I remember when I first became a follower of Jesus Christ, I was built up so much in love, encouragement, and support. I felt so much loved by Jesus. Jesus was helping me to grow in Him. After awhile, the testing began but by then I already felt so loved by Jesus and felt His continued presence in my life. Even if we do not feel His presence He still is there, for when He comes in, He will never leave us or forsake us.

It is in adversity that our true colors and character shines forth. I was built up enough that the Lord allowed temptation to occur in my life.  I am so thankful for how the Spirit has worked in my life and will continue to work in my life.

I ask you now dear friend, what determines your G.R.O.W.T.H in the Lord?
Dear friend, your growth in the Lord is determined by where the Spirit leads you and how you react to that leading. But remember that the Spirit will never lead you anywhere that is contrary to His Word. So when you say 'I feel the Spirit's leading in doing this or that' you better test it with God's Word to make sure it is not your own desires or temptations that are creeping up but it is the Spirit of the Lord leading you. When the Spirit leads you, if you react positively and have a 'The Lord will not give me more than I can handle' attitude and seek the Lord through the leading, then you will know that you are growing in the Lord. But, if the Spirit leads you and you react negatively to the Spirit's leading by fighting for your own way then that will determine your growth too. But, this time there will be a negative effect on your growth.

Friend, I used to think a lot that 'if this person were not acting this way, then of course my attitude will be good', 'if this were not happening in my life, then of course I can be joyful', 'if I had all the things they had, then of course I won't have to complain', etc. You see the point. When we focus on ourselves, the result will be deadness and selfishness for a selfish heart cannot produce selflessness.

That self will hinder our growth in the Lord when we react negatively to our situations no matter what they are.

When the Spirit leads us as He led Jesus, there will always be preparation and we need to remember that preparation for that preparation will help us pass the test we are put in. God will never test us without equipping, enabling, and empowering us.  You have to prepare for tests to pass them; the more you prepare you will even be able to ace them with the Lord on your side. It is the same when it comes to our growth in the Lord. Thank you Jesus. But this is only one dimension on how our growth in the Lord is determined.

I love the Bible verse, "Since the Lord is directing my steps, why try to understand everything that happens along the way!" (Proverbs 20:24, TLB)

How amazing is that to know that the Lord is directing our steps and we need not always try to understand everything that happens along the way.

Growth in the Lord Jesus can never happen without putting into practice what you learn by spending daily time in prayer with the Lord, spending time in His Word revealed in the Bible during your personal Quiet Times, spending time in small group Bible study,  being part of a local church community, supplementing all that with evangelical books on different topics where the emphasis is on the principles of God's Word where the author believes the Bible is the Word of God and not just 'Bible becomes the Word of God' or 'Bible contains the Word of God'.

Mentorship of pastors can really help in our spiritual growth. I am so thankful to the Lord Jesus for the time Pastor Hugo, Pastor Bucknell, Pastor Josh, Pastor Mike, Pastor Ed, Pastor Lake, Pastor Jesse, have taken to spend time with me at different times years my life. Thank you Jesus. The mentorship and training during those times have helped with my growth in the Lord when it has supplemented my own time with the Lord in prayer and God's Word. We can never substitute anyone for individual personal relationship with the Lord.

When we have growth in the Lord, it is because of our time with Him and in community. Growth in the Lord is also revealed through the ministries we listen to and watch that are biblical. Each night it helps to take a barometer reading of your spiritual growth compared to the previous day!

May you find your growth in the Lord growing each day! Amen!