Are You A Servant?

Good evening my readers. I hope all are doing well on this very hot and humid summer evening .I’m glad to be back and in the swing of blogging im hoping to get back to regular weekly entries so you all may be encouraged by what the Lord has placed on my heart to share with you all tonight.

     As Christ followers I think its very important to  constantly be evaluating our spiritual walk and seeing where we need to improve and asking the Holy spirit to do work in our minds and hearts, because it is our responsibility to become more and more like Christ as we grow and mature as Christians. As I was pondering what this entry was going to be about, I felt the Lord speak to my heart and after much prayer and time in God word I decided to  reflect on what true servant hood is , and why its important that  we all get involved in someway serving our church family.

     Are you sitting on the sidelines? Each week you find yourself sitting in the pew as you listen to the sermon being preached, you find yourself thinking  what a great sermon spoken by the pastor today, I t really hit home and touched my heart. Week after week you do this. yet as you go back into your own little world the words that seemed to pull at your heartstrings seem to fall to the wayside. You look at your busy, crammed schedule and you think to yourself I can’t possibly make time for community group, where true fellowship starts, a place where your spiritual maturity will cultivate growth. I already have so many responsibilities which are all priorities, how can I find the time?

      The following week after the service you overhear a woman saying  the children’s ministry needs more teachers, you love children, but you find another excuse to not help out. A few weeks pass and while having a conversation with someone you find out that the person who was greeting has moved onto another ministry and they are looking for someone to fill this role. Yet again you just cant find the time. At the woman’s get together after church you hear that so and so is in the hospital and could use a visitor and maybe a few meals for their family, but you think I have my own family to think about. You plead your case to the pastor and to God!

   I go to church every week without fail, I read the scriptures every night before I close my eyes, I believe in what the scriptures say, isn’t that enough? We are created in Gods image. We are supposed to be the hands and feet of Jesus, to be the light, to bear one another’s burdens. Were not just supposed to fill a pew on Sunday mornings ,and the monthly fun woman’s or men’s gatherings. God requires much more from us. Each one of us has talents and as you mature in your spiritual walk you learn what your spiritual gifts are as well

  

   We are all part of the body of Christ and the body cant function without all its parts. Jesus  came to serve, He the king of kings came as a servant to serve whomever needed his touch, we as Christians need to follow this example .When you think of Jesus washing his  disciples feet, that’s servant hood. We can’t just be Christ

Followers by name only, but be willing to do what needs to be done, in any way we can help Serving one another, your church family. Are you sitting on the sidelines?

 My prayer is for you to ask God to reveal to you, where you are holding back from being a servant? You play a role, being a Christian is not just a title, but it’s a way we live out our lives, not by just the words we speak or believe, but following his example in His footsteps. May Jesus do the work in your heart and may he  Grow you farther than you ever thought you could !As you step out of the pew, not into the limelight, but into the light of what true Servant hood is!

Good evening my readers. I hope all are doing well on this very hot and humid summer evening .I’m glad to be back and in the swing of blogging im hoping to get back to regular weekly entries so you all may be encouraged by what the Lord has placed on my heart to share with you all tonight.

     As Christ followers I think its very important to  constantly be evaluating our spiritual walk and seeing where we need to improve and asking the Holy spirit to do work in our minds and hearts, because it is our responsibility to become more and more like Christ as we grow and mature as Christians. As I was pondering what this entry was going to be about, I felt the Lord speak to my heart and after much prayer and time in God word I decided to  reflect on what true servant hood is , and why its important that  we all get involved in someway serving our church family.

     Are you sitting on the sidelines? Each week you find yourself sitting in the pew as you listen to the sermon being preached, you find yourself thinking  what a great sermon spoken by the pastor today, I t really hit home and touched my heart. Week after week you do this. yet as you go back into your own little world the words that seemed to pull at your heartstrings seem to fall to the wayside. You look at your busy, crammed schedule and you think to yourself I can’t possibly make time for community group, where true fellowship starts, a place where your spiritual maturity will cultivate growth. I already have so many responsibilities which are all priorities, how can I find the time?

      The following week after the service you overhear a woman saying  the children’s ministry needs more teachers, you love children, but you find another excuse to not help out. A few weeks pass and while having a conversation with someone you find out that the person who was greeting has moved onto another ministry and they are looking for someone to fill this role. Yet again you just cant find the time. At the woman’s get together after church you hear that so and so is in the hospital and could use a visitor and maybe a few meals for their family, but you think I have my own family to think about. You plead your case to the pastor and to God!

   I go to church every week without fail, I read the scriptures every night before I close my eyes, I believe in what the scriptures say, isn’t that enough? We are created in Gods image. We are supposed to be the hands and feet of Jesus, to be the light, to bear one another’s burdens. Were not just supposed to fill a pew on Sunday mornings ,and the monthly fun woman’s or men’s gatherings. God requires much more from us. Each one of us has talents and as you mature in your spiritual walk you learn what your spiritual gifts are as well

  

   We are all part of the body of Christ and the body cant function without all its parts. Jesus  came to serve, He the king of kings came as a servant to serve whomever needed his touch, we as Christians need to follow this example .When you think of Jesus washing his  disciples feet, that’s servant hood. We can’t just be Christ

Followers by name only, but be willing to do what needs to be done, in any way we can help Serving one another, your church family. Are you sitting on the sidelines?

 My prayer is for you to ask God to reveal to you, where you are holding back from being a servant? You play a role, being a Christian is not just a title, but it’s a way we live out our lives, not by just the words we speak or believe, but following his example in His footsteps. May Jesus do the work in your heart and may he  Grow you farther than you ever thought you could !As you step out of the pew, not into the limelight, but into the light of what true Servant hood is!

Gods Peace in the Storm~

    Beauty for ashes, after the storm passes the Rainbow appears across the sky for our eyes to gaze upon Jesus the artist the creator of all did that just because he loves us so. Like a beautiful fragrance, He wraps us up in his loving embrace. He is gentle like the gentle shepherd who tends to his flock with such tender loving care.

    His strength is perfect, even when our strength is no more and we feel like we have reached our limit. His strength abounds, his mercies are new every morning. His love keeps abundantly overflowing. He knows all our heartaches, and sees every tear we cry in secret. Every believer on their knees, every soul searching for something to fill their void, He sees, He knows all.

   We know there are times when tragedy comes roaring in like a lion ready to devour us .Our eyes look to the heavens. We cling to his promises they cannot be shaken! Like the storm that comes in over the ocean, sometimes we see it over the horizon and other times it sweeps over us like tidal wave and takes our breath away.

  We see our brothers and sisters in Christ face pain and trials and our hearts break for them. We bear their burdens with them, as the scriptures instruct us to! Life is like a vapor, like the wind, it’s here we feel it and then it’s gone. Like the grass here today and withers away tomorrow. Unlike the world we live in, WE have that hope that eternal hope we cling to that this world and all its heartaches cannot take away from us.

  Jesus is close to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in Spirit Psalm 34:18 The Lord is always there, but are you open to his work in your life when life’s troubles try to pull you under, distract us, tempt us, do you have Gods word hidden in your heart, to recall in times of doubts and struggles? Lay down your burdens at the foot of the cross, pour out your heart to Jesus, the only one who can carry you until you reach the other side.

 When we question Gods providence, He always comes through in some way, though not always how we think things should unfold, but just like any Father He knows better than we do. Many times the weight of this evil world tries to crush us and tests our faith. We all at times try to fill voids that we do not feel Jesus can fill. Jesus is our everything, He needs to be the center of our lives, and nothing fills the empty voids we have as CHRIST can!

  Ask the Lord for a deeper understanding of his Word! Ask him for peace that passes all understanding!  Ask him for a deeper revelation of His presence in your life and He will pour it out on you! He is The God of all comfort, Jehovah  Jira the Great Provider! He is the friend that is closer than a brother is! When we feel scared, when were questioning our purpose, when we feel crushed beneath trails, we need to turn to the Peace GIVER! The Life CHANGER!  Life SUSTAINER! Let Jesus be our first Responder!

 When were on our knees that is where our strength abounds! His strength is made perfect in our weakness! No matter how dark your night is the Lord of the brokenhearted will shine light into the dark and will bring beauty from ashes from our lives!

Do Our Lives of Christ Live a Life of Love?

A few days ago while out running  errands, a young mother hurried past me, she had two little ones , one in her arms the other trailing behind her a bit. My heart went out to her as I wondered to myself does she know the Lord. Has someone shared with her the Loving Grace and life changing, life giving words to give her a hope and a future. Not knowing her background, my heart still broke for her, I felt Gods love fill me for this woman!

  What would this world look like, if we as Christ followers truly lived out the words of Jesus daily? Yesterday while writing up this, the lyrics to an old hymn came to me and I kept singing them repeatedly over in my head. The song is by Peter Scholtes:” They Will Know We Are Christians by Our love”

The lyrics go like this: We are one on the spirit; we are one in the Lord. We are one in the spirit, we are one in the Lord and we pray one day our unity will one day be restored and they will know e are Christians by our love  by our love yes they will know we are Christians by our love.

  Though a old hymn, the words still ring true and speak, so many divisions among Christians fighting over the littlest things, divisions among our Christian brothers and sisters who are suppose to be our family in Christ. If we can’t get along with one another, how are we going to show Christ love to the none believer? What message are we sending? If one who is searching looks at us, sees the discord and lack of unity, and thinks, there is no real difference there with these people vs the ones I interact with daily in my own life, which is what the one searching is thinking!

   If we are living in this world, but not of this world, but to be set apart like the city on the hill, be the light that shines in the darkest of nights! We are commanded to in the scriptures Matthew 28;16-20  tells us to go out to all the world, and make disciples. Nevertheless, to do that with a Christlike   way about us means to first go out and show love to the we see as difficult to get along with, love them anyway, go out of our way to see the hurting, the needs of others, be willing to listen to their story and sit down and give them your time.

 We want our family and loved ones to see the light, to experience all the Great things God has in store for them, and have them experience it for themselves. We want them to have the same hope we have.  Why  so many turned off to the love of God? Why do so many turn their backs to us when we share the gospel? Could it be the ways were going about what god commands of us? We are on a mission, but its so much more than that, it is not for our gain, our pat on the back! Life is difficult there is no denying that, but having Jesus to hold us together gives us the strength to face our trails with the joy of the Lord. It’s so much harder without Christ!

 I know for myself, though I have been a Christian since a very young age, if it had not been for Jesus and his power in my life, I might be dead, He gave me that hope! He gave me a purpose, first to love and serve Him. However, use my past hurts for my way to minister to the lost, hurting people God brings across my paths!

  Think of love in action and these different situations. How many times have you been at church and seen, someone who has visited a couple of times, but because  its not their first time  and your busy doing responsibilities, you don’t get a chance to even say hello, or your wrapped up in a conversation with a close friend. you just don’t take a moment to say hello, you think someone else will do it what message are we sending  them? We pray that we all have the attitude of Christ, that all who walk through the doors will experience his love through the kindness we show.  We do not carry through, for whatever reason. What if that same person is a non-believer, searching and comes through the door the very first time, and we do not make that effort to seek them out and introduce ourselves, what if we were that persons only glimpse of Jesus until that moment, and then they walk out and they die tomorrow. God knows their heart.

   WE failed as Christians because we need to seize every opportunity that God places in front of us! We all fall short,  I have many times and I’m a work in progress like you all! What if that person turns away from God because the hurt they experienced, what then..Well we will answer to Jesus on Judgment day when we stand before His throne! What about the person at work, who you have become friends with in work, they know you are a Christian, you do not agree with their lifestyle, whatever it may be, but instead of loving them as Christ loves them. You  put on your holier than though attitude and climb up into the judgment seat, who are you to judge?  What Love will they know, by harsh words and throwing scriptures at them? They will not! No sin is greater than another is!

   That reminds me  of a quote by: Mother Teresa  and it says”  words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness” wow that’s so true, if those we are trying to reach are already in darkness and we try to approach them with a attitude of hate   because the way they live or because we feel were better than them, then  we need to sit back and examine our hearts.  Think about the 1 Corinthians 13 and what Love is which is the sacrifice of self?

  When we come in contact with others and trying to reach them, share your story, its away they can relate and when you listen, they will see you care enough to share in their life and their struggles! We need to step down and let Christ speak through us and for us! Be transparent! Knowing the scriptures and knowledge of them is important, but its not THE MOST important, the most important is loving God and loving others! So we don’t need to shove knowledge to people when we’re witnessing to them, as the relationship grows and they start asking questions, that’s when we start lovingly sharing a few scriptures with them. To love like Christ looks a lot different from what a lot of times we portray! Jesus sat with the prostitute and the tax collectors. I will close with this quote~”To love someone means to see him as God intended him!” by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Gods Deep Love for His Children~

    We love serving God!We love worshiping him, and expressing our love and gratitude to Him!But so many times, we find ourselves forgetting how loved WE  are by our Heavenly Father and creator!Sometimes its hard to see His love pour out on us, because were so afraid that He cant see beyond our mistakes.Beyond our imperfections!No one on this Earth loves you the way Jesus does!
    No one wants the very best for us as much as He does, as much as our parents love us and our spouses love us, it doesn't even come close to the profound deep love He has for his children!Its hard to even fathom at times, that we never deserved his forgiveness, his sacrifice, his mercy, but He gave it all for us so willingly!He knows the very number of hairs on our heads!He knows each tear we cry, when no one is around to hear us!He knows every prayer that goes up!No one cares more about your dreams and your hopes than He does!noone fights your battles like he does for us!He sees the stains on our hearts, he sees our past and he wipes the slate clean, so in HIS eyes we are blameless   and white as snow.
     His love for his children is as deep as the oceans, as high as the universe expands and  as deep as the valleys!HE is the one who holds us together, calms our spirits when we feel like our world is shaking.He equips us for every good work!He wants to do a mighty work in and through each of us, if we are willing to head the call and surrender to his voice!He wants to serve us, He wants to teach us, and help us grow into the men and woman He knows we are capable of being!
     Its so easy to let what man thinks of us overshadow what God thinks of us and what God thinks is how we should see ourselves!God sees his masterpiece, created in His image.So  he says "Child my precious Child my love does not change with the wind, it does not get drowned out by the rains that fall in our lives!He sis the same yesterday, today and forever! and his Profound love for his children does not waver with time!When  the devil tries to feed you lies, remember that, you are chosen, you are bought with a price and nothing, and none can rip you from the firm grasp of your Father and Lord!

Trusting God, When the Path is Unclear to Our Earthly Eyes!

   I love walking, and yes i even like to hike occasionally though i dont  hike a lot. i still recall doing it with my dad while growing up.  Don and i have gone on a few  small hikes over the years.Usually  when you go on a walk or a hike, you plan ahead where your going to hike, how long the hike will be and you know where you will end up.Its called being prepared!It wouldn't be wise to go on a long hike  on a mountain trial or through a unknown area that you had never been at to before or at least know what your doing and have done some research on the area.Im sure i speak for most of you that you want to  be prepared.
  In the same way God wants us to prepare for the plans He has for our lives, were not puppets on a string. its important to seek  direction from Gods word the holy scriptures as the compass for our lives. There are times in our journey where God doesn't lay out your path or He may lay out more than one path and both may be in His will.Then you find yourself asking what now Lord, where do i go from here?
 We see  through earthly eyes a distorted perspective of a much bigger picture that only  He can see.sometimes the path is not laid out, all we hear God say is "GO" and i will get you there. that can be scary to us, but why are we afraid  when we know WHO holds our future in His hands! We have to step out in faith at times, sometimes BIG faith and really  just lay it out, down at his feet and say ok, im ready and willing to go, though i cant see where ill end up, or how this will come together.
   WE have to surrender our dreams, our plans into the hands of the all knowing God!When were in His will, then his plans and ours line up with another. and God cares about our dreams and our hearts desires, if what we want is whats best, then He will make it come to pass, but when  we push him aside thinking, we know better than  his Perfect plan, thats when our lives crumble beneath our feet.
   Here is a quote i found and i love..." God has perfect timing, never early, never late it takes a little patience and a lot of faith, but its worth the wait!"- Unknown   Psalm 126;2 Man says show me and ill trust you,God says trust me and ill show you! Faith is putting our trust in God, even before he moves in our lives, its not believing he will, its knowing He will! it takes alot of faith to go out  on a limb, whenGod has plans for our lives and he reveals them to us and they are uncomfortable to us unfamilier, thats  when we trust God when the road is clear and we see what the plan is, but know that its going to change us in big ways thats when we trust!
  Then there are time when the road is not clear and the path is not known, we feel the spirit pull at our heart, but don't fully know where its going to lead, and all we hear is still small voice say "GO" and i will get you there, that's when  we  have to fully trust a ALL knowing ALL powerful,God who knows  and has something more beautiful than we can even imagine for our lives!So don't let your fears hold you back from God accomplishing what he wants to do in and through your life, open your eyes to his perceptive and let him lead you  beside the still waters , to where your meant to be!

What is Jesus Worth to you?

       Jesus the sweetest name i know.My Lord, my Savior.Iam who iam becasue of what He has done in my life.He is the one who brought me through all my dangers, toils and snares, for He is faithful and will never leave us.
       Let me start off this blog by asking you a very important question, something to ponder and reflect on.
"What is Jesus Worth to You?"Lets really reflect on this.what did Jesus do for  the world, He came to die on the cross to take our sings upon himself, he took our punishment for us, the one  we deserved.A innocent man who came to serve. got ridiculed and beaten, spit upon, mocked.not a criminal, not a heartless person, but Gods Son who took upon human form  and suffered brutality that we can only imagine. not because he had to, but because For God so loved the WORLD, he gave his only  son to  pay the ultimate sacrifice.
      Is Jesus  just  a good guy to you? is Jesus just the one  who saved you from what you deserved? Is He just what you learn about on Sunday morning or in Sunday school? Is he just in some aspects of your life, and not on the throne?Is He just a good example to follow? As you think about that question now reflect on this?What are we worth to Jesus?
      We are his Creation, the ones He breathed life into! We are his beloved children,We are worth everything to Him, he gave up his life for us, even when we were ugly in sin and separated, he still took that walk to the cross and  willingly laid down His life so our sins can be wiped away.He shed the blood, he wore the thorns.He took it all upon himself in our place so we can have eternal life with Him one day!
      Again i ask you what is JESUS WORTH TO YOU??? I don't just want him on Sundays, i want him at the center of my life every day, guiding my steps, being on my lips, using my hands for his glory!I want to hunger after Him, He is the bread of life, we need Him to survive, i want to dig deeper into His word, not just keep that bible  on a dusty shelf, but live out the Good News every day of my life!
    He owed us nothing, but GAVE  everything!!!!WE owe him everything and so many times give Him nothing!He ends up being the last on our priority's,  the last one we go to when trials come, the last one we see our worth in.What are you willing to give up for Jesus? life is busy,  and hectic and so many responsibilities, but we Owe him our time.
    A plant cannot grow without the proper sunlight, water and plant food, how can we claim that Jesus is our Savior and Lord if we don't desire to hunger for his spiritual food, and time in his presence!I know i want him on the throne, and when my day comes and i leave this earth, and i go to my heavenly eternal home, i want Jesus to look into my eyes and say "Well done good and faithful Servant" do others know His worth to you? What do you want to Hear Jesus  say when you stand before him on that day?

A Spirit of Gentleness In Accountability~

  Good evening my readers; I hope you are all doing well. What a beautiful, but cold day it was today. So let us dive right in to tonight’s topic, which I am excited to share what the Holy Spirit has placed on my heart with each of you. My prayer is that I can convey this message in such a loving and gentle way that my point is taken in such a way that hearts are convicted, and you all are encouraged. Therefore, without further a due my topic is “A Spirit of Gentleness and Accountability”

 We live in a very postmodern society that is focused on “I” and its very much a “ME” world. Many think that they can do this all alone, and we all know that in today’s society everyone gets offended about everything, everyone feels that someone is  looking g at their life with judging eyes and  people just don’t want others to get into their life.  I feel that this topic has a two subtopics, meaning that how do we show the Love of Christ to others who have yet have that personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  The other side of the topic is when one of our brothers or sisters in Christ is sinning, how do we approach them?

   Do we  come barging in in with the bible in our hands throwing scriptures at them, condemning them and judging them? Or do we First Approach the throne of God in prayer to give us the words to speak in love and grace without judgment. To speak the truth in Love! The idea of this blog came after a few days ago early in the morning while having my coffee at the kitchen table, doing my personal devotions. I came across this Scripture Galatians 6 :1-2 Which says this “Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you also won’t be tempted. Carry one another’s burdens, in the way you are fulfilling the law of Christ!

   It really got me thinking about a conversation I was having with someone just a few days prior and I felt the Holy spirit speak to my heart and say Natalie this is something I want you to write about in your blog. tonight before I even began  after sitting down at my husband desk to write this, I bowed my head in prayer, asking for the Holy spirit to speak, , not my words, but His! Think about this for a moment, the WORD Gentleness! The dictionary says it means the Sensitivity of Disposition and kindness of behavior!

  We need to mirror Christ in all we say and do. That is the only true way that the World will know we are different. that is how we will reach the lost, not by the degree behind our name or how much theology we know and can explain, but by LOVE! Yes we need to know Gods word, we need to hide it in our hearts and be ready to defend our beliefs, but in a spirit of gentleness! When we witness to nonbelievers, it’s not the scriptures they will hear first, it’s not our knowledge, but how we carry ourselves, do we speak in love, do we show love in our actions and do they line up with one another.

  Then comes the tougher part of the Great commission after we go, we need to make disciples and part of that process is carrying each other’s burdens, but carrying one another’s burdens is not just pertaining to the struggles we encounter, but holding each other Accountable! Yikes, that word many Christians get uneasy when that word is brought up. They do not want to answer to anyone! They do not want to be held accountable! Yet accountability should be both sharing in one another’s burdens and confession of sins!

  Here is a quote a found by Amelia Earhart  “ A single act of kindness throws roots in all directions and the roots spring up and make more trees!” SHOWING the love of Christ instead of  always speaking, that can produce more  seeds sometimes and more roots are planted than  always just getting out your bible, there is a time for the bible to be taken out, because that’s our compass that’s Gods Holy Word! God breathed!

 So I ask you  what happens when your brother or sister in Christ is sinning, you see them stumbling, do you sit back and  do nothing? No let’s look in the Scriptures and see what it says! Lets open the bible and read Matthew 18:15-17 says this; If your brother sins against you go, and rebuke him in private if he listens you have won your brother. If he won’t then take one or two more with you so that by the testimony of two or more witness every fact may be established, if he pays no attention to them, tell the church, but if he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like a unbeliever!

 There is a big difference in judging someone vs accountability! We are not to Judge! We are not God! Only God can see the Heart of Man! Pray that God leads you to someone you can disciple, and then pray that God gives you wisdom to hold that person accountable! In addition, you need someone to hold you accountable!

  When you have found that person, hold that person accountable, it’s going to take you out of you both comfort zone, and truth hurts sometimes, spoken in love. Just like a parent uses tough love on their children, our heavenly Father uses it on us and we need to learn to Love in such a way that we hold our brothers and sisters in Christ accountable for their actions! Proverbs 27:17 says this As Iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another!  Quite often God uses people in our lives to speak to our hearts!

  We need to get over being afraid to offend, and on the receiving end, we need to listen and pray with discernment that if someone speaks truth into our lives that its Gods voice and not their own! We need as Christians to hold each other accountable, no matter how much you might despise that word it’s a vital part of the growing spiritual maturity and discipleship process! Here is a old proverb I found that was very enlighten! It says, “Conquer a man who never gives by gifts, subdue untruthful men by truthfulness, vanquish angry man by gentleness, and overcome the evil man by goodness! That is eye-opening advice.

  The point of this entire blog is this: Showing a spirit of gentleness and holding our brothers and sisters in Christ accountable; MUST be done with Grace and Love, without judgment. As a parent loves and guides their child, the child does not always like what they are told and taught, but its done with love and in the same way, we need to do this for our family in Christ Jesus! Lets grow together on this ongoing journey!

Importance of One on One Discipleship~

   Good Morning readers, I hope your staying warm in these frigid temperatures weve been having. I hope to now be able to get back into a regular schedule of my blog, when I don’t blog for numerous reasons I really miss it, its like a outlet for me, it’s what God has placed on my heart  to share with you all. So with that being said Today’s topic is “Why is Discipleship so important to a Christian’s spiritual walk”?

  A disciple is a follower of Christ, so Discipleship is when someone who is spiritually mature in their walk with Christ comes alongside an individual who is not as far along in their walk and helps them grow in their spiritual journey. Growing in the stages of spiritual maturity is a process, and this blogs theme is not so much the emphasis of what those stages are, but why is one on one discipleship important. I will mention the 5 stages of the spiritual process, for those who do not know what they are.

1. Spiritually dead, this refers to those who are not believers yet, and have not turned their life over to Christ.

2. Spiritual infant- a new believer, has accepted Christ, but needs a relationships with others who know Christ, needs ongoing guidance, just like a infant does, relies on their parent for for everything.

3. Spiritual Child-Has gifts, but can be prideful and arrogant at times, sometimes does things for the wrong reasons. Needs to be connected, still learning how to follow Jesus outside the church.

4. Spiritual Young Adult-Following and working alongside others and focused outward, but still at times can think they know it all, strong in the Lord but can be naïve at times, unrealistic and easily become discouraged when faced with failures., but do have a place they feel called to serve!

5. Spiritual Parent-Not perfect until Heaven, but serving, Sees that this life is not all there is, so they have a Eternal perspective , they are  continually looking for opportunities to reach out and serve and find others why they can minister to and guide them on their own spiritual walk, help them grow from spiritual milk to solid food. They are the older men and woman who have a heart for the younger men and younger woman.

Now you know what these stages are, there are different aspects of a Christian’s life that contribute to growing to become more Christ like. Fellowship with other believers, being part of small bible study or community group, doing your own bible reading during your daily devotions, if you are married having a time of bible reading and prayer with your spouse. Another aspect very important is one on one, discipleship in different stages of our walk. Lot of us at some time has been disciple by another older Christian who was further along in his or her own spiritual walk.

You may ask isn’t the above a lot? Yes, it is, but each plays a important role in helping us grow .Like right now I’m discipline one of my cousins on a weekly basis. She started coming to our church the end of last year, gave her life over to Christ. Started coming to our community group and then I asked her if she would like to start discipleship with me and she was so excited. It is so wonderful to see her spiritual growth, she is hungry for the word, and Gods word, and just recently told me she wants to be baptized, which im so excited about.

While looking online this morning I found 2 quotes that really sum up why its important for us to discipleship, But before i go any further I want to emphasize one point so there is no misunderstanding of what im trying to convey! WE are all disciples of Jesus, WE are all told to share the GOOD NEWS!!!!!Tell others, who Jesus is, and what HE did and how they too can be saved. BUT discipleship is when mature Christians are taking another under their wing and  walking alongside them and helping them understand on a more deeper level, what does being a Christ follower look like, As Christians what is require of us and how do we go about doing it!

Here are the quotes I found online.” The one indispensible requirement for producing Godly mature Christians is Godly mature Christians!” BY: Kevin De Young  which why discipleship is so vital to the equation. mature Christians are spiritual parents who are helping others grow and become all God has meant them to be, and  each time someone reaches that spiritual maturity, they need to step out of their comfort zone and pray and ask God to reveal who they can help to grow. We are not called to live a life that God gave us alone.

   I think of a new mom who just had her 1^st baby. She will seek out the guidance and encouragement, and advice of those moms who have been a mother for a while, they will learn and become the kind of mother God has meant them to be. in the same way those of us who have been walking with the Lord for awhile and continuing to walk close to him  have a obligation to seek out those we can disciple and help grow up  to be the men and woman God desires!

  We will never stop learning, once we think we know it all that is when we become prideful and sin creeps in. The Christian walk is really about growing more like Christ and living our lives transformed by the renewing of the mind and heart. Here is the other quote I found:”Growth and development take time, learning takes practice. Discipleship is a journey and true conversion is a continuous process. By: Brad Wilcox

  We cannot become stagnate, and just get stuck in a stage, I realized for awhile in my own walk that’s what happened to me. I’ve been a Christian just about my entire life, I grew some, but then  got content with where I was, instead of striving to grow and expand my knowledge, until finally the holy spirit convicted me and told me, I could no longer just sit there and not grow. I was bearing fruit, but not praying for eyes to see more, to understand more, I was not using all my gifts and wasn’t living up to the woman God wants me to be!

   I challenge you to examine your own life and see where you are. Seek his FACE, dig deep into His word, and if you think you need discipleship seek out someone, pray that someone comes and talks to you about your walk and helps you. or if you are ready to go out and find someone to disciple, then don’t wait ,God has equipped you with every good work, He has given you all you need to do what He asks, just be willing and ready. Discipleship is important, its not enough to just go to church, community group, and personal devotions especially if you’re a new believer, you need that solid food to help you grow, help you mature up in Christ Jesus! And always  stay humble, let that be our prayer!