Time To BE BIG: Spiritual Growth and Stamina 

Babies can be any age. I am convinced. EXAMPLE: Full-grown adults that are so needy of other people that they cannot function without their help. 

This topic can get sticky because we do NEED other people.  

“Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God.” – Hebrews 12:15a, NLT 

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” – Hebrews 10:24-25, NLT 

But some of us don’t NEED people as much as we USE people. – Um, that was really good. 😅

At some point… we gotta be big. As individuals, we must stop living our lives always reliant on someone else.  

Developing a dependency on God so that you live life with HIM meeting your needs, and not others, is expected as maturing disciples of Christ.  

I noticed after an insane two weeks without my husband. He, being overseas, was on an opposite schedule, and our paths crossed briefly thru short phone calls, texts, and emails, but I was home to oversee the churches and our teams until he returned.

At the end of two hectic weeks, I felt like he had been gone for a month. Jesus didn’t cut me any slack or save the hard stuff for when Rich returned. And I still had one more week to go. LOL 

“I am done being the boss, babe. You can come home now. 🥹🙏”

But I began to notice how NEEDY I was of my husband.  

Not just “I need you because I love and want you.” It was, “I want you to emotionally and spiritually make me feel better.” 😔

I didn’t like feeling like that. I didn’t like knowing I was doing that; I knew better. God did not create my husband to fill those needs in me. That is GOD’S job.  

But Rich was a QUICK FIX. 

So, I got to thinkin…. LOL 😆

How many of us use people as a “quick fix” regarding our mental and spiritual state?  

It is SO MUCH EASIER to call a friend, a leader, or our husband and dump on them. We like to vent. We want to “get it all out”. But if we are honest, it doesn’t help fix the problem. We feel better having thrown up on someone, but we are not seeking the ONE who gives us answers, peace, relief, solutions, and courage.  

I told my husband, “I feel heavy today. I feel needy. But it is for the Lord. I need HIM; that is the only place I will receive peace and MORE LIFE.” Rich agreed. 🤣. He was probably thinking, “Oh, praise the Lord! She’s finally getting big….” 😬

For those of you who are disciples and have placed your life under the authority of a husband, pastor, or leader, reflect on your NEED of this person. Are there times you are calling and complaining about things that the Lord should be hearing? Are there times when you don’t really want help but only want to vent?  

Are there times you are using these people as a quick fix and are avoiding real work being done before the Lord? 

Our leaders, pastors, and husbands… guess what?? They are just PEOPLE. They, too, have problems, issues, faults, failures, and seasons of feeling empty. They also must seek the Lord for anointing, healing, peace, comfort, courage, and LIFE. Yet, we often begin to think those people are only there for OUR OWN benefit.  

As new Christians, grace covers you. You are learning and growing, like a baby, drinking only milk.  But at some point😅… we gotta be big. We have to learn to go to Jesus. We must learn to take our lives to the foot of the Cross. And SOONER, rather than later. 

“You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. 13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. 14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.”  – Hebrews 5:12-14 NLT

Not to be jacked, but… there comes the point when you are a grown-up in the faith still lying in someone’s lap drinking off the spiritual jugs! 😳 You can’t have a difficult thought without needing help. You can’t make it through a hard day without whining to someone and getting emotional support. 

Where is the endurance the Lord brings with his Spirit? Where is the emotional stamina? We want to proclaim and pretend “we are strong and independent!” Yet, we cannot endure anything difficult without using people to feel better.  

Because we are not strong in the LORD and not trusting HIM.    

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” – Philippians 4:6

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” – Psalm 18:2

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.” – Jeremiah 17:7

“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” – 1 Peter 5:7

Please don’t walk away from this post thinking, “That’s it, I can’t talk to anyone about things because then I am not trusting God.” 

Be honest.    YOU KNOW when you are not in prayer, seeking Jesus.    YOU KNOW when you rely on others instead of Jesus. But, just like He did with me, the Holy Spirit helped me to see it so I could do better. That is all we need to do.  

Jesus has all we need. So let’s get more from HIM so we have more to offer to others. Remove the burden we place on others to meet our impossible needs designed for only Jesus to touch and fix.  

GO, GIRLS!! Get with Jesus, and let’s make it a GREAT WEEK!! 

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“Growing Up: Winning the War Against the Flesh by Ps Rich Witmer”

WATCH HERE: https://destiny.subspla.sh/r9h9gbj