Just as a child is expected to grow with age, Christians are expected to grow as they age in the Christiandom. Unfortunately, not every Christian enjoys this natural growth. Some grow rapidly, some grow slowly, and some don’t grow at all.
Of course, it is God’s will for every one of us to grow spiritually but you alone can determine the growth rate. Here are 5 common hindrances to watch out for.
- Accommodating sin
Sin is the primary enemy choking your spiritual growth. Sin is like a weed (unwanted plant) growing alongside desired crops. If not uprooted, weeds suck out the nutrients in the land and take up space as quickly as possible. Yes, they grow very fast. In the end, the desired plant dies or grows poorly because of insufficient nutrients and space. This is exactly what sin does to your spiritual growth. As you allow sin to grow alongside your spiritual pursuit, it quickly takes over your life and reduces the output of your effort. No matter how long and hard you work, you will get little or no result if sin still has room in your life. Weed it out today!
- Bending to every doctrine
If you ever tried dieting, you will understand the importance of staying on the course. You cannot stay fit and maintain good health if you stop healthy eating and start eating everything that comes your way. The same applies to spiritual growth. The things your feed your spirit counts towards your growth. Are you feeding on God’s word as it should be? Or are you liberal embracing every doctrine out there? Once you start going with the flow, you grow indifferent to the word of God, thus halting your spiritual growth.
- Inconsistent commitment to God
Christians with an on-and-off relationship with God are likely to experience stunted spiritual growth. Today, you are giving God total control over your life, and tomorrow you are taking over control. One day you are working hard to build a deeper connection with God and the next you are too busy to pray or study the Word. You have to wake up and address your commitment issue. Partial submission cannot yield robust growth.
- Insufficient patience
The beginning of every adventure is filled with genuine excitement. You are so pumped, you just can’t wait to get started. Sadly, for most things, this level of enthusiasm tends to diminish as you proceed. You could even become so fatigued that you are ready to quit mid-way. This happens to many people in different facets of life including their spiritual pursuit. It takes committed effort and a great deal of patience to see it to the end. Are you a quitter or a winner?
- Fear to grow
You may not realize this but fear is one of the many hindrances to spiritual growth. It is easy to talk the big talk but fear sets in once you want to take the leap. Growth requires you to let go of some things and commit completely to new things. Fear of this change can keep you stunted spiritually. Don’t give fear a chance.
Final thought
The first step is to know what is wrong, the next and most important is having the courage to correct whatever is wrong. Are you willing to fight off ‘enemies’ stunting your growth?
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