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My seasons of
Christian Growth
One of the things I like to do every now and then is to look back and
reflect on my journey of faith. I was eating
breakfast this morning and talking with my wife about this journey. We
found there were a few seasons or periods of
time where I have gone through growth spurts as a Christian.
Each of these seasons has built something into my life and
prepared me for the next level of my journey
and service. I thought I would share a few today.
1. Being Discipled
I wasn’t taught the basics of the Christian faith by a person as such
but rather a book. The friend who gave me the tract that led me to
Christ, gave a me a discipleship book straight away. This
talked about prayer, church, Bible reading, sharing my faith and
how to live the Christian life. This season lasted about six months and
set a solid foundation.
2. Serving God
A few years later I found a great church. I started to develop a
relationship with the Pastor. After some time he challenged me to get
actively involved in the youth group and being one of the
leaders. This was a great time of just serving God. I did
whatever was needed doing and started to take responsibility in the
church. This developed a solid foundation of service and a great desire
to see people come to know Jesus and then go
on to live for Him.
3. Expanding vision
The next season was a season that saw me devour many Christian books. I
read biographies of great Christians, books by visionary thinkers, I
read books on great ministries of current and bygone eras.
I read missionary magazines and ministry newsletters of people
who were reaching millions for Christ. This season expanded my thinking
and I realised just what one person could do who is fully
devoted to God and His will for their lives.
4. Prayer and intimacy
Many of the books I read had shown me that all of the people who achieve
great things in this life did so out of a deep commitment to prayer and
spending time with God. Suddenly a great desire
was birthed in me to spend time in prayer and in God’s presence.
I just wanted to be with Him and grow in my personal relationship with
Him. Each day I would spend at least an hour in prayer with
my Bible on hand. This season helped me to walk with God more
than any time before.
5. Open doors
I found the preceding seasons were all building on each other. Suddenly
doors were opening to preach and teach in church. The ministry of
PASSION Australia was also born at this time which
has seen us reach out to millions of people worldwide.
Opportunities were presenting themselves that I didn’t have to go and
look for. People came to me, or more precisely…God opened doors.
6. Deeper Bible knowledge
Several years ago I had a deep yearning to dig deeper into the Bible. I
had a desire to study the Bible from cover to cover and fill myself up
on it. Each day I would have the Word open and study
it for hours. Over the course of a year I did a three year course
in the Old Testament, New Testament, Christian Apologetics and more. I
just couldn’t get enough of God’s Word and the
teachings contained within it. When I learned something new I would give
it away and then go back for more.
7. Season of change
The latest season I have been through (and to be honest am still going
through) is a season of change. A little over 12 months ago God spoke to
my wife and I about moving to the country. We
didn’t know where at first but knew in time God would show us. Gradually
God revealed Merredin. So after much prayer and trusting God, we stepped
out in faith. We sold our family home, I left my
long term job, packed up our stuff and moved to the country. God
hasn’t shown us the full reason yet, but what He has we are very excited
about.
The journey continues
So this has been a part of my journey so far. Looking back I can see how
God has been guiding and leading me all the way. He has prompted me to
do certain things, at certain times, to bring His plan
for my life to pass. Each season He has led me into and through
has added some building block into my life and He has used it to serve
and build into other people’s lives. It has been a great journey so
far and I firmly believe the best is yet to come.
If you don’t know Jesus personally, I would encourage you to
visit this page on our site and get to know
Him today. I promise it will be the start of the greatest journey of
your life!
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