Is it... or is it not that spring is the most anticipated season of the four? Winter's frozen grip is slowly released as the days grow longer and the sun elevates in the sky. No doubt our crave for warmth rooted deep within us genetically from our primal past. Is there anything better than being on a sun drenched beach, hearing the crashing of the surf, bathed in sunlight?! Almost as it must've felt like when higher evolving life forms first started coming out of the ocean! Spring is when life renews. When life that had retreated from the shorter sun light days buds anew. When life passed on from the previous year's life forms begin to appear. Aaahhh! Spring! On our way to another summer of baby everythings in nature. Relief from the cold but not that hot yet. I don't remember the outcome of this year's yankin'-a-sleepin'-varmit-outta-his-stump celebration but this winter was rather mild for the east Tennessee area. I started hearing the frogs singing in the stream below this hill I live on the first week of February this year. The cherry trees in D.C. blossomed early no doubt disappointing many that had reservations set for the viewing. Seems pollen counts are higher than usual everywhere causing many with allergies to not enjoy spring as much! Life is blooming all around us. Blooming and growing. Another beginning of another season of growth. And if you're human... yet another season of learning.
Fascinating to me how we've learned from science just how all of life is really so closely related at the molecule and even the atomic level. There is so much learning available to this generation of human beings on pretty much every subject dealing with this realm than to any other previous before us. Whether it's through the educational systems or the shows we find on many subscribed TV networks there is so much that can be learned of this realm we not only live in... but for the most part,also take for granted. Physics, astronomy, geology, biology, oceanography, ect. So many details to this realm! And yet? So closely related. The foundation of all that is... the building blocks of all creation... atoms, come into creation burst out from the center of stars. We truly are star dust! Star dust in the form of a human being. Alive. Breathing, moving, experiencing the realm in which it finds itself. Learning. Improving. Growing.
Growth. One aspect of life shared by all life. Any and all living organisms are always growing until it ceases to exist. It is widely held by many that growth is one of the 3 requirements of identifying life. (Metabolization, reproduction and growth) In its most beneficial environment an organism thrives. The level of this thriving is judged by its growth. Growth is increase over time. We see it all around us. In family life it's easy to see how a mother nurtures her child giving it nourishment, warmth, protection. Why? To assist the child in its growth to maturity. Or in finances in how your savings, investments and/or checking account strengthens. In business, as more people become your steady customers, depending on you for your service. As a business grows and matures so does the base of repeat customers. It's normally rather easy to see the growth in muscle mass in body builders. In nature spring is the time for a "rebirth" as plants awaken to grow anew. For the plant and animal kingdoms both, the maturity of seeds planted in its many varied forms earlier mature into an another addition to its host species. All life, from the "simple" single cells to the "higher" organisms such as yourself grows. There is no life without growth. When an organism dies so do all the living cells that support it. No more growth. No more life. That's just the way it is in the natural realm. We can perceive this life on the physical plane. What about that which we can't perceive with our 5 senses? What about the spiritual growth in the natural organism we know as human beings?
It is said that when one believes in his/her heart God raised Jesus from the dead and offers one's subjection to God's son one gets "born again." Most don't realize the depth or power this really involves. They don't know because they don't really believe God's Word rightly divided is His will. They cannot accept the Truth of God's Word when shown because of the religious dogma they've had engrained in them. They don't know because of the deficiency of accurate teachings found in the religions that seem to swarm all around us. If they truly believed God's Word is His will they would I'm sure... investigate this Word with as much effort and focus as many do with their quest for having their physical need met. Meeting the need for growth spiritually in a human is similar to that of meeting the physical need in that as physical growth depends on daily nourishment and exercise. When one receives the "new birth" one receives spirit created special... just for the individual receiving... given by God at the very moment a degree of believing is achieved by the recipient. Once received, it would just be "natural" to want our spiritual life, our spiritual abilities to increase, to strengthen, to... grow! So just how does this spiritual presence "grow" in a human?
The spirit that God created for you... just for you, is perfect. There is nothing lacking. It is this spirit that gives you a connection with the creator of the spirit and the natural realms (Genesis 1:1.) It is this spirit that gives you audience with God. It is this spirit that gives you a source of power... if you only knew it! I believe this spirit gives God's people abilities not known previous and it is sad to realize most that have this gift of holy spirit don't know what's available to do with it. Any believer should not only know this but gain the wisdom necessary to bring this spiritual power to bear in claiming the promises of God we see available in His Word. To rise to the higher calling God has called His people to. To be victorious in every situation life throws at us. To get to that point of maturity first requires growth. Growth that every son or daughter of God must endure as any other life. This enduring gets past doubt. Worry. Fear. The things that hinder spiritual maturity. Doubting you are who God says you are. Worrying that your not worthy. Fear that you will never measure up. Well I got news for ya. Get over yerself!
The key to this power is what the scriptures addressed to us in this day and time refers to as "the renewed mind." You, by your free will choice in your desire to get to know this God that created the heavens and earth and giving you an environment in which to live and grow, having come to a realization that He has expressed Himself openly and honestly in His Word, change what and how you think according to the standard He has given His people in this same Word. It takes effort. It takes study. It takes finding someone that can guide you. It takes time to grow to become a mature believer. It takes nourishing our minds with truth over time to overcome the errors in our thinking that have been engrained in us over our lifetime by wrong teaching which talk us out of the power that is available to us by way of God's Word. Put off the old! Put on the new! Discipleship does not come easy in any endeavor. Especially so I believe in the spiritual realm as you train yourself in becoming a spiritual athlete. It's not easy for most humans to realize what and how they think needs a fine tuning but that's what God's Word is for. It does contain all we need to know to be successful. God does not want you to "take it on faith" on many preachers claim. He wants you to know. God's rightly divided Word is as much God as God is God. He expresses His Heart openly and honestly to His people and invites everyone to participate in His love. But it has to be on His terms. He sets the standard for our lives as our own loving fathers would, desiring for us to be victorious in every situation in life. His love so deep that He will not force any single individual to repent. To renew their minds. To change their thinking. To get them out of the dark fog they are enveloped in... that most don't even know they're in! His Word is available to all. It's up to each individual to choose. Once initiated it does at times becomes a challenge to remain convinced with the attitude God's Word is Truth as we do have a serious adversary. At times it's an hourly challenge to stand I know! But in your continuance to renew your mind to Truth and deflect your adversary's attacks on your mind your believing grows. As your believing grows your confidence grows. As your confidence grows you get deeper into this Word. As you get deeper into this Word you unleash more and more of those spiritual abilities lying within you. We make mistakes as we train but that's how we humans learn. To get better, we must grow! Grow in our understanding just as our bodies grow! Grow in our believing knowing we are enabled to make an impact on this realm as well as the spiritual by way of our believing.
The top athletes in the world don't give up when they blow it do they? It takes determination... drive... commitment to become the best. It's the challenges we endure and overcome that strengthen us in all aspects of life. We're gonna blow it at times. That's a given. But there is no condemnation from God because He knows it ain't easy for us! I don't care what your religious preacher told you as I believe God may have just a little more authority on the matter than he does! Romans 8:1 - 18 It's not easy at times to live and be aware of what's going on in the spirit realm as we're so accustomed to going by our 5 senses. To walk a genuine spiritual life takes choosing whether or not you're going to accept God's take on it all or accept the ways of the world. You have a choice to make and making none is still a choice. It's up to you. Once His Word takes root in your heart you must give it nourishment. You must protect it. You must eliminate its competition which is worldly and religious concepts that are weeds needing pulled in the garden of your heart, the innermost part of your mind. It hurts at times I know but just as in a garden it makes room and secures nourishment for God's Word to grow. We grow spiritually with God's Word as our touch stone for truth. Why? That we may live how He wants us to. With confidence knowing who we are. In abundance of all we need. And victorious in every situation. This is what pleases our Father! You! Consistently growing in believing and bringing forth the fruit of it! Year 'round! Recommended Videos Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage Smoky Mountains Classic Sesame Street: Robin Williams On What Is Alive
