I am sure that there were parts of the book that spoke right to you and resonate like it did me. There were other chapters that perhaps didn’t strike a chord. All in all though I think we’d all agree that something was birthed here in the Antelope Valley. We are forever changed by what we have learned.

Our small group is continuing to meet. We have grown to love each other and care for one another in a way that is both exciting and humbling. We have had a chance to get to know one another, pray for each other and begin new relationships that would not have happened if we didn’t have the opportunity to share the 40 Days Of Purpose with each other. The fact is that we need each other, and just as Rick Warren points out in our second of the five purposes, we are “formed for God’s family…”

Speaking of family…

For those of us who have may have a tendency towards being happy lone rangers, and feel that the time commitment is a “hassel” or perhaps we minimize the role of other Christians in our lives, let me encourage you.

Getting on a more intimate level and not distancing ourselves is part of being able to mature in a way that we simply cannot do on our own.

I think that it’s an important reminder that we are not designed to live our lives alone and isolated. It’s just plain unhealthy. As we let down our guard and let other people in, an amazing transformation occurs. We find that though we may feel needy, (and we are), we actually have something to give. The gift that God has placed in us that perhaps we didn’t even know existed, begins to grow, blossom, be shared and recognized by the others that we are in fellowship with. It’s the precious gift of Christ-likeness that is released. We experience our third purpose… we were created to be become like Christ. He who gave Himself for us that we can live…

As we look ahead together and how we can apply what we have learned, let’s remember that God has created you with unique and valuable gift that you can discover and use for His glory. Though you may not see it clearly, and maybe you are even afraid to become vulnerable, it’s important to step out in faith and let your brothers and sisters see who you are. One of the ways to do this is in a small group.

With all of this in mind, this weekend is a very special weekend. We are having the Highlands Annual Ministry Fair where people from various home group fellowships will be available as well as music ministry, dance, exercise, Bible Study groups, Motorcycle groups, and many others will be sharing their passions and talents with you.

The idea is this….

We need you to operate in the gifts and calling that God has put in your life. This will include other people.. so.. take the time to get a sense for what you feel that may be, stop procrastinating and get involved.

Let’s remember what Matthew 12:14-30 says:

“For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.

Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.

Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Not to good for the worthless slave…but here is the good news as we Look Ahead…

What a tremendous and absolutely incredible opportunity for us to invest our gifts and be pleasing in His sight. After all, as we have studied, our first purpose is that we were “Planned For God’s Pleasure.” Let’s bring Him pleasure!

Yes,…it does take time.  But.. we tend to want things fast. The faster the better. The truth is that there is no fast way to becoming mature.  The development of Christlike character cannot be rushed. Spiritual growth, like physical growth takes time. While we worry about how fast we grow, God is concerned about how strong we grow. Because he views us from an eternal perspective, he is never in a hurry.

The moment we open our hearts to Christ, God finally is able to start on developing maturity in us. But that’s just the start. We opened to door of our heart and invited him in, but he stands inside to door and is excited begin the life long process of making us more like him. We may have thought we gave everything to him at that very moment, but the truth is that there are areas of our lives that we are not even aware of yet. Things that we simply do not see.

The fact is that every day there is more and more ground covered and taken for Christ in our lives. Old habits do not stop in a day. It’s a day to day maturing that takes time. It a “little by little” change that happens.

Why does it take so long to mature and change? There are fiveareas that our reading today brings out.

1. We are slow learners
2. We have a lot to unlearn
3. We are afraid to humbly face the truth about ourselves
4. Growth is often painful and scary
5. Habits take time to develop

How many of us have felt like we are slow learners? Same lessons, over and over again? Why don’t we learn it the first time? Frustrating isn’t it? The good news is that the lesson is repeated until we do learn it, and we change. Most of us have patterns of things that we have learned over many years.

Thank God for those who come to Christ very early in their lives because they don’t have so much stuff to unlearn. It takes time to unlearn things. They didn’t happen overnight and there is no “quick fix” here either. There is no prayer, pill or principal that will undo the damage that was done over many years. At our conversion we were given a brand new nature. It takes time to unlearn old habits, patterns and practices that need to be removed and replaced.

If we do not honestly face our character defects it keeps us in a prison that only the truth can set us free from. God has to shine his light on these things so we can see them, humbly admit them, and be set free from them. Takes time.

It’s scary to change if all we have known is a particular way of doing things, but there is no growth without change; there is no change without fear or loss; and there is no loss without pain. Every change involves a loss of some kind. We give up the old to take on the new. The problem for many of us is that the old, (self defeating behavior, bad habit) is at least familiar to us. We know it. We don’t know what we will be like without it. It’s like that old baby blanket.  So comforting. It can be very frightening to start having things that we have depended upon for comfort, start being taken away so we can grow up. The very things that we identify as  “that’s just my personality..hey that’s just me..” may be things that God wants to replace with something else, but we are too afraid to let go. Who will I be?

Your character is the sum total of your habits. You can’t claim to be kind unless you are habitually kind and do it without even thinking. It takes time. Like any sport you train for, it takes time to develop a habit that comes naturally after many many hours of training. Golfers know about “muscle memory.” After hitting thousands of balls, our muscles develop a “memory” of  the right swing and it begins to happen naturally. It takes time to develop the good habits that define your character. To get good at something, you have to practice it and practicing character building skills is a “spiritual discipline.”

The encouragement that we need to give ourselves and those we love is this. Don’t get in a hurry and whenever it doesn’t  feel like God is working, he is.

There are seasons in our lives, seasons of great growth, followed by times where it seems as if things have just dried up. We cannot be disappointed if things take time and it seems so gradual. We cannot deny that there may be miraculous transformations that happen, but for the most part it’s a slow steady change we see. Even the hardest rock is eroded over time by a steady stream of water.

We must be patient with God and ourselves in this process. We can become discouraged when we have to learn things over, feel like failures, and even hate the area of our lives causing us the pain that we know needs to change. Remember God is going to complete the work that he started in you. He is committed to us even when we don’t feel committed to him. If we are willing, he is able. Be patient with the process. Be kind to yourself.  You will be able to look back on that area with gratitude and tears thanking God that he did not let you stay there. You have matured… it does take time.

Sometimes we get hit so hard, and the feelings are so strong that we just don’t see the way out from yielding to an area of temptation, but “remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.” 1 Cor. 10:13

What is the way out you ask? How do I see it and what do I do?

The first step is to refocus your attention on something else. There is no place in the Bible that says to resist temptation. If you focus on resisting something, it has already won. What gets your thoughts get you! The more you say to yourself, ” I will not eat that cake, I will not eat that cake..” the more hungry you get and the desire for “that cake” grows. The more you say to yourself, “I won’t think about _________ …” the more you will think about it. Surprisingly the very thing we try not to think about winds up being reinforced in our minds. “I will never be like my mother/father/ex-spouse ..” simply drives that very thing deeper into our minds.
You don’t defeat temptation by focusing on it or fighting the feeling of it. The battle is won or lost in our minds. It’s not an issue of resisting the temptation, it’s an issue of being able to refocus our attention and replacing the thoughts!

Temptation begins by capturing your attention. What gets your attention arouses your emotions. Your emotions activate behavior, and you act on what you feel. The more you focus on “I don’t want to do this, ” the stronger it becomes.

Ignoring temptation is far more effective than fighting it. Once your mind is focused on something else, the temptation loses it’s power! The best way to do this is to fill your mind with good things. Memorizing scripture is a powerful tool, and the one that Jesus used to overcome temptation in the wilderness when Satan tempted him. If Jesus used scripture, maybe it’s a clue how we should resist Satan when he tempts us!

Another way to defeat temptation is to be willing to open up to others about it. It’s a sad fact that we are so conditioned to put on a show of “everything is alright, thanks for asking,” that we miss how important it is to get the help of others when we are weak and struggling.

Everything is not “alright” if my brother or sister is stuck and defeated by a particular temptation and sin that holds them back from being all that they were created to be. Sometimes we need to “confess our sins to one another and pray for one another so that we may be healed.” James 5:16 It comes down to how badly we really want to overcome this thing versus how proud we are to admit we have a problem. When we finally admit it and confess it we get power over it!

Hiding it doesn’t help you it only intensifies it. Revealing brings healing. Don’t repress it, confess it! The problems that grow in the dark will shrink in the light of God’s healing power and restoration. Don’t let it go on another minute without making a commitment to share and open up your heart. It will lift the oppression and pressure, and you’ll experience joy.

So far we have learned two ways to defeat temptation. Refocusing our thoughts and attention as well as opening up and sharing our weaknesses with others. A third area way is to resist the devil.

This area probably is misunderstood the most. How do we resist the Devil? Why is resisting Satan and resisting temptation so different?

James 4:7 says “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.” We do not passively sit back and wish for things. We take massive warlike action because we are in a war! Christians are many times compared to soldiers in enemy territory. So what do we do?

“Put on your helmet of salvation and take the sword of the spirit.” Eph. 6:17 The first step is accepting God’s salvation. You can’t say no to the Devil unless you have first said yes to Christ. The helmet of salvation protects our minds. Satan cannot force you to do anything, only suggest if you are a believer. Salvation frees you from the bondage and power Satan holds on your life.

The second step is effectively wielding the “sword of the spirit,” which is the Word of God. You don’t have any arguments that you can win with Satan. He’s been at this thing a long time. What Satan cannot stand is God’s Word. Quote it. Memorize it. Pick up your sword and use it. Cut off the lies at their knees. Stand victorious.

In this amazing victory that we are able to realize, we are never to grow cocky and proud. “He that thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall…” Any person, given the right circumstances is capable of sin. We must never let down our guard. Our confidence is in the One who gives us what we need when we need it.

Every temptation is an opportunity to do good.

On the path to spiritual maturity even temptation is a stepping stone instead of a stumbling block when you realize that it’s an opportunity to make a choice to do the right thing instead of the wrong thing.While temptation is Satan’s primary tool to defeat and destroy you, it’s God tool to develop and mature you. Every time you choose to do good instead of sin, you develop the character of Christ.In order to grow in character and be more Christlike, we have to understand and see the character qualities of Jesus.Here is one of the most detailed descriptions of the fruit of the Spirit. “When the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” Galations 5:22-23

These nine qualities portray the character and nature of Jesus Christ himself and to have the “fruit of the Spirit” is to be like Christ himself.

How does this fruit become evident in our lives? Does it happen the minute we receive Christ as our Savior and wake up the next morning suddenly filled with all these characteristics? No…. it takes time for fruit to grow doesn’t it? There has to be a maturing process and temptation actually is a part of the process.

Character development always involves a choice.

It takes the unlovely people around us that teaches us how to love. It doesn’t take any character to love those that love us back. It takes a sorrowful and difficult experience to teach us joy in the middle of it. Our “happiness” is based upon what’s happening in our external circumstances, but joy comes in the middle of those circumstances.

Peace is not the absence of conflict. Anybody can be peaceful watching a sunset or having a quiet time walking in the woods. Peace is what we learn in the middle of the chaos and conflict. We get real peace when we decide to trust God when we are tempted to worry. Patience is learned when we are forced to wait and we are tempted to get angry.

God uses the opposite situation of each fruit to allow us a choice.

You can’t claim to be good if you have never been tempted to be bad, and you can’t claim to be faithful, if you have never been tempted to be unfaithful.

But here’s the GOOD NEWS!!

Every time you resist the temptation, you build character and integrity. Every time you reject the temptation to quit, you build up endurance. Every time you resist the temptation to be prideful, you develop humility. Every temptation you resist and choose the right thing, you become more like Jesus.

When you are fighting temptation and making wise choices, it is nice to know that the temptations are pretty predictable. It’s been the same temptations that Satan has used from the beginning. Every temptation begins with a four step process that can identified.

1. Begins with a thought that hooks an internal desire whether a sinful one or a good desire.
2. Causes you to doubt what God says about the desire.
3. Doubt then opens the door to deception. Satan is the “father of lies” and half truths
4. You act on it by being disobedient.

The area of temptation probably is one of the greatest deceptions that Satan has been able to dupe the Church with. Many Christians do not know that it’s not wrong to be tempted. They feel guilty for even being tempted, and this guilt alone is enough to disable and render useless many brothers and sisters. We need to have our eyes opened to how to overcome temptation, not shy away from it or be intimidated by it. In one sense you can actually consider temptation a compliment!

Many people, for instance, do not know the difference between physical attraction, sexual arousal and lust. They are not the same things. We are created sexual beings. Attraction and arousal are natural, spontaneous God-given responses to physical beauty, while lust is a deliberate act of the will. Lust is the choice to commit in your mind what you’d like to do with your body. You can be attracted or even aroused without choosing to sin by lusting.

Many people, especially brothers in Christ feel shame and condemnation for having active hormones! When they are naturally attracted to a beautiful woman, they assume it’s lust. May God deliver us from this area of confusion and may we be grateful for the bodies that God gave us!

It’s important to see the pattern of temptation in our lives and avoid them. “A wise man sees the temptation (sin) and hides himself, the simple (fools) go on and are punished.” Proverbs 22:3 Situations are always unique to our weaknesses and you need to identify them.

Ask yourself, “when am I most tempted, what time of day, am I bored or lonely, sad or angry?” “Where am I tempted, and who am I tempted with.” Co workers, crowds of strangers? At home, at work? A sports bar? Sitting in front of the computer?

One you identify the typical pattern do your best to avoid situations where your weaknesses are amplified by the temptation. We can’t completely avoid all temptation, but we can avoid being stupid..

Remember… God is building character in you as you learn to make good decisions, but you are not alone in this. These temptations are “common to man” and God has a plan of escape for you. Prayer is a 24 hr hot-line right into the throne room of God, who is waiting for you to (finally) cry out and ask for help.

Sometimes the temptation is so strong and the desire so intense, that we just don’t cry out, because we actually want to give in. At that moment we think we know what’s best for us instead of God! See the power of deception?

God tells us in Hebrews 4:16 (amplified) “Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].”

We ask him for help in the middle of it and cry out.. he will help us.

And.. lastly, when we fail, and we will…
Remember, God’s love is everlasting and it’s not fatal. Get back up, don’t give up, and look to Him. He will restore, rebuild and give you another opportunity to make a right choice so that you will be Christlike and a victorious one..

but…God has a purpose behind every trouble. God uses circumstances in our lives to develop our character. The very difficult life circumstances that we live in every day are God’s way of maturing us and making us Christlike.

No one is immune from pain or somehow insulated from suffering. No one can just breeze through life without problems. Many of us feel like we should be able to though. And we resent problems instead of embrace them. It is amazing how many problems there are, isn’t it? When we just get through one, we find another one hits us. Life is a series of problems. They may not be big ones, just irritating, nonetheless God uses each one as a significant way to grow us up and mature us.

Peter said in I Peter 4:12 “Don’t be bewildered or surprised when you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange or unusual thing that is going to happen to you.” We are even encouraged before they happen to not think it strange when it happens. God uses problems to draw you closer to himself.

It is really hard to get our minds around the idea that our most intimate days of worship and closeness with God can actually be the darkest and most difficult days that we experience. This is where we lose sight sometimes of what God is doing in our lives. If we are not rooted and grounded in His Word, then we give in to feelings of despair, loneliness, fear, resentment and bitterness. It’s during these times of suffering that we can be the most authentic with God and draw near to him.

Problems force us to look to God for help. When we feel strong and self assured many times we don’t think we need help. When we have problems that make us feel weak, and we suffer, we then have to humbly as God to help us… Our independent “self will” must be transformed to “His will”. You’ll never know that God is all you need until God is all you got…

God didn’t spare His own Son from suffering. Why do we think that He with spare us? The real question is “who is in control of our circumstances?” Every day of your life was on God’s calender before you were even born. Everything that happens to you has spiritual significance.

Romans 8:28-29 says ” We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of them who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son.”

In our reading today, Pastor Rick Warren opens up this scripture very beautifully. Please read it if you haven’t already.

The point is this though.. God is committed to you, and his promise is to make you like His Son Jesus. He loves you, but He doesn’t spare you from life’s daily trials and problems because He knows that these alone are the very things that mold us and shape us to be Christlike. When you are in the middle of suffering you need to reach deep inside to the very core of your being and remind yourself of three things:

1. Remember that God’s plan is good
2. Remember to rejoice and give thanks
3. Remember… Never Give Up!

As difficult as times may get, there is encouragement from God’s word and promises that we can hold on to. It’s through perseverance that we obtain the end result. God’s proven character and the joy that comes in the morning…

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Spiritual growth is the process of replacing lies with truth. Jesus said in John 8:31 ” If you abide in my word you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” Someone once said that if you think you are above deception, you are deceived. True growth comes from having our lives transformed by the truth. The truth is found in God’s Word.

The issue we have to face is what we actually believe about God’s word- The Bible. Is it just a “rule book” where we find the way we are supposed to live with a bunch of really cool stories of how the world was made, how God’s people lived, and the life of Jesus almost 2000 years ago? As Christians, we are “supposed” to read it because that is what Christians do.

Or… do we see the Bible, and the words in the Bible, as living words able to actually generate life, healing, hope, releasing power, able to overcome the enemy and defeat temptations, transform circumstances, impart joy and cause miracles? God’s Word is spiritual nourishment that we must have to fulfill our purpose and be transformed by the life changing living truth that it imparts releasing us from lies and deception. Remember, the only power that the enemy has in your life is deception. God’s living Word sets us free.

How do we allow God’s Word to set us free and grow into mature well nourished Christlike people? How do we replace wrong thinking with right? We must abide in God’s Word. The only cure for spiritual malnutrition is spiritual food, and in order to really be fed, there are three day-to-day activities we need to consider.

1. I must accept it’s authority
2. I must assimilate it’s truth
3. I must apply it’s principles

In order to be transformed we must first accept God’s Word as the supreme authority in our lives. Not our feelings, not our opinions, not the world’s viewpoints or even well meaning friends and family. Many of our troubles are caused by not having a reliable authority directing our lives. Resolve in your heart and mind that what God says in His Word that the Bible is your final authority and whether you “feel” it or is doesn’t seem logical, you simply ask before you do something, “what does the Bible say?” This will keep you from falling into things that you don’t need to, and transform you.

It’s one thing to say you believe the Bible, it’s another thing to assimilate it, and internalize it. There’s a saying that “the longest journey in the 18 inches from your head, to your heart.” Getting the Word into you, remembering it, reflecting on it, meditating on it, researching it, and letting it take root in your life will transform you.

Once it’s in you… well, then we find ourselves applying principles that we may have never applied before. We become “doers” of the Word, not just hearers. Jesus pointed out that “Everyone that hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man that built his house upon a rock.” John 13:17

Implementing God’s Word, obeying it, doing it, trusting it… all of these strengthen us, build us up, and put us on a Rock that cannot be moved and we become unwavering examples of transformed lives. May it be so with us today.

Our reading on day 23 is a reminder that it is easy to grow older, it’s a different story to grow mature. How many of us know someone (maybe it’s you) that has been a Christian for a long time but has never seemed to reach a point of maturity. We go through the lessons over and over again stuck in perpetual infancy with diapers and booties… king baby syndrome we call it..

Spiritual growth is not automatic. It is something we have to want. You must want to grow, decide to grow, make an effort to grow and persist and persevere in growing. It’s much like the saying, “many are called but few are chosen.” Who are the ones that are chosen you wonder? It’s the ones that simply decide to raise their hands…

When we decided to follow Jesus, we really didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into did we? The desciples didn’t know either. When Jesus called, they followed. They decided to follow, and that is the first step. Decision.

Your commitments that you make define you and nothing shapes your life more. Your commitments can develop you or destroy you. We become whatever we are committed to. Many people are afraid of commitments and just drift along through life. Some make half hearted commitments. Others commit themselves to the wrong things wholeheartedly giving themselves completely to something that has no eternal rewards and is temporary. What things come to mind for you in these categories?

There is a very unique “divine exchange” that happens when we grow. First we decide to make the commitment to Christ, to become Christlike, and we recognize that growth is not something that we “do.” There is our part and there is His part. As the saying goes, “you can’t live a Christian life without a Christian life to live…” Our job is to “work out” our salvation. His part is to work his life into us.

To change your life you must change what you think. Behind everything you do is a thought. Again, there are sayings that we can refer to, “sow a thought, reap an action, sow an action, reap a habit, sow a habit, reap a character, sow a charactor reap an eternal destiny.” It begins in our thought life. Even psycologists recognize that truth and warn ” Be careful how you think, your life is shaped by your thoughts.”

Of course there is always the question of “will-power.” After all we see those very disciplined people who with strong focused willpower make incredible changes to their lives. Willpower produces short term results but it doesn’t change the root cause of many behaviors. You quickly revert back to the old way of doing things. Willpower alone cannot create long term growth.

The Bible says “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Romans 12:2. Change always starts in your mind. To be like Christ, you must have Christ’s mind. The Greek word for “repentance” actually means to “change your mind.”

We change our mind about a lot of things. The first is about ourselves. We stop thinking self centered immature thoughts. If we are to grow out of our “babyhood” we have to quit thinking like a baby. Babies are pretty demanding and only thinking of their own needs. They are incapable of giving. Only receiving.

Thinking maturely focuses on the needs of others. Love is something really only mature believers can demonstrate fully because love is unselfish and sacrificial.

Christian maturity is not how much you know. The great love chapter in I Corinthians 13 brings this out when Paul writes” though I have the gift of prophesy and have all knowledge and understand all mysteries, if I do not have love it does not profit me..”

God gives us his spirit to mature us, teach us to love, become selfless and serve others with character in integrity. Let’s allow God by his spirit to help us change the way we think. We can only grow if we do.

What actually goes through your mind when you hear those words, “created to become like Christ?” Does it seem like a theory we are just “supposed” to learn about, or some ancient distant truth? Can we see how becoming Christlike is the the third purpose of a purpose driven life…

God’s intention to create us to become like his Son Jesus is made clear in the Creation. “Let us make man in our image and likeness..” Genesis 1:26 Like God we are spiritual beings, our spirits are immortal, we are intelligent, we can think reason and solve problems. We are relational, we can give and receive love. We have a moral conscience, we know the difference between right and wrong.

All people are created in the image of God, not just believers. We all have his “imprint” on our souls. The real reflection of His life in us has been damaged and distorted by sin though. Being restored to a right relationship to God allows his original purpose in our lives to begin… To be a reflection of his Son and become Christlike.

No one said that this process was easy. There is a lot of “inside-out” building that must go on. Being Christlike is not an issue of having a “devine” personality, it’s an issue of having your character transformed. Character transformation is one of those things that we probably tend to avoid because it tends to be an uncomfortable process. God’s ultimate goal in our lives is character development not comfort.

This area is probably one that we all have a great deal of trouble with. When things are going right and everything seems in it’s place and there’s not a care in the world, it’s easy to feel Christlike. Unfortunately for our dear human fleshly nature, this cocoon of wonderfulness is not where we grow! Real growth and maturity comes with a little bit of a price tag attached to it. It costs us our self absorbed “what’s in it for me” and “why me” attitude. The troubles we go through and the character that it produces is not for us. It’s for God’s purposes.

One of the things that happens as we go through the process is that it causes us to depend on the Holy Spirit. You cannot produce Christ likeness in your own strength. It would be like a seed trying to sprout on it’s own without the damp dark soil surrounding it and the natural pressures that help it to grow. Put into the right circumstances there is a natural growth that occurs. It doesn’t sit there and try to grow, nor does it happen overnight. When we allow the Holy Spirit to help us, we will mature, grow and become Christlike.