Spiritual Growth - And Maturity

Amos 6:1 "Woe to you who are at ease in Zion..."
Luke 8:5-8 " 'A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded *a crop (fruit) a hundredfold.' When He had said these things He cried, 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear!' "
Luke 8:9-15 "Then His disciples asked Him, saying, 'What does this parable mean?' And He said, 'To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that

"Seeing they may not see,
And hearing they may not understand."     (Isa. 6:9)

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. And the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with *patience (endurance) .' "
Rom. 8:5-9 "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the *carnal (fleshly) mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."
See (If We Say We Do Not Sin)
BibleNote: I was a Christian for years before I realized I still have a carnal mind, and have to choose to walk in the Spirit.
1-12-90 poem: Whether a baby Christian, or an infant you be,
The very same thing the good Lord will see;
The elders of the church may pray for your ills,
Anointing you with oil and in faith God will heal.

Because as you see, you are about to begin,
On a journey so fine that your soul you will win;
But God has chosen you, appointed fruit to bear,
If He comes and finds none your troubles will be there!

Like the barren fig tree He will cut you down
So we all must strive to spread His Word around;
Then as you study the Bible each day,
Authority you'll learn to take your pains away.

Jesus knocked down Satan when He fought for you and me,
Then the hammer He used He gave to us, you see;
Now! He's given you power over the enemy!
*So take up your hammer and accept the victory!

Don't let Satan trick you into keeping your ills,
Stay strong in the Lord, and follow His will!
Cast out deception with a strong voice,
Then it will be time for you to rejoice!
(Jer. 23:29) "...And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?"
1 Cor. 3:1-3 "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?"
Heb. 5:12-14 "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the *oracles (sayings, Scriptures) of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are *of full age, (mature) that is, those who by reason of *use (practice) have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."
1 Pet. 2:1-3 "Therefore, laying aside all malice, all guile, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious."
5-29-92 poem:
2:05 am 		I thank You, Father, I praise You too,
For all that you did, and all that You do;
For all the blessings You give to us,
You lift us all up without a fuss.

Each time we fall, and call out to You,
Your Spirit's power brings us right through;
Only our ego hinders our way,
As we search daily to find love, and stray.

When we are low, as low as can be,
We look up to You, and You always see;
Then we repent for our sinful way,
Asking forgiveness, and You're sure to say...

'Come back to Me, My little lamb,
I'll always love you; I am your God, the 'I AM!'"
Only the Father has agape love
For all of His children from heaven above.

Unconditional though it may be,
We must choose Your love, and then follow Thee;
Reading the Word first every day
Out loud to ourselves to hear what You say!
Rev. 3:15-16 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will *spew (spit or vomit) you out of My mouth."
BibleNote: When you come to the Lord, and are saved, but choose not to seek Him, or look to see what He says in His Word, I call that standing on the welcome mat. We are expected to grow in the Lord, and the only way to find out what He is saying to you today is to get a Bible and begin to read it. God clearly tells us what is good in His eyes in the Old Testament, and Jesus Christ speaks of His Father's grace in the New Testament. When you continue in the Word daily, the Holy Spirit will guide you in all wisdom and truth.
See (The Holy Spirit's Duties)


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All Scripture taken from the NKJV Open Bible
Copyright 1983 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Used by permission, all rights reserved.

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Copyright Dec. 25, 1999 - BLFF