knowledge and my job was de-risked. There is a long story to this but I learnt that when you do good work, people will fight for you and you will find favour. You won’t need to beg for it or campaign for it, favour will find you and speak for you. However there is a part 2 to this gist that I will share later. To summarize, God decided he was going to do abundantly more than I could ever dream or imagine because I got a better offer with a new company after a very intense process. I am still in awe of everything that has happened in the last month and God is SO FAITHFUL! So I just wanted to say thank you all for your prayers and your support when I shared my concerns then.
BACK TO TODAY’S POST.
A few people have said they don’t feel connected to God at this season and I have been talking about the heart a lot so I thought I should share a few things to check when you feel this way. If you feel disconnected and are feeling stagnant spiritually, please check the following. It is not a complete list but I think it’s a good place to start. I strongly suggest getting your journal out and ask the Holy Spirit to point out what you need to work on.
1. Unforgiveness: Are you angry, bitter, resentful towards anybody? Ask God to reveal to you any of this and ask him to heal your heart and help you forgive . God is love, and love means forgiving over and over again. God wants us to have the same heart of forgiveness to others. I know this is sometimes easier said than done but I can probably write a whole book on how my choice to forgive in very painful situations have led to incredible breakthrough moments. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any unforgiveness lurking in your heart and to show you what to do.
Ephesians 4:32: Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
2. Comparison: Are your motives in life based on what God has placed there or are you simply comparing yourself to others? We are all unique people and you should not waste time trying to be like others or measuring your life by others successes or failures. This can cloud your prayers and impact your ability to hear God with clarity. If you are too busy looking at other peoples success and coveting what they have, you might miss the specific thing God wants to do with and through you. The moment I stopped comparing myself and instead choosing to focus on God’s purpose for me is the moment I started to get clarity on many things.
Proverbs 14:30 A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.
3. Discontentment: This is not necessarily about comparison but sometimes we look at our lives and our reality does not match up to visions and dreams we had. In situations like these, we feel a level of discontent that blocks our heart from appreciating what we do have which then impacts our openness to receive what God is doing. Do a review and ask if you are dealing with this and let the Holy Spirit help you change your perspective.
Luke 12:15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
4.Disappointment: I remember there was a time I was so disappointed when certain expectations or prayers didn’t seem to be answered. My heart was just empty and I had no expectation. This took away my joy to the extent that I had a passive aggressive stance towards God and I didn’t realize I was missing the opportunity to experience many things. Have you experienced such disappointment? Is it possible that it might even be with God? Are there prayers you feel were not answered and that has left you cold? Could that be something blocking your heart from being a conducive place for God’s word to produce fruit?
Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
5. Pride/Ego: To truly grow, you have to be willing to let go of pride and ego in order to be fully obedient to God’s word and direction. There are things that God would share with you and expect from you that will require a deep sense of humility. If your reputation or ego or whatever else is more important to you than obedience of God’s word, then that is something to check. Remember that obedience is better than sacrifice so be prepared to follow God to the point of letting go of the shield of pride and ego.
James 4:6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.”[c]
6.Shame/Guilt/Regret: This is not a conclusive list but emotions such as these are also a major hindrance in our ability to truly receive and retain God’s word in our heart. These emotions can make us insecure and make us doubt that God can love us or use people like us. It also makes it hard to receive or have expectations from God because we think God sees us by our mistakes and mix up correction with condemnation. The bible says we can approach the throne of Grace to receive mercy in our times of need (Hebrews 4:16). There is no time limit of this and this applies to everything. God’s grace is sufficient no matter what. If you come to him with a repentant heart, he would show you mercy. If there are things you have done or have been done to you, that have kept you locked in the prison of these emotions, please remember that God’s love has set you free. The day I discovered this verse, was a moment of freedom that has kept me for years after living under the yoke of guilt for years. I am forever thankful that Jesus Christ has set me free.
Romans 8:34
Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God--and He is interceding for us.
This is not a perfect list but I believe you can start here. If you have reviewed all of this and nothing has popped out at you then it just means stay where you are with God. He will reveal to you whatever else you need to do. I have found that MANY times, the answer lies in our hearts and we often have to do a cleanse to see clearly.
Let me know if any of this resonated with you or if there are some I missed.
Lots of love,
Tito.