Tag Archives: growth

September 29, 2025 · 5:32 AM

Next Level Growth

I’ve the last couple of weeks I’ve heard different people say that God gives His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers. Another phrase I’ve heard quite a bit is that God will never give you more than you can bear. At first they sound great, but the more I think about them, neither are biblical. God does give battles to people to prove their strength. He allows us to go through tough times to create endurance and to build strength. Also, if He only gave us what we could handle, there would be no need for dependence on Him. He knows what is ahead and what preparations we need now for it. Tough times increase our strength, endurance, character, faith and more. That’s why James says we should count it all joy.

In Genesis we read the story of Joseph. He was a teenager when God gave him a dream of the future. He was not one of God’s toughest soldiers when his brothers threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery. He wasn’t the strongest when he was wrongfully accused and thrown into prison. Being forgotten there for years might have been more than he could bear. What we do know is that God used that period of time as a training ground to produce the person he needed to be in order to handle the mantle of leadership. He went from spoiled brat to understanding God’s plan in that period. He learned his lesson and grew so much that he didn’t seek revenge on his brothers. Instead He saw God’s providence.

Deuteronomy 8:3 says, “He made you go hungry, and then he gave you manna to eat, food that you and your ancestors had never eaten before. He did this to teach you that you must not depend on bread alone to sustain you, but on everything that the Lord says” (GNT). God’s desire for us is that we would learn to trust Him instead of ourselves in every situation. He is our source and our sustainer. It is His strength that is perfect in our weakness. It is His grace that is sufficient for what we are going through. If you’re going through a hard time, it’s not because you’re His toughest soldier. It’s because there is more that He’s leading you to, more that He’s going to accomplish through you and another level for you to get to. Trust in His strength and not yours for that next level growth.

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August 15, 2025 · 6:05 AM

Multifaceted Growth

By midsummer, all the plants I pruned in the winter have shoots going in every direction. The growth in all directions is a sign of health and life. When I see the greenery and the growth, I think of how God’s plan is for healthy things to grow. Our lives are no different. The Bible is full of verses about our growth as a sign of maturity and spiritual health. We each have unlimited growth potential in so many areas of our walk with Him. The parts that get pruned, fed and watered are the ones that will see growth. Just like my plants, it should be multifaceted extending in all directions that affects others.

Here are some Bible verses on the different areas of growth we need:

1. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Ephesians 4:16 NLT

2. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Colossians 2:7 NLT

3. But continue to grow and increase in God’s grace and intimacy with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May he receive all the glory both now and until the day eternity begins. Amen!

2 Peter 3:18 TPT

4. May the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow more and more and become as great as our love for you.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 GNT

5. For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord.

Romans 1:11 NLT

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September 18, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Getting Rid Of Things

I’ve spent year teaching people about personal and spiritual growth. I’ve found that our human nature wants change, but doesn’t want to change in order to achieve it. We want to de clutter our lives, but we don’t want to get rid of anything. What holds most of us back in our growth is our inability to let go of things, people habits and comforts that are holding us back. They may have a helped us in the past to get where we are, but they’re dead weight when it comes to getting us where we need to go. The people who experience growth in their lives are the ones who are able to lay things down that hold them back. I’m guilty of this myself. There’s a fear in letting go partly because what we’re holding onto is comfortable and partly because we’re afraid of the unknown. If we’re going to walk by faith, we have to be willing to let go of things.

When Jesus called Peter, James and John to follow Him, they had to lay down their nets. Those nets were their source of income and represented a lifetime of learning the skill of fishing. When David defeated Goliath with a sling and a stone, the Bible says he picked up Goliath’s sword. We don’t read of him conquering nations with a sling. He did it with what he picked up. Gideon was found by an a age as he was hiding from his enemy. In order to lead the nation, he had to lay down his insecurities and embrace the mighty warrior within himself. Moses had to lay down his fear in order to set God’s people free. He faced his past, trusted in God and stood before Pharaoh. The list goes on.

Hebrews 12:1 says, “As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us” (GNT). What do you need to get rid of that is weigh in you down and holding you back? God had more for you, but you need to lay some things down in order to receive it. Getting rid of things isn’t easy, but it is necessary. Ask the Holy Spirit to identify things, habits, people and comforts in your life that are keeping you from all He had for you. Then ask for the strength, faith and courage to let go. There is freedom in getting rid of things.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.

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January 10, 2024 · 5:48 AM

Responding To Correction

A few years ago I got a call from a friend who wanted to tell me she had been promoted to Assistant Manager of a store. I told her I was excited for her and scheduled a time to visit her. When I showed up, her enthusiasm had waned. She told me how a sales rep asked to meet with her in the office. He walked in and sat in the manager’s desk chair forcing her to sit on the other side. He then told her how there was nothing she could teach him. He said that he didn’t want her to offer him help during his sale, he didn’t want to be coached and that she just needed to stay out of his way. She asked what to do. I told her you can’t force someone to learn or to grow. I advised that she give as much value as she could to the other reps to help them improve as much as possible. We also discussed how to handle the disrespect.

After King David’s plan failed to cover his sin with Bathsheba, and he had her husband killed, he thought the situation was over. However, God wasn’t finished with it. In 2 Samuel 12, the prophet Nathan visited David to tell him a story. When the king’s anger raged at the man in the story, Nathan simply said, “You are the man!” David’s immediate response was repentance instead of defending. He penned Psalm 51 after this encounter as a prayer seeking God to change his heart. ”Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right and steadfast spirit within me“ (AMP). He still suffered the consequence of his sin, but he also continued to have God’s blessings because he received correction.

Proverbs 9:8 says, ”Do not correct a scoffer [who foolishly ridicules and takes no responsibility for his error] or he will hate you; Correct a wise man [who learns from his error], and he will love you.“ Which of these two men do you identify with when it comes to correction, learning and growth? Since no one is perfect, everyone is able to be corrected. When correction comes, we tend to defend ourselves or attack the person trying to help us as a defense mechanism. However, a wise person sees feedback and correction as a gift to make us better. The Holy Spirit will convict our heart when we sin in an effort to lead us to repentance or use someone else to get his message across. Will you be foolish and take no responsibility or like the wise who learns from his error? How we respond to correction exposes what’s hidden in our heart.

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November 7, 2023 · 5:43 AM

Opportunities To Grow

Every winter I prune back my crepe myrtle trees so they will grow tall and bloom in the spring. While I’m cutting back the branches, I wonder if they think I’m not a good caretaker because of the pain they’re going through. I wonder if they think that I don’t care what happens to them because they’re going through so much loss. Then I start to wonder why we do that to God. When things aren’t going right, when things cause us pain and when we suffer loss we wonder if God is good. We wonder if He even cares about us or sees the pain we’re experiencing. I’ve laid on the floor weeping in my most painful moments asking God to intervene when in fact He was. I couldn’t see it at the time, but He was pruning my life so I could grow and bloom like never before.

There are two stories in Mark that always get my attention. In Mark 4, Jesus and the disciples get in a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee. A crazy storm erupts and the boat starts to sink. They realize Jesus is sleeping in the hull and wake Him. They said, “Don’t you care that we are about to die?” (GNT) Jesus, knowing they weren’t in real danger called the storm. Then a couple chapters Jesus told the disciples to cross the sea and He’d meet them. Another storm arose and threatened to sink the boat. Jesus then walked on the water. Mark 6:48 said it looked like He was going to pass them by. They were afraid and called out to Him. When He entered the boat, the storm stopped. In both of these instances, in both instances He tested their faith and used the opportunities to grow their trust in Him.

Psalm 23:4 says, “Even if I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me. Your shepherd’s rod and staff protect me.” Just be a you’re a Christian m it doesn’t mean you aren’t going to walk through dark valleys. It doesn’t mean you aren’t going to experience loss or pain. What it does mean is that you will get to experience the grace of God when you need it most. He will be there with you in the darkness with His rod and staff even when you can’t see Him or feel Him. He works everything (every situation) out for your good. He is for you and will use every situation and opportunity to grow you. What the enemy intends for evil and destruction in your life, God uses as a place of growth. When the enemy tries to close the book on you, God starts a new chapter of hope. Don’t give up in the darkest of valleys. Let your faith arise because God is there and is doing something for your good giving you opportunities to grow.

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June 20, 2023 · 5:35 AM

Small Beginnings

In the early 2000’s, Starbucks was growing at a rapid pace. There were Starbucks popping up everywhere. Sometimes they were right across the street from each other. Their rapid growth became unsustainable and they had to close 20% of the new stores they had opened. As the CEO looked at the list of stores he was going to have to close, he learned a lesson: success isn’t sustainable if it’s defined by how big you become. It’s a lesson I’ve tried to teach many people. I like to say, “You have to start with Timex before you get to Rolex.” We all want to be experts immediately. We want maturity now. We want success before we’ve been through the fire. We also want others to think we’re doing better than we are.

Before David became king, he was on the run from King Saul. He fled to the cave of Adullam and holed up there. 1 Samuel 22:2 says, “Everyone who was suffering hardship, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. There were about four hundred men with him” (NLT). David had dreams of leading the nation and the army, but the first group of people he became captain over was a bunch of outcasts. He could have turned them away because they weren’t what he imagined leading, but he didn’t. He trained these 400 men to become warriors. The nation saw what he did with these men and began wanting him to be king.

Zechariah 4:10 says, “Do not despise these small beginnings.” It’s easy to want to jump to the good part, but when we skip over the small beginnings, we miss vital lessons we need for sustainable growth. The small beginnings are where the foundation is laid that will uphold you later. We still need to keep our eyes on where we’re going, but don’t miss what God is trying to do right now. The people, resources or success God has given you right now may not look like much, but He made us a promise. If we will be faithful in the little things, He will trust us with bigger things. Sometimes we must step backwards to get to a place where we can grow again the right way. God’s desire for each of us is to grow in Him. Where you are now is on,y temporary and it’s also necessary to learn what you can so He can take you further than you’ve dreamed.

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May 1, 2023 · 5:38 AM

A Little Bit Better

I love watching the Olympics every four years. It’s not just the competition that draws me, it’s the desire of these people to get better. They dedicate so much of their life to be the best they can be. I remember watching Michael Phelps compete during several Olympic Games. We cheered when he broke the world record and won gold. We cheered again when he broke his own world record. Did you know he broke his own world record seven times? That’s insane to me! He kept pushing himself to get better all the time. When asked about it, he said, “Yesterday doesn’t matter. It’s about who can get their hand on the wall first today.” That attitude pushed him to not settle.

In the book of Acts, we read about a preacher named Apollos. Chapter 18 says he was making a name for himself because he was passionate for Jesus and was powerful in the Scriptures. He was an educated and cultured person who was winning many to the Lord. When a couple of believers in Ephesus heard him preach, they noticed he was only preaching about the baptism of John and not of the Holy Spirit as well. They took him aside privately to discuss it with him. Instead of letting his pride get in the way, he listened and learned so he could grow. His preaching and life became even more powerful. It even says that after that he became a tremendous help to the believers and caused them to grow in grace. His desire to grow in the Lord and learn more about Scripture caused him to be a force to be reckoned with in the Early Church.

Even Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament wanted to grow and know Christ more fully. In Philippians 3:12 he wrote, “I admit that I haven’t yet acquired the absolute fullness that I’m pursuing, but I run with passion into his abundance so that I may reach the purpose for which Christ Jesus laid hold of me to make me his own” (TPT). If Paul was on a constant journey of growth and pursuit of trying to get closer to Jesus, so should we. When we compare ourselves to others, we can get prideful and complacent. However, when we compare ourselves to Jesus, we realize we still have growth opportunities ahead of us. The Christian life is one of constant growth and pursuing Jesus. You will always have the opportunity to get a little bit better and little bit closer to Jesus.

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March 8, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Standing Before Kings

Years ago I read the autobiography of Ben Franklin. He was an incredibly gifted person who spent a lot of time learning and developing his sold. He was always testing things and inventing solutions. He was very diligent in his studies and in solving problems. He invented bifocals, rounded glass for street lights, lighting rods, fire departments and so much more. He was the oldest person to sign the Declaration of Independence, which he helped draft. He also was able to stand before five kings.

When Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, he used around 150,000 workers and it took just over seven years. 2 Chronicles described what it took. People from Tyre were gifted in cutting trees like no one else so they provided the wood. There was a man named Huram-abi who was an extremely skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone. To build such a magnificent building it took many skilled workers who all got to stand before kings.

Proverbs 22:29 says, “If you are uniquely gifted in your work, you will rise and be promoted. You won’t be held back— you’ll stand before kings!” (TPT) Each of us are born with raw talent in something. If we want to rise, be promoted and stand before kings, we must develop that talent. In the same manner, God provided wheat. However, we must harvest it, separate the chaff, mill it and combine it with other ingredients to make life giving sustenance. The same is true with our raw talent. If you want to stand before kings, we must be willing to work at developing our talents.

Thanks to Willian B. for making this photo available on unsplash.

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February 24, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Seeking Counsel

When King Solomon died, huisu son Rehoboam became king. There were some older men who had advised his father and gave him counsel that offered their services to the new king. They explained that their father pushed people to their limits and needed a break. The new king had several friends who were young and also counseled him. They told him to reject the counsel of the old men and be even harder on people than his father. He took the advice of the younger men and the people revolted. The kingdom split and his territory shrink significantly because he refused wise counsel. Pride has a way of telling us that we either don’t need counseling or to reject the advice we’re given. Over and over the Bible reminds us of our need to seek and to listen to counsel. Your ability to make an impact on people is tied to your ability to receive good, godly counsel. Seek it out.

Here are some Bible verses on seeking counsel.

1. The way of the [arrogant] fool [who rejects God’s wisdom] is right in his own eyes, But a wise and prudent man is he who listens to counsel.

Proverbs 12:15 AMP

2. Wisdom opens your heart to receive wise counsel, but pride closes your ears to advice and gives birth only to quarrels and strife.

Proverbs 13:10 TPT

3. The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong.

Psalms 37:30 NLT

4. Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.

Proverbs 15:22 ESV

5. Listen to counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, That you may be wise in the time to come.

Proverbs 19:20 AMP

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January 23, 2023 · 5:43 AM

Unplugging Wells

During the Covid pandemic, while people were in lockdown, people had a lot of time on their hands. They had to stay home when they used to go out. Some people took that as an opportunity to rediscover their hidden talents, hone their skills and develop their talents. I watched several videos and read stories of how people were investing their time into these things. Their lives had become so busy before the pandemic that they quit practicing or using these skills and eventually forgot they had them. The pandemic gave almost all of us a rare opportunity to reset our schedules, manage our time better and rediscover ourselves. Once it ended though, most of us went back to living the way we were before it. We forgot the lessons learned and put our talents on the back burner again.

Genesis 26 starts off by telling us there was a great famine that caused people to move, including Isaac. God told him not to go to Egypt, but to stay in the same country. When he arrived to the area the Lord told him to go, he found favor with the king and purchased land. When he planted crops, God gave him 100 times more than he planted. The Philistines were jealous and filled his wells with dirt. Verses 17-18 say that Isaac moved to the valley and reopened the wells his father had dug, but the Philistines and filled up after his death. There were fights and struggles over it, but he kept unplugging them until he had enough water for his people and flocks.

1 Timothy 4:14-15 says, “Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress” (NLT). Each of us have plugged up wells in our lives. These wells are spiritual gifts, talents and skills that we were given to serve the Lord with. We’ve allowed them to be plugged up by our schedule, our mismanagement of time and daily distractions. It’s time to redig those wells and give your attention to them so that you make progress in them once again. You weren’t created to make a living. Your God given purpose lies in the gifts and talents He gave you. Unplug those wells and use them for His purposes once again. That’s were you will find fulfillment and purpose for your life.

Photo by Frans van Heerden:

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