BE PROACTIVE AND GROW UP

I preached and wrote a blog recently on how we can TRUST GOD “passively” and “proactively”. I used the example of Jesus saying “I will build my Church” and that many Believers, think there is a full stop following that statement, and sit around waiting for Jesus to build His Church, forgetting Jesus goes on and says “I will give you a set of keys (The Keys of the Kingdom”) so that we can unlock the Kingdom of God to the world, this is where for we must proactively trust God and work with Him to see His Kingdom built.

Sadly, many Believers can be very “passive” when it comes to their walk with God and the need to GROW IN GRACE AND IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. Once again, we must be ‘PROACTIVE IN SEEKING TO BECOME MATURE BELIEVERS. The Apostle Paul expresses this truth so clearly in Phil. 3:14 NKJV I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. If ever there was an action that we need to take, it is clearly spelt out here, we must deliberately PRESS IN TO GOD.

The MESSAGE simply says: I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.

This takes effort and discipline. The writer to Hebrews expresses it in a different but equally important way in 6:1-3 NKJV Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. Although these truths are very important, they are describedas elementary so we have to move on and embrace personally and practically the truths relating to our inheritance in Christ now and so be able to go on to maturity.

Let me share a couple of practical illustrations from the Word of God. In 2 Kings 5 NKJV Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

Unless Naaman had humbles himself and stepped into the Jordan river he would never had been healed, his proactive decision changed his life completely.

We read in Matthew 14:29 NKJV So He said come, and when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. Peter asked Jesus if he could come to Him, and immediately Jesus replied come, Peter then had to be “proactive” and step out of the water,

Do you want to GO ON TO MATURITY? You say what a silly question of course, then you need to sit down and count the cost (talk to your Mentor and see what is required) and with the Lord’s help, decide TODAY that you will PROACTIVELY do everything that you know you need to do to grow up into maturity.