CHALLENGES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH

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1 Read Romans 8 and John 8: SESSION OBJECTIVE CHALLENGES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH Discover any obstacles in your life that are preventing you from spiritual growth. Find a process that can help you overcome these obstructions am Chapter pm Lunch pm Prayer time pm Conclusion START STATEMENT PREPARATION What are your thoughts on this statement? Is this something that you recognise in your own life? Start a short discussion on this statement and ask two or three participants to briefly share their thoughts. THE INTERACTIVE INTRODUCTION - PART 1 OBSTACLES IN OUR LIVES Not everything in our lives is glorifying to God. There are things that in themselves are very good, but that have become obstacles to our growth. They draw us away rather than bring us closer to God. And for this reason it is important to know and acknowledge the truth about our own lives, because only the truth of Jesus Christ can set us free (John 8:32 36). 135 Life experiences from the past and misguided views can form obstacles to spiritual growth.

2 A NUMBER OF EXAMPLES Below we give a number of examples of things that are good but that can develop their own strength within us and in turn become obstacles to our spiritual growth. Share with the group examples from various areas of your life. Ask others from the group to share too. Wealth and riches Wealth clearly has a beneficial effect on our society. Think of the possibilities for healthcare, social services, education, etc. These are blessings from God, and are also viewed as such in the Old Testament. However, wealth can become an idol in our lives if we rely on this wealth rather than on God for our happiness. We often pray for Christians in poor countries. But they also pray for us, because wealth has blinded many of us and has obstructed the way for us to lead lives of radical dedication and surrender to God. Money Money is a good means for trade and for attaching value to goods and service. It allows us to support our families and be a blessing to others, but it can also become an idol. Money as insurance for a good and safe future or money as a means in itself (greed) are examples of this. Education Most parents raise their children to the best of their abilities and knowledge. However, we may now feel that much of our upbringing has left us with a negative legacy. Traditions and culture The Netherlands has a highly critical culture. We live in a culture where performance is considered important. This culture has brought great prosperity and material wealth, but our lives as human beings are in danger of being overlooked. We often embrace this culture without question. No critical questions are posed about the culture or our Christian culture. Many capacities and possibilities We have so many wonderful capacities and possibilities, but these can make us independent from God and prevent us from honouring Him. Sexuality God gave us sexuality as something beautiful; it was made so that we could enjoy each another and give to each other, but there is danger of it turning into lust, which in turn can lead to pornography. Alcohol Wine is part of God s creation, and as such we can enjoy it. But wine can turn into a way of escaping problems, and consequently alcohol abuse. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF OBSTACLES One of the biggest problems preventing us from getting rid of these obstacles is denial that these obstacles actually exist and that they have an influence in our lives. We will say: It is not that bad I am not addicted Surely we are allowed to earn money God does not mind this Everyone does it If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8) Remember the church in Laodicea, who were so self-absorbed but thought they were spiritually in order. Jesus had to tell them they were spiritually blind, because of the sins in their midst (Revelations 3:14 22). Paul s words to the church in Corinth echoes those of Jesus (1 Corinthians 5:1 7). To the people in the church of Ephesus, Paul says in Timothy that there are people who are in danger of losing their faith, because they have been listening to deceiving spirits and things taught by demons (1 Timothy 4:1). If you were to confront these people, they would deny it and give you a plausible reason for why they are doing whatever it is they are doing. You could say here that the cause of their actions lies in their thinking. They think that they are on the right track, or they are intentionally fooling themselves

3 WHERE DOES THE PROBLEM LIE? When Paul confronts the Christians in Corinth with their lifestyle, they get angry and ask Paul where he gets the nerve to correct them. And then he says the following: For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. (2 Corinthians 10:3 6) WEAPONS AND GLORY OF GOD God s weapon is His son Jesus Christ. His blood, death and resurrection have achieved what we could never achieve: complete forgiveness and a path to God the Father. Only through this relationship and through the power of the Holy Spirit are we capable of overcoming the obstacles in our lives. The truth of Jesus Christ is the only truth that can truly set us free from our patterns and thoughts. In the name of Jesus we can see the light of truth shed on and diminish these obstacles. These weapons are aimed at our self-interests. Paul says here that he is admonishing the Corinthians, because in the end it is God s glory that counts. If they do not live as they should, others see this and because of this do not want to get to know and honour God with their lives. Furthermore, Paul says that his rebuke is aimed particularly at their way of thinking, because it is here that the problem lies. OUR THOUGHTS ARE THE PROBLEM The Corinthians came up with a multitude of reasons, which they had adopted during their lives or been brought up with, to justify themselves. But Paul decides to test these arguments and false beliefs with God s Word the truth in the hope that these Christians will repent and follow Christ again. Certain thought patterns can become obstacles to a healthy spiritual life. These thoughts restrict God s influence in our lives, because we have come to believe the lies that they have told us. As a result of these thought patterns we fail to do things that we should be doing. After a while, these beliefs can become so ingrained that they become a stronghold over us. Share here a number of examples from your own life. A few examples I am not good enough for God Does God really exist? I can rationalise anything Jesus died, but did He also die for me personally? We cannot just accept Jesus offer God s love, a phenomenon of our times God does not work in the same tangible way today It has always been this way Life is suffering and is a desert God is not science, and only science is right Do not believe everything that you hear 1. List a number of obstacles that threaten to weaken your spiritual life. 2. What obstacles would you like to overcome? THE INTERACTIVE INTRODUCTION - PART 2 REMOVING THE OBSTACLES EXERCISE.1 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in Him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:17 24) A number of aspects stand out here: Our minds and attitudes require a continuous process of renewal We need to get to know God as He really is We need to open our hearts to His guidance We need to incorporate this into our daily lives

4 A PROCESS OF DELIVERANCE This starts with prayer, verbally expressing your desires, and the following processes of awareness: choose consciously, of your own will, to honour and glorify God with your life; acknowledge that there are obstacles in your life and repent; acknowledge that Jesus poured out His blood for you, to deliver you from satan s power; acknowledge and believe that you, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, live in the kingdom of God; acknowledge that God is the head in God s kingdom; believe that God wants to remove the obstacles that are preventing you from growing. God does not want us to bind ourselves (again) to powers and forces that are based on our thoughts and patterns: God wants us to be free to make our own choices. This does not mean that we will never make wrong choices again. But the choices we make will not be based on a bondage to certain addictions or other things that have power over us. Deliverance is merely the beginning After this begins the process of healing from the consequences of our misled beliefs and those things that have had a stronghold over us. DELIVERANCE IS A START The following can be found in Ephesians 4:17 24: Our minds and attitudes require a continuous process of renewal Gain a hold on each thought that distracts you from God and take these thoughts to God in prayer Take responsibility for your thoughts and attitudes, reject the lies and choose the truth Do not wander away from the truth and back to your old thought patterns. Talk to at least one friend about your problems. We need to grow to know God the way He is: A God of love, forgiveness, grace, mercy and acceptance A God that is loyal to Himself and His Word We need to open our hearts to His guidance Read the Bible daily, learn key verses by heart Take time each day to spend in silent contemplation, prayer and the presence of God Praise and worship God daily Give the Spirit room to indwell your life daily We need to incorporate this into our lives Obey His words from the Bible and apply them to all areas of your life. Furthermore, it is important to realise that we have been given Christian sisters and brothers to support and be supported by. Make sure that you have Christian friends and that you can speak, discuss and pray openly and honestly with. Discuss this session and the obstacles that participants may be facing in their lives. Lunch is scheduled for after this group discussion. 1. Take time over the coming week to evaluate your own spiritual life. 2. What obstacles and strongholds have you discovered? 3. What excuses do you use to avoid having to deal with these bad habits? EXERCISE.2 Ask participants to write down what they would like to bring to God in prayer this afternoon. Pray together as a group for one another. A group should be a maximum of ten people; more than ten takes up too much time (ten people will take about two hours). We suggest that when you pray for people, they be seated on a chair with the others forming a circle around them. A person then shares his or her prayer points and the other participants pray for this person, or the person says a prayer himself/herself. Tip: make sure that there are tissues and glasses of water. Have a short break after an hour. ACTION PLAN.3 4. Decide what to do with these obstacles. Do you bring them under the authority of Christ or do you just leave them be? What is hindering you from bringing these things under the authority of Christ? 5. Share your desire to remove these obstacles with God. Confess that they are wrong and ask God for the strength to break these strongholds. 6. You also need to deal with the resultant thoughts and patterns that have been caused by these obstacles. This can sometimes take a long time. After all, these thoughts and patterns have taken years to accumulate. It can be helpful to ask people that you trust to pray for you. They can help you to secure the deliverance in your life. These should be people who you meet together with regularly, share your life with and who pray for you

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