12/21/21 BEWARE ABNORMAL SPIRITUAL GROWTH

12/21/21 BEWARE ABNORMAL SPIRITUAL GROWTH

I remember when thousands of babies were being born with birth defects caused by a medicinal drug. More than half of those children born died in infancy, leaving others with deformities and extreme handicaps. The parent thought she was taking a medication that would save her from cancer or other issues. This is a case of folks doing what they believed to be the right thing, only to find out it was the wrong thing.

I also remember, over a period of decades, that untold numbers of children were born with various kinds of physical maladies because their mothers had been taking recreational drugs in various ways (drinking, smoking, snorting, shooting, sniffing). The mother suffered the ill effects of the drug use, but the baby was born with an addiction and often had the physical problems of a drug addict. Often the new born or pre-born would die because of their drug addiction.

Due to poverty, or lack of common sense or responsible self health care, or for some congenital reason, babies are born with problems or are born into families with self inflicted health problems. These problems produce physical, mental, emotional problems that plague those children for a lifetime.

These introductory remarks are disturbing and certainly should result in better medicine, health care, diet, hygiene and other responsible actions in our society. These are terrible issues that people have had to deal with over the years. However, I mention them to point out another problem that must be addressed. The problem of spiritual inadequacies, errors, mistakes, negligence, which eventuate in defective, deformed, and afflicted newly converted people. Yet we see multitudes who are spiritually deformed, handicapped, crippled, but they continue hobbling along, without admitting their need for repentance, counsel, recommitment, reconciliation or restoration.

Normal, healthy converts have a desire for the milk of God's word, which develops into a hunger for the deeper truths (the meat of God's word), and they have a desire to be with God's people in Christian worship, fellowship, study, celebration, prayers, and ministry service.
Normal and healthy spiritual growth tends to conform the child of God to the likeness of God, our Father and Christ, the Son of God.
Because of the consuming desire for God, it is easier to turn from the world and the things of the world and it
s easier to seek the Lord with the whole heart. This strong and focused growth leads to total dedication, which means death to self.

AND HERE IS THE PROBLEM FOR THOSE CHRISTIANS WHO HAVE DRAGGED THEIR FEET and chosen the path of least resistance.
The worldly route, the carnal path, feeds and strokes the baser nature (the sinful nature) of an immature believer.
Their love for God is replaced with a love for the world, a love for self, a love for pleasure, a love for recognition, a love for luxury, a love for position.

Once a person gives way to his baser desires, then it becomes much easier to neglect and reject the higher values of life and the godliness that attends the life of a true God follower.