ARE YOU GROWING SPIRITUALLY AND DOES IT REALLY MATTER? It absolutely matters more than any of us could possibly understand.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? NIV
Notice Paul’s language here. We should be people who live by the Spirit?
What kind of spiritual atmosphere is in your heart and in your home?
At Fuel the Fire I mentioned how a husband hiding sin causes a discerning wife to malfunction prophetically. She senses something’s wrong but he’s claiming everything is right. She discerns him but she dismisses it so she abandons this prophetic awareness impacting her, you, your home, your kids and the prophetic legacy God desires to leave through you.
Recently I was speaking with a pastor who shared how an entire family came to Christ at his church. One of their children who suffered various issues and was almost completely nonverbal. The atmosphere of God’s Kingdom invading the home is unlocking something in the life of this child and suddenly vocabulary is exploding.
God’s Kingdom is breaking into the earth in powerful ways in this season and it’s important that we position ourselves in a state of readiness! Two Sundays ago our youngest daughter, Lexi, experienced an amazing healing miracle. During a church service she sensed God was asking her a question, “Do you have faith?” She explained how she replied to the Lord with a confession of having very little faith but she did have a little.
That day the pastor of the church came to her afterward and singled her out. He’d never had a conversation with her before. He shared how God had placed it on his heart to stand in faith with her for whatever it was she was believing for. She shared her lifelong battle with celiac disease so we all prayed. Over the next seven days she experienced miracle after miracle of no reactions when she would always have reactions before. God has completely healed her of this! We are believing for more of this in every direction!!!
The Bible says “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” several times. We find it in Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5.
Notice how God gives grace to the humble. What does it mean for God’s grace to be poured out on your health? What does it mean for God’s grace to be poured out on your finances, your relationships or even your prayers? Humbling ourselves in these areas of our lives releases God’s grace to be poured out on those areas in supernatural and amazing ways.
He gives grace to the humble because humility releases authority! This is a little tricky, however. Humility releases authority but humility never chases authority.
God wants your life to be awesome. This truth comes with a trick. God does want your life to be awesome but he doesn’t want you to pursue an awesome life for yourself. He wants you to provide an awesome life for others and that is what will make your life awesome.
The Bible says give and it will be given to you.
Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” NIV
It doesn’t say give so it will be given to you.
When your pursuit is rooted in him only then is the result of his Kingdom is released. Our problem is we’ve developed a theology that based on the wrong pursuits.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. NIV
This doesn’t say humble yourself before the Lord so you can be lifted up. If your pursuit of humility comes from the desire to be lifted up then your pursuit is recognition rather than humility.
Philippians 2:6-9 (Jesus)...made himself nothing... Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name NIV
The lowest place of humility unlocks the highest place of authority. Lucifer elevated himself and was cast down. Jesus humbled himself and was raised up.
There is such a simple yet powerful statement David made: Psalm 35:13 …I humbled my soul with fasting…
The Bible says we are to humble ourselves and this comes through sacrificial devotion to the things that matter to Jesus: Prayer, Fasting, Turn The Page, gather, give, love, serve.
This is all far more important in this next season of the church than I can possibly begin to explain. Everyone is created for abundant life and abundant life is unlocked by a supernatural measure of God’s grace that is given to the humble.
If you don't devote yourself to the greater purposes of LOVE you confine yourself to self-serving existence. You were born for more than that!
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Humble yourself personally, financially, relationally and in every way very intentionally every day this week.
GROWING DEEPER
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Click here for a downloadable pdf file of this guide.
UNDERSTANDING THE SEASON: As a church family we want to be OUTRAGEOUSLY LOVING people who PASSIONATELY PURSUE the Lord with IRRATIONALLY GIVING lifestyles as we CONSISTENTLY SUBMIT to God’s desires and EFFECTIVELY DISCIPLE others to do the same.
Our 2022 New Year’s Revelation as a church family is EVERYONE IS CREATED FOR ABUNDANT LIFE! Much will flow from heaven into our hearts and homes this year!
The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy but realize the aim of death is not to kill you but to keep you from the fullness of life until you die. Distraction is destruction of what could have been in your life.
John 10:10b “...I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].” Amplified
Jesus came demonstrating that true life is discovered in a willing death. When we die to ourselves we learn what it means to be alive in Christ.
God’s plan is for us to hear his voice together as a family. This is why we start each group with the first question:
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. Where are you reading in your Bible and what are you sensing from God?
Ask each person in your group to answer the discussion questions below after reading the verses. Don’t move on to the next question until everybody who is willing to share has had the opportunity to give their perspective.
1 CORINTHIANS 3:1-3 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? NIV
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Have each person give a 60 second summary of what these verses are saying, in their own words.
What do these verses teach us about God?
What do these verses teach us about people?
What should you do this week in response to what we are reading and what God is revealing?
Who comes to mind when considering a person you might share this with this week?
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Humble yourself personally, financially, relationally and in every way very intentionally every day this week.