Verse of the week.... But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the Word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. Luke 8:15 NIV
Scripture Reference: Luke 8:4-18
In order to grow spiritually, I must:
- be receptive to God. I must really want/desire to grow. The main reason that we don't grow spiritually is because we don't want to. We must be receptive to God and His Word, His work in our lives. *The hardened path represents a closed heart. Why do people close their hearts to God? It is usually because of; a. Fear---afraid God will ask me to do something that I don't want to do or ask me to stop doing something that I want to do. b. Bitterness of the past---something that has happened to you in the past. c. Pride---we think we can take care of things ourselves; we don't need God. That leads to a barren lifestyle.
- be resolved to grow. Make the decision and commitment to grow spiritually. You cannot make it happen without God's help. *The shallow soil represents superficial commitment. Many times we are committed until things become hard. We need to realize that the enemy is not going to make it easy for us. Growth takes place when we take what we have heard and put it into practice----even in the hard times. Real commitment comes when you leave church and are determined to grow in your faith. We can boldly say, "regardless of what comes against me, God is going to grow in me".