How to experience Spiritual Growth as a Christian

 

How to experience spiritual growth as a Christian - Image by @becomingauthentic_ke 

04/12/22 - Sunday 

A question I hear all the time- can I truly experience spiritual growth as a 21st Christian? Is the pursuit of spiritual growth even worth it?

I think we can all agree that living as a true Christian is not as easy as it may sound, but rest assured, all the efforts and commitment don't go to waste.

Okay, first things first, why do we even need to experience spiritual growth? Why is it that important? 

The reason why we get born again, and we accept Jesus Christ into our lives is so that we can have a personal relationship with Him as our Savior.

Now, let us take for instance, a normal friendship. There are usually some characteristics that determine how strong a relationship is- honesty, commitment, genuine love and care, just to mention a few. These attributes compliment the relationship hence the strength we see in a given relationship/friendship.

The same applies to our personal relationship with Jesus - our Lord & Savior.  Once we accept Him into our hearts, we begin a journey and a relationship with Him. He begins to work in our our hearts, melting away any form of negativity in us until we gradually come to a position of full righteousness in Him. Remember, the relationship is not one-sided! We too have a role we need  to play in order to ensure that our relationship grows stronger. When we play our part well, we begin experience an awakening in the Spirit where we yearn and long to draw even the more closer to Jesus - this is what we call spiritual growth as Christians.

Now, let's talk about some of the things we can do in order to grow spiritually in our walk of faith. These points are not shared by any specific order, they are here to help us understand our role and what we should do. They have worked for me and I pray that you shall find them helpful as well.

1. Be Born-again:

This is the first step into experiencing spiritual growth. It is through salvation that we become Christians. It is the key to having a personal relationship with Jesus. Romans 10: 8-10 says,

In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach:  If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved."

2. Praying:

Through prayer we are able to communicate with God, we speak to Him, make our requests known to Him, ask for guidance and help, thank Him. God in return does speak to us in our prayers. All we need yield our hearts fully unto Him, and to be expectant to hear His voice. Through prayers become commitment towards growing our relationship with God and experience spiritual growth in Him.

3. Reading the Word:

The Bible is God's word, instructions, and guidance to us. It is our road map to walking and completing our salvation journey.  Through the testimonies and counsel given, and past stories of men and women who walked in the same path, we are given a chance to choose right from wrong, and advised to make decisions wisely in accordance to God's will. The more we understand God's mind for us, the more we do everything in accordance with His will, and grow towards pleasing Him.

4. Fasting:

Fasting is a way to truly humble ourselves in the sight of God. In Psalm 35:13, King David said: "I humbled myself with Fasting." Fasting enables the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition, and helps us to come before God's presence in brokenness and repentance, resulting to a transformed life.

5. Fellowship:

Fellowshipping with like-minded believers in a sound, Bible-founded, and growth-encouraging  place of fellowship can help us in our spiritual growth. It can be a Church, a fellowship group, Bible study group, etc. These will encourage our spiritual growth in Christ Jesus, just as Proverbs 27:17 says: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”. 

I pray that at least one if not all of the points we shared today have been helpful and enlightening to you. If so, please comment below and let me know which one you'll be trying out. Don't forget to share with a friend who may be in need of for their spiritual growth in our Lord Jesus Christ. 

It's been a blessing seeing you again, until next time, over & out! 💕

Let's connect: https://linktr.ee/becomingauthentic_ke

How to overcome the battle of the mind

How to overcome the battle of the mind- image by @becomingauthentic_ke 

12th November 2022- Saturday 

It's a beautiful chilly Saturday morning, I am comfortably seated on the cozy couch near the large living room window.

I'm sipping on a hot rosemary infused chai, admiring the birds of the air as the release melodious harmonies to the heavens. Everything is pleasant. 

As I prepare to meditate on the word of God, suddenly, a rush of past memories flash in my mind. I begin to remember all the not so pleasant things that have ever happened to me. It's funny because I begun feeling ashamed of myself for past incidences where I may have given my close family and friends a dose of embarrassment.

Without even realising it, I was caught up in a whirlwind of awful thoughts, and following suite were tears of shame and guilt flooding my eyes. I shiveringly shook my head so as to snap out of my whelming thoughts causing the shameful pain.

It was then that I realised how the enemy plays tricks on us, he targets our minds.

I began contemplating on what had just happened. A few minutes ago I was prepared to bask in God's presence and in a matter of seconds  I was the most ashamed, and full of guilt person. I went from a 'confident, blood-washed child of the King' to questioning my worthiness and legitimacy of truly partaking of God's wonderful presence. Weuh, how fast did that go!

But thank God for His AMAZING GRACE!

It's easy to be carried away in thoughts that leave us feeling condemned and in doubt of God's unconditional love. It's a trick of the enemy, and the sooner we realise this he becomes powerless before the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

1 Peter 5:8 talks about how we should be vigilant and alert so as not to be outwitted by the enemy.

Colossians 3:2 says, "Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth."

The reason why the enemy attacks our minds is so that He can pull us down to a point of complaining and murmuring and to questioning our salvation I Jesus's Christ. We should not stop having Faith in God.

In conclusion, Philippians 4:8 is a powerful guide to the types of thoughts we should entertain so as to win the battle of the mind. 

Since this is a huge topic that cannot be exhausted in one post, I've decided to compile all the scripture that I could come up with that will help us in winning the battle of the by guarding the thoughts we entertain.

Be blessed as you engage them in prayers.

1. Romans 12:2

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

2. Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

3. Proverbs 4:23

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

4. Colossians 3:5

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

5. 2 Corinthians 10:5

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

6. Ephesians 6:12

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

7. 2 Peter 1:3

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,

8. 1 Thessalonians 4:4

that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,

9. Psalm 101:3

 I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.

10. 1 John 4:4

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Yours, Hephzibah Samuel 

5 Steps to Becoming Authentic

Most often as a result of us being normal humans we end up seeing one mistake in us out of a thousand beautiful things created in and for us. It is very easy for one to spend a whole day winning about the things that seem "not okay" rather than appreciate the ones that are in fact okay. The struggle is usually real and unfortunately, I too become a victim. What I am about to share with you today, regardless of who you are (or what others may say about you), are some of the steps I took in order to overcome the fear that suppresses and discouraged me to believe that I would never measure up. I know that there may be someone out there that will benefit from one (if not all 😀) of these beneficial points.

#1: Acknowledge that God created you for a reason.

With everything that happens in our lives, it becomes very easy for us to deviate our focus from the one who is the author and finisher of our faith, especially when everything that happens is not as pleasing as we would want it to be. The good news is that God has great and wonderful plans for our lives. And the mystery is, some of them are not always easy to understand. God encourages us through His word which is filled with timely treasure-like packed scriptures that help us get back on the path when we stray away, knowingly or not.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to  give you hope and future." 

Psalm 33:11 "The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations"

#2: Declare to yourself every day that you are made for more.

It is very easy for us to believe in our heart that God loves us and that He has great plans for our lives, and still live a defeated-like life. This is where FAITH comes in. We have to keep on reminding ourselves every day that we are made for more. It has to get into our system! Affirming to myself every morning right after waking up, during the day as I run errands, during my free time when it seems like I am doing well, when it seems like I am not doing well, basically, every time of my day, has become almost like my daily routine. I say "almost", because I am not yet there, it is a journey, a process that requires a lot of patience and resilience in order to make it through the other side. I'll share a scripture that might help you with affirming to oneself, especially during the seemingly hard moments you may come across: Philippians 4:13 "I can do ALL thing through Christ who strengthens me."

#3: Allow your mistakes to build you, not break you.

This can become a tricky one if you are struggling with resentment after "defeat'. I have been there, and I understand completely how it feels. But always remember, nothing is impossible with God. Making mistakes let alone experiencing the shame and guilt that come after is not an experience I would wish to relive at any point in life. But the worst thing is that within the confusion of discouragement and regret the only thought that comes into mind is "I wish I never(...)", and before we know it, we start avoiding areas or circumstances that may result in making mistakes similar or related to the previous ones. This is where Fear creeps in, and in no time, we become afraid to do things that are even beneficial to us and our loved ones. In short, we all make mistakes, and we'll always be prone to them because we are humans. But we should not at any moment allow our genuine mistakes to pull us down and prevent us from seeing the bigger picture. Yes, it is okay to make genuine mistakes, for as long as we learn a thing or two from them. Train yourself through the help of the Holy Spirit to analyze your errors, and to gracefully learn from them. Let the setbacks build you to become a better person, and never break you. Never!

Proverbs 24:16 "Though a righteous man falls seven times, he will get up, but the wicked will stumble into ruin."

#4: Have a shoulder you can lean on.

Have someone you can open up to when you are at your lowest moments. When about to give up, even the smallest form of encouragement can really change everything. Disclaimer: this must be someone you know and who is confidential and trustworthy, someone whom you can "vent" to. Speaking it out helps to heal. Never harbor grudges, regrets, negative thoughts, or even overwhelming discouragements, the aftermath damage will lead you to step one, and I know, that's not what you want. Just like the word of God tells us in Ephesians 4:26 "Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil."   If you feel like you may not be comfortable with sharing your experiences with anyone at the moment, remember that Jesus is a friend like no other and that He already knows what you need even before you say it. He is waiting for you to talk to Him and put your request in prayers, for He is more than willing to grant the desires of your heart.

#5: It is okay to "exercise" once in a while.

This may sound a bit too odd, but it does make sense if you think about it. Someone once said, "You will know you've overcome it when tested by it". In short, it wouldn't hurt to try out things that would scare you to death at one point in life just to experience the beauty of becoming victorious. Remember, you are not doing this to brag but to be thankful. Thankful that by God's grace and help you have been able to say Bye Bye to stuff that held you back. So, when an opportune time comes for 'exercising', do not hesitate but pray for courage to do what is right at any given time. 1 Peter 5:10 "After you have suffered for a while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."

Finally, I leave you with this:

Look at becoming authentic as an exercise: we all are beginners, and it may be difficult in the beginning but with patience and discipline, we will grow towards perfection.

Remember to comment down below which step stood out for you, and also remember to share with a friend or two who may find this post beneficial. God bless you as you do so!

Welcome note + Declaration: How to 'slap' fear on the face and to take the leap of faith!

 

Hello everyone!

This might as well start out as an introduction, just allow me to do a very brief one.

I am Hephzibah Samuel and I am very new to this "online blogging". My way of recording and storing my thoughts has been for a long time within the secrecy of ink against paper pages. The reason why I have finally decided to upgrade my writing is finally being able to get rid of an enemy that has been for so long on my neck, restlessly not giving me the slightest opportunity to release even a word of hope to anyone outside my flesh and bones.

This blog, 'Becoming Authentic with Hephzibah Samuel' is a result of a long and ongoing journey, and like many, with many high and lows. Most of the work was primarily the 'unlearn and learn' notion. I live day and night trying to love and be comfortable in who I am, and the potential I have, though some may still be unseen. I have learned to work with what I have and to do what is necessary at any given time.

Becoming Authentic is a process, it doesn't end, we only perfect our steps by doing what is right. The right thing is always easy to spot. Someone once told me that 'where there is no crowd there the truth is.' We are to remain true all-round. Whether in our workplace, livelihood, education, relationships, the pursuit of gaining skills, etc. 

A quick parting shot, never be afraid to impact change, uplift a soul, even with what may seem like an irrelevant and less meaningful talent. Who knows, you may be used to mend a broken heart, or even a shoulder a weak stranger can lean on.

I officially welcome you to Becoming Authentic with Hephzibah Samuel, where we are all authentically be-YOU-tiful, and keep it 100% Godly and true.

I cannot wait to see y'all next time (which will be, God-willing, a little bit more informative )!