Have you ever argued with a child or a toddler? There is not much success. Why not? Because the little one is still immature, and they do not comprehend things the same way that a mature adult does. This reminds us of Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 3). They had accepted the basic level of salvation and then sought to add to their knowledge the wisdom of the world. In this state of stunted growth and immaturity, we want to discuss how to grow and go from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).
We are all living in a time of great transition. People are changing around us, and things are changing too. God is actively shifting his people from one assignment to the next, one season to another, and from one opportunity to the next. The church is growing in leaps and bounds; many unreached people are being reached with the gospel. God does this so that his kingdom can be established and planted in every corner of the known world. God will fill the earth with His glory like the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).
- Positioning
For you to increase a thousand fold more than you are today and to experience the great blessing of the Lord, you must adequately position yourself in the right place. Jehoshaphat was ready to defeat the enemy, but then the Lord told him to stand in his place and see the deliverance of the Lord. You might be at a certain level of fruitfulness right now, but God wants to increase it. He wants you to abound abundantly in the callings He has placed in your life.
There are many areas where you can go from glory to glory. Spiritually, physically, materially, financially, and academically. Let us dive in to see how to grow spiritually. It is time for you to leave the mountain of prayerlessness, poor bible study, and poor fasting. God wants us to rise to the next level in our walk with him (Deuteronomy 1:6). When God blows the winds of change into your life, you must position yourself in a position of absolute faith and trust in his purpose for your life.
It takes deep conviction for a marathoner to stick it through the complex parts of his journey. This conviction begins with a personal encounter with the Lord. Brethren, You must be born again. You must have the first gift God has prepared for you. Your gift has been sitting and gathering dust, waiting for you to pick it up and receive Him (John 1:12). This conviction will then breed into an unwavering determination within you to realize the transition coming your way.
- Move from Milk to Meat
Paul’s first letter to Corinthians will give us insight into some of the areas that need to change as we transition. A mature adult taking milk every day has poor digestion. Ask any mother, and affirm that a child gets to appoint where milk fills them no more. Paul is very frustrated with the spiritual lifestyle of the corinthians, and he calls them infants in Christ. This is because they chose to eat what they enjoyed and what made them look important but not what was essential for their growth.
We must make this switch in our pursuit of growth to the next level. We must stop insisting on spiritual candy, the things that seem okay to the world and seem okay to the church. Taking milk is easy; it demands little; in fact, all you have to do is swallow. However, meat is hard, and though it’s nutritious when our teeth are not fully formed, it is not a pleasant experience. Feeding on meat requires us to feed our spirit and not just excite it. You and I must commit to surrender time to study the bible on different aspects of our life. Starving our sinful excitements will not be easy, but it is necessary.
- Consider How God Has Used You In The Past.
Life is a ladder; we move up a step at a time. Sometimes, God will build on your past experiences. Many pastors I have had a conversation with did not start on the pulpit. They served in different capacities in the body of Christ before serving on the pulpit. The Corinthians struggled to accept that every person had a part to play in the purpose of God. Paul planted, Apollos watered. As you look forward to new levels of glory, enjoy the different areas God has used in your life.
Even the seeming failures and hard times, those that brought disappointment and pain, we’re all preparing you for what should come next in your life. Large highways across the world have milestones that provide linear referencing points along the road. In the same way, Paul teaches that you and I should build on the foundation of those that came before us. All of us are held in place by the chief cornerstone. Eventually, you will be able to draw fresh water from your well of experience and see that God has used the ladder of your life to prepare you (1 Corinthians 3:10).
- Use Proper Materials To Build
Every meal is a composition of its ingredients. The sweetness or sourness of a dish is highly influenced by the materials used to construct it. What would you draw on your canvas if we were to write down the vision of the future we hope for? Some would have enormous and majestic drawings, while others would have small drawings with great attention to the details. Indeed, we can not achieve any vision if we do not pursue it with everything we have. However, it is also true that the lifespan of our dreams is directly proportional to the quality of stuff used in building it.
Therefore, as we prepare to go from glory to glory, let us be careful not only to focus on the size of our dreams but also the composition of the dream. Today many Christians will rationalize sin as long as it gets the results. Sure enough, why go through so much worry, so much opposition when we can conform to the world’s standards. It is easy to use wood, straw because it is cheap, and it might look as classy as the costly house of gold and silver. And one day, the owner will come for inspection, and his judgment will be based on our endurance when faced with fire. For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).
- Abide In the Secret Place
Close intimacy with the Lord is our next step as we believe in God for a new level of glory in our life. New battles call for newer equipment the same way that new wine needs new vessels. In the place of prayer and dwelling in God’s presence, our hearts are changed, and we receive his attributes. It is here that our secret and hidden sin is exposed, and we can repent. To be intimate with God, we must be rooted in his word so that we can not be moved by every wind of doctrine that comes our way (Colossians 2:6). Maturing in Christ makes us discern what is of God and what is not.
- Honor the Master And His Plans
Finally, we end with a summary of ownership. I have heard many young people retort back by saying, “this is my life, I will do with it as I please.” Unfortunately, this does not apply to the life of a believer. Even in church, a lot has been personalized; you will hear leaders saying, “this is my department I built it from zero.” Some feel entitled to the direction of the church simply because they have been in the church the longest.
Jeremiah 10:23 NLT
I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.
Paul then Saul went around persecuting the early church. However, when the Lord stopped him on the way to Damascus, Jesus asked him why he was persecuting him (Jesus). It is because we are the “body” of Christ, and he is the head of this body. Therefore, let us honor the master and His plans (1 Corinthians 6:19).
Multiplication, advancing, and growth is God’s desire for you as well. He wants us to be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, subdue it and have dominion over his creation. Prophet Isaiah saw this new day when he prophesied that God is doing a new thing among us. Isaiah 43:18-19 “Remember ye, not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” Observe any plant, and you will realize that the fruit doubles in size under optimum conditions, and so does the tree.