7252	Forums / Theology Forum / Stages Of Spiritual Growth	on: July 13, 2007, 03:49:11 PM
Its really not self will as opposed to unselfishness as ending in maturity. But all of us are mixed with these tendencies in all the stages because we are sinners and we rationalize rationality by purely speaking in terms of the control of the mind as a way to measure maturity. I believe that i go in and out of all of these stages all the time. There is a straw man here,which is a fatalism in rationalism, that what is defined by experience of counseling is not entirely the truth. Quote You're right about all of that.  Once I realize how sinful I have been in my disbelief, how much I ask of Him for more evidence, after all He's done....the spiral continues. Joker mentioned something about just emptying myself of everything....something like that.  Reasonated with me.  I imagine myself coming to Him covered with heavily deodorized filth and accepting His acceptance of me, without changing a thing. And that changes me.  Sometimes the change amazes me and I get the evidence after all.  For example, the other day, I took a guy, who will probably sue me, to lunch and hung out with him.  For a guy (me) that is prone to anger and hostility, that astounds me.  That's my supernatural miracle for the month.  I'm more impressed with that than healing cancer. Of course, ask me next week how I'm doing.  If I'm still good, it is also by God's grace.  Someone said that it takes more of a miracle of God to change someone's character than it does to raise them from the dead.  I think that's true.  It is for me. You make a good point cc. Too many times we try to advance in our spiritual lives without really understanding what God is trying to do. We either presuppose on His will in our lives by going ahead in some kind of quick step approach, or we ignore the problem, remaining in a condition of hardness. I have found that both are from guilt and will just drag us away from Gods goodness and grace. God has provided healing and forgiveness in Christ work on our behalf. There should be full relief in Him with a reliance on His working relationships out in His time in us. If we are doing in and out of guilt which we often mix with His grace, then we are not going to respond in knowing just how terribly unable we are to advance and how absolutely we need His power to do the advancing. This lessen is best learned first before we can advance.