I’ve been posting about the stages of spiritual growth. In my last post I talked about spiritual maturity. I showed the blessings that come with it.
Here’s the problem. We know what it should look like. But many are trying to do it within the confines of a childish spiritual walk.
We’re always on the lookout for some new teaching or “move of God” that will give us our breakthrough. We want the Six Steps to Prosperity or the Ten Confessions that bring Healing. We’re trying to get the freedom and resources of maturity while desperately hanging on to our childhood. This is never going to happen. It’s only when we attain to the goal of spiritual adulthood that we’ll see these things accomplished in us.
We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
James 3:2
There’s more to the mature walk than simply getting our needs met. This word perfect is the same word for mature that we have been talking about. When you reach this level in your Christian experience sin is the exception rather than the rule. It’s not about trying harder. It’s the Holy Spirit working in you to perfect you.
So much of our energy is spent on trying to “be good.” Many preachers are wasting their time using guilt and scare tactics to try and get their people to live a righteous life. That’s not the scriptural way to get there.
It’s the work of the Holy Spirit in us that overcomes the sin nature. We have watered down this good news by making it all based on what I can do. Then we get frustrated that we can’t live up to the lifestyle put forth in the Word of God.
I believe that we’re at the point, in this generation, where we don’t understand what maturity is. We read the Bible and see how far we are from the abundant life described by the Lord. We’re like little children looking up to their older siblings and saying, “Why can’t I do that?”
We need to break out of our childhood. We must enter into the adult world, spiritually speaking. That’s why it’s so important to understand the progression of sonship. We have to go from the initial paperwork of adoption to full-fledged, mature, revealed sons of God. I am convinced by all that I see happening in the church today, that this is the next step on God’s agenda for us.
The frustration comes in when we want to walk in the blessings of the mature without going through the stages of growth. We need to focus on becoming mature, instead of merely seeking God for things.
In order for us to get where we need to be, we must first acknowledge where we are. Then submit to the work of the Holy Spirit in us. There’s no quick solution.
It’s all about time in the presence of the Lord. That’s where true change takes place. As the life of Christ is birthed on the inside of us, the outside will become more like Him.
Question: What are you doing to submit to the Holy Spirit’s work in your life?
© Nick Zaccardi 2014
Tags: abundant life, Christ, frustration, Holy Spirit, Jesus, mature, maturity, move of God, perfect, spiritual, spiritual frustration, spiritual growth, spiritual walk, stages of growth
I’ve been posting about the discussion Jesus had with the crowd in John chapter 6. Having told them that He understood their motives; Jesus goes on to explain further.
“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
John 6:27
The Lord is about to tell them that He’s the Bread of Life and He has the Words of truth. He goes on to explain that if they’ll come to Him in faith, they’ll never lack for life. The point is that you can’t spend all your time and energy chasing the things of this world. There’s a more important issue at stake here.
Too many believers spend their prayer time with the Lord running through their lists of needs and wants. While there is a place for petitioning the Lord in prayer, that should not be the major part. Prayer is where we get to know Christ in relationship. It’s give and take.
Yes, it is talking, but it’s also listening. If we’re going to be prepared for the last days, then we must get past this mentality that chases God around simply for what we think we can get from Him.
The crowd made their motives very plain to Jesus. Even in their answer, they show Him that His assessment of their true character was correct.
“Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.”
John 6:34
Their thoughts are, “You’ve got the bread from heaven. Give us this bread.” Again, they’re thinking in a material way. If His earthly bread was good, the heavenly must be even better tasting!
It reminds me of the woman at the well. Jesus said that He could give her living water so that she would never thirst again. Her reply was, “Great, then I won’t have to come to this well every day to draw water.”
Why are we all so foolish? Jesus longs to give us eternal, abundant life, yet we are content to simply ask Him for things. I know that in His Word He’s promised to take care of our needs. The problem is that we seem to major on the physical.
My true needs are so much deeper than that. He wants to satisfy the longing of our souls, but this will require that we spend time in His presence. We fail to enter the abundance that He has for us because we’d rather have the “quick fix” of more money or more stuff so that we can then get on with our plans. The better solution would be for us to bow our knee to the Lord and take up His plan for our lives.
Question: Why do the temporary issues of life seem so important sometimes?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: abundant life, bread of life, Christ, eternal, faith, Jesus, listening, needs, petition, prayer, relationship, temporary, temporary versus eternal, the Lord, things, things of this world, wants, word of truth
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Luke 11:9-10
This is a verse that we like to quote a lot. But, I want to know if it’s real to us. Do we understand the importance of seeking? And in all of our seeking, are we searching for what’s truly important?
I’m reminded of the children of Israel as they waited on the doorstep of the Promised Land. They selected 12 “spies” who were instructed to search out the land and come back with a report.
So they went up and explored the land…When they reached the Valley of Eshcol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. That place was called the Valley of Eshcol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there. At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land.
Numbers 13:21-25
God had promised this land to Israel. Now they were seeing it for the first time. They roamed up and down the whole area. Needless to say, they were very impressed with what they saw. The fruit was unmatched anywhere else. It was truly a blessed land that awaited them.
Their exploration of the land should be an example to us. We need to search out both the Scripture and the Mind of God to know our inheritance in Christ. It’s very important that we see what God has in store for us. Without that knowledge, we can’t go before God in faith to believe for the things that we need.
It’s unfortunate that most Christians have no idea the magnitude of the blessings there are in serving the Lord. They live their whole lives never knowing that God’s grace is sufficient for them. I believe it’s time for the church to live the abundant life that we were called to. This, more than anything else, will be an incredible witness to our generation.
That’s why the time you spend in the presence of the Lord is so important. Take the time each day to read the Bible, pray, and pray in the Spirit. That’s how you search out the things God has prepared for you.
As the Holy Spirit speaks to you, be quick to lay claim to the promise, blessing, grace, or strength that He offers. Walk each day in the faith that only comes through a living relationship with the Life-Giver.
Question: How intensely do you explore your “promised land”?
Tags: 12 spies, abundant life, ask, Bible, blessings, children of Israel, fruit, Holy Spirit, importance of seeking, knock, mind of Christ, our inheritance, pray, pray in the spirit, promise, promised land, promises of God, read, Scripture, seek, spiritual explorer, witness
I have been posting about the Word of God and its relation to Scripture. I’ve probably said some things that have caused you to question my beliefs. In today’s post you’ll see that what I believe is firmly rooted in the teaching of Christ, Himself.
At one point the Pharisees were trying to come up with a reason to kill Jesus. They were upset that He healed people on the Sabbath and called God “Father,” among other things. It’s important to see how the Lord handled these men. Remember, these were people who dedicated their lives to the study and memorization of Scripture.
And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent.
You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
John 5:37-40
Notice how the Lord’s words to the Pharisees resemble His words to Satan when He was tempted. He first tells them that they have not heard from God nor seen God. He then told them that God’s Word did not live in them. Wait a minute – they had the Scripture memorized – yet God’s Word did not have a place in their lives.
Jesus then makes a statement that we need to pay particular attention to. He admits that those around Him diligently study the Scripture. Isn’t that a good thing? Why does it sound more like an indictment when the Lord says it?
Because it all depends upon why you’re studying the Scripture. They were approaching it with the wrong reasoning. Listen carefully to the words of Christ. He said that they diligently study the Scriptures because they think that by the Scripture they possess life.
Jesus is clear. You cannot possess life in Scripture. You can only possess life in Christ. It doesn’t matter how hard you study or how many verses you have memorized, according to Jesus, you will not find Life in the Scripture.
You may get mad at me for saying it – but that will not change the truth. How we handle the Scriptures these days borders on superstition. So many of us believe that the Bible is going to give us what we want.
I have heard it preached (I preached it, myself, before I understood the truth) that if you want something from God, “just find a Scripture that supports it and stand upon it.” That’s not what the Bible is for.
Christ came that we might live the abundant life. That life will only be found in Him. There are many aspects of the abundant life that the above truth could apply to. Think of how we do things in the church today. Christ could be speaking directly to us.
Question: How have you seen the Bible used superstitiously?
© Nick Zaccardi 2013
Tags: abundant life, Bible, Christ, God's word, Holy Bible, Jesus, life, life in Christ, Pharisees, Scripture, study, study the scripture, superstition, the Lord, word, word of God, word of life
Genesis 12:1-3
The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
I sometimes wonder what might have been running through Abram’s mind as he was listening to the Lord? These are some incredible promises that he was given. God says that He will make Abram’s family into a great nation. He also promises to make Abram famous and to bestow a blessing upon whoever helps him.
But the toughest part, at least for me, would be to step out based on this simple statement. Our first reaction today is: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t.”
We need to be more like Abram. We must stop assigning God the role of the Madison Avenue hustler, whose only goal is to get your money into his pocket by selling you something you don’t need.
God knows and wants only the best for our lives. His Word contains everything we need for an abundant life. All we need to do is to accept it as true. If we embrace God’s Word as truth, then we will not be afraid to step out on it.
Spend some time today meditating upon the truth of God’s Word to you. Maybe there are some things you have never obeyed because of fear. Use this day to settle the matter before God.
Tags: Abraham, Abram, abundant life, blessing, destiny, devotion, disciple, faith, God's faithfulness, God's will, promise, promises, trust
Psalm 65:9-12
You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness.
Most people don’t like dark, rainy days. Too many of them in a row tends to bring on depression. In the same way we don’t like trouble and testing. We even call days of trial “dark days.”
No one is exempt from testing, however. We must all face our own particular trials. But remember, as we face resistance, we gain strength.
If I want to have a beautiful lawn or garden, then it must be watered. Rain is a part of the cycle of life. We may not like it, but we need it to survive. There are many drought ravaged parts of the world that would do anything for a rainy weather pattern.
It is the same with our inner life. The only way to strengthen our faith is through difficulties. There is no other course. Testing is the spiritual rain that waters the seed we have planted in our hearts.
The end result of all this is abundance – abundant faith, abundant strength, and abundant victory. Nobody likes problems, but if we face them without complaining and with the realization that they will strengthen us, it will help keep our focus on the Lord and our joy intact.
Tags: abundance, abundant life, Bible, calling, Christian, devotion, encouragement, faith, God's will, Holy Spirit, joy, problems, rain, rainy days, resistance, spirituality, strength, test, testing, trouble, victory
John 5:24-25
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”
It’s obvious that Jesus is talking about spiritual life here, because He says, “has now come”. It was not future, but was being fulfilled in the days that Jesus walked the earth. He was really giving the Pharisees a slap in the face because of their self-righteousness. They were the dead people (spiritually) that Jesus was talking about. He was basically telling them, “Wake up! You’re dead and if you want life, you must believe and obey my words.”
It was time for them to hear and live. Jesus loved them and desired that they would pass over from death into life. Unfortunately, their pride kept them from accepting Christ for who He was. Even today pride is one of the biggest hindrances to the move of God in the church.
I think a big part of our problem is not knowing the real issue. We think that our choice is between God and the devil. We either look at it that way or make it a choice between good and evil. The fact is that neither of those choices are what the Lord put before us. The real choice He gives us is life or death. As a matter of fact, there may be a “good” thing that I do too often, and it results in bringing death to my spiritual walk.
As long as I lower the standard by “trying to be good,” I will never attain to the abundant life in Christ. I must seek to let allow the life of Christ to shine through me. That is what will lift me up to where I should be.
Jesus makes an important point here. It is the basis of our hope and trust in Him. Christ is the Life Giver. This is the foundation for everything else. We must go to Him if we really want to live pleasing to God.
Spend time with the Life Giver today. Let the Holy Spirit impart to you the life that only He can give.
Tags: abundant life, Bible, choice, Christ, Christian, cross, dead, devotion, disciple, encouragement, God's love, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, life, Life Giver, resurrection, spiritual life, victory, wake up
Faith is not a one-time thing. It is a way of living.
Romans 4:12
And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
(NIV)
The word footsteps in this passage actually means a path that was created by many people walking the same way over time. Over and over again there were men and women who followed the same path of faith that Abraham used.
God is not a respecter of persons. He doesn’t ask everybody to do something different. He requires the same from all of us – faith. We must learn to trust God in all things, just like Abraham had to. Each new generation of believers can see where others have walked before.
Sure, the technology changes. We use new words and have new concerns to deal with. But our God doesn’t change. The same God who took care of Abraham in the wilderness, is the God who will see us through the challenges of the times we live in. Only He knows the end from the beginning and can safely take us through to an abundant life.
Think about it! This path of faith that we are walking is the same path that Abraham trod thousands of years ago. Over time, with each new believer adding their steps, the path has become clearer and clearer. It led them to see the glory of God and it will take us to the same location.
How unfortunate that so many believers don’t look at the path in that way. They think it is too narrow and constrictive. They want to see more than just the view from this trail. We must keep reminding ourselves that this path is the one that can truly lead us to the abundant life. If it brought Abraham there, then with God’s help, I can reach that destination as well.
Tags: Abraham, abundant life, Bible, challenges, Christian, devotion, disciple, faith, footsteps, glory, overcoming, path, trust
I’ve been posting about the stages of spiritual growth. In my last post I talked about spiritual maturity. I showed the blessings that come with it.
The Spirit and the Word 