The pursuit of fruitfulness and growth (Part 1)

Growth is not automatic.

What was one of the first things God said to Adam? Be fruitful and increase in number (Genesis 1:28). God still wants to see us being blessed and being fruitful. Every day God is faithful and wants to bless us. God taught Moses to bless the people (Numbers 6:24-26) and He wanted to bless them.

God wants us to grow in intimacy with Him. He wants us to learn how He speaks to us individually. It is our portion to have an intermate relationship with Him. It is God’s will for our lives. It is what Jesus died for. God offered His best on the cross so that we could approach Him and have intimacy with Him.

We do not become perfect when we come to know God. It is a journey of sanctification. We need to be continually learning and growing, but God is always there for us, He never gives up on us. God wants to deal with the dysfunctional areas of our lives. We need to open ourselves up to God for healing of these areas. The Christian life is an ongoing process (Ephesians 4:17-32). Things can hinder us in our growth (Mark 4:3-9). Sometimes we need to examine what it is that is blocking or hindering our growth.

One reason we don’t grow is because the devil gets in and takes away the Word of God (Mark 4:14,15; John 10:10). We will face demons (Mark 16:17). We will have to wrestle with the enemy (Ephesians 6:12). In order to grow we need to recognise and put the devil in his place. He is already defeated. He lost any rights over us on the cross (Colossians 2:13-15). We are victorious, but we have to execute the victory that Jesus won for us. We need to remind ourselves of what God has done for us and submit to Him. We need to thank Him for the blood of Jesus and His name. We need to remember that the Holy Spirit now lives within us.