IT TAKES TIME

We worry about how fast we grow, God is concerned about how strong we grow..

“Soften Up” “beachhead” Take over more territory -God gives us problems that we cannot handle - Some open to God but others don’t -The moment we open ourselves to God, He begins his campaign -We may think we have surrendered all our life to him, but the truth is, there is a lot to our life that we aren’t even aware of. -We can only give God as much as we understand at that moment

-Through worship -Acknowledging God as our creator -through fellowship -we belong to the church, young adult ministry -through discipleship - Helping the poor, visiting nursing homes, etc.

God is more interested in strength and stability than swiftness..

Real maturity is never the result of a single experience, no matter how powerful or moving.. The Bible says, “our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him”

Slow Learners Have a lot to unlearn -We need to RELEARN the lesson forty, fifty, sixty times because we always forget -There is no quick solution to our deep rooted problems and difficulties - REMOVE bad habits and REPLACE with new and better ones

Afraid to humbly face the truth about ourselves Growth is often painful and scary -The truth will set us free, but it often makes us miserable first -Only as God is allowed to shine the light of his truth on our faults and failures can we begin to work on them. -There is no growth without change, no change without fear or loss and no loss without pain - People often built their identity around their defects -

Habits take time to develop - -Character is the sum total of your habits - We cannot say that we are kind if we are not habitually kind - No instant habits - If we want to have Christ like character, we need to practice that habit and it takes time - When we practice something over time, we get good at it - Repetition is the mother of character and skill

1. Believe God is working in your life even when you don’t feel it -Everything on earth has its own time and season - short intense burst of growth is like springtime - period of stabilizing and testing is like fall and winter - Don’t be disappointed if the answer comes through a gradual change

2. Keep a notebook or journal of lessons learned -Not a diary of events, but a record of what you are learning - Record so you could review and remember them and pass them on to the next generation -Relearn lesson because we forget them

3. Be patient with God and with yourself -God’s timetable is not the same as ours -God is never in a hurry, he is always on time -Don’t try to get out of anything prematurely, let it do its work so you become mature and well developed

4. Don’t get discouraged - A delay is not a denial from God

Remember how far you’ve come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be.