Gospel Growth

“And the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.” Deuteronomy 7:22 (NKJV) As we walk with Christ, many times we can be discouraged with our lack of progress and spiritual growth. We tend to remember most often our seasons of growth with great joy. Most precious to each follower of Christ is reflecting on when we became born again. What a blissful time indeed. Recently, I met someone who was discouraged by their lack of progress. They said they had been in a “spiritual rut” for too long and that obstacles were getting bigger. As believers, all of us have been there. We may tend to be self-critical and place the blame on ourselves for the lack of spiritual growth. The Scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:7 that “God gives the increase.” We need to remember that He is responsible for our spiritual growth. Our duty is to focus on being faithful in our obedience to God, our Bible reading, attending church, and praying each day. In Deuteronomy 7:22, Moses was proclaiming the word of the Lord to the children of Israel. God was telling them that they should not fear the obstacles, enemies or conflicts laid before them because He was going to make them victorious. Observe that the Lord told them that growth and success would be “little by little.” You may not be able to always clearly see progress, but take heart. God is at work and in due season you will see that God was increasing you “little by little” as He was demonstrating His power and faithfulness to you. Perhaps, if you examine yourself currently, you will see God’s growth plan working in your life! Heavenly Father, thank You for growing me on the mountain top, and in the valley. — Steve Keesic   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org