When my daughter started secondary school, I attended her first open house. Although she took some snacks to school earlier that day, she still asked me for her “open house snacks” when I got to her school. That was the tradition we had in primary school. I smiled and told her it was time to outgrow that habit, now that she’s in secondary school.
Friend, what do you need to outgrow? Growth is not automatic. It is intentional (1 Timothy 4:12-16). There are things that you should have outgrown by now. For the folks in Hebrews, the author lamented that they were still stuck with milk when they should have moved to strong meat (Hebrews 5:12-14). Sadly, we have many Christians today who have not outgrown the milk of the word.
When Apostle Peter encouraged us to desire the sincere milk of the word, the purpose was to grow thereby, not to remain in the same (1 Peter 2:2). If you continue to feed on milk and are not able to endure solid food of the word, it means you are not growing. It means your relationship with God and His word is still where it was when you began your Christian life (1 Corinthians 3:1).
Like my daughter, some Christians need to outgrow snacks. Snacks are not real food. Although they may make you feel full and fine but it’s only a pseudo satisfaction. Snacks only occupy space in your system without adding much nutritional value. What have you occupied yourself with that is not delivering any real spiritual value to you (Hebrews 13:9)?
You can be stuck with religious routines without necessarily growing. Like I did to my daughter, you need people in your life who would summon you to a higher life (2 Peter 3:18). You need those who would not continue to indulge you but would challenge you to grow up. Don’t go to a church where the pastor only feeds you with the snacks of the word (Jeremiah 3:15). It is dangerous to your spiritual health.
If you don’t grow in the word, you won’t outgrow the works of the flesh as well as childish things. You would still be a victim of envy, strife, offence, malice, division, etc. (1 Corinthians 3:3, 13:11). You would always need someone to follow you up before you come to church. You would continue to argue about matters of sin and consecration when you should be stepping unto higher things of destiny (1 Corinthians 6:12). What do you need to outgrow today?
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria