How to leap forward in your spiritual growth …
Want to take a major step forward in your spiritual maturity? Here’s one way of doing just that:
Make God the God of your circumstances!
We sometimes see in scripture the lives of those who are driven by their circumstances. For example, the Old Testament record of God delivering His people out of bondage in Egypt and guiding them to a Promised Land is riddled with a ripe example of many whose lives were racked — and wrecked — by being overwhelmed by their circumstances.
First, they are celebrating the great things God is doing. Then they run into a hard circumstance. The response? They grumble against God, and are overwhelmed by the circumstance. Only for God to demonstrate His limitless superiority over any circumstance that arises. Then the people rejoice (at least those who survive their response to the circumstances) … and on goes this cycle.
Circumstances change, but God does not!
That’s a simple fact, yet many panic, doubt, throw tantrums and act in any number of ungodly ways the moment hard circumstances come around. Instead of seeing a tough circumstance as another opportunity to see the greatness of God demonstrated, the spiritually immature keep their eyes on the problem and forget how big, how great, how powerful, how able, how caring their God is.
We also see in scripture some great examples from “giants of the faith.” What seems to be a common denominator among them is when hard times come around, they know they can rely on God. That’s because they understand that, although the circumstances may have changed, God did not. He remains faithful. He is the God of their circumstances, not just their God of easy times.
James highlights for us how not making God the God of our circumstances impacts our lives, as he writes in James 1:2-8:
“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”
When you enter into your circumstances with your eyes on the problem and your head spinning with fear rather than faith, you leave God out of your circumstances which leaves you vulnerable. James says, “… Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”
When your circumstances change, how do you view God? Do you doubt and curse Him, or look to Him as your Rock in a time of trouble? Do your changing circumstances rule you, or do you find peace in an unchanging God in the midst of any circumstance?
Scotty
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