Towards spiritual growth

TOWARDS SPIRITUAL GROWTH
BY
OLUWASEUN AJAYI
AND
JOHN OGUNSANYA
Foreword By: Pastor Ademola Awoyele
(Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the King
James Version of the Bible.)

Contents
Chapter One: Growth as a duty
Chapter Two: Pathway to Spiritual Growth
Chapter Three: The Growth Curve Concept
Chapter Four: Love; a proof of Spiritual Growth
Chapter Five: Obedience; a key to Spiritual Growth
Chapter Six: Enemies of Growth

Foreword
Growth is a ‘normal’ characteristic of every living thing. It is not a
phenomenon neither should it be a miracle. In fact, lack of growth is actually
the miracle! God has not created us to remain the way we are. We are
permitted to start small but not permitted to remain small (Job 8:7, Luke
1:80). Our ability to bear fruit as expected of us by the Almighty God is
predicated on our growth because fruitfulness is a normal consequence of
growth. God’s expectation over your life is great, and He has attached so
many people and things to your life that will be directly or indirectly affected
by your becoming all that you have been destined to become. Growth helps
you to become just that!
Now, every healthy body must grow as growth is a consequence of sound
health. Even in the human body, when there is good health there will
definitely be growth. Lack of growth or correct growth is often seen as a
symptom of ill-health.
The authors (Oluwaseun and John) have painstakingly written on spiritual
growth with the aim of encouraging and challenging the readers to press on
in their walk with the Lord while eliminating impediments to their growth.
This book will serve as an encouragement to that soul who is feeling
dissatisfied and disturbed as to why he remains the way he is. It will also
serve as a guiding caution to the one who thinks he has ‘arrived’ and need
not press any further to not slip away into spiritual death. Like Apostle Paul
said, this book will help you in ‘forgetting the things which are behind... and
reaching forth to what lies ahead’ (Phil 3:13) since ‘we can never exhaust God
‘(as Oluwaseun rightly puts it).

Towards Spiritual Growth is a call unto responsibility both to the ‘spiritually
mature’ and those who seem to be struggling because God has made
adequate provisions for all that we need to grow and continue to grow
unhindered if only we can maximize them while walking in love and
obedience which are both the ingredients and marks of progressive growth in
God.
I heartily recommend this Holy Spirit inspired piece to all Christians
irrespective of their level in God; new converts, growing believers, mature
believers etc. Christian workers and leaders alike will find this book a major
tool for continued progress in their walk with the Lord and a catalyst for an
acceptable life and service unto God.
My prayer is that as you take your time to study and digest all that the Holy
Spirit is bringing to you via this anointed piece, you will grow in grace and in
the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2Peter 3:18) and also
grow up into Him in all things (Ephesians 4:15).
Yours for continued growth,
Pastor ‘Demola Awoyele,
Founder and President, BUILT2LAST and,
Senior Pastor, Foursquare Gospel Church Shipeolu, Palmgrove, Lagos.

Preface
This book is a product of diligent study of the word of God coupled with
several experiences John and I have had in our Christian journey. It all started
as a joke when I informed John Ogunsanya of my intention of writing a book
with him. He embraced the idea with a gracious heart and inspired me to be
prompt with the work.
All the chapters of this book will bless your life. The growth curve concept
gives life to the fact that a lasting impression is created when a thing can be
visualized. I know so many Christians are familiar with several spiritual
gymnastics that can aid spiritual growth. But beyond these spiritual
gymnastics one must be willing to follow it up with obedience. Ogunsanya
also brings home the truth that until love abounds in you; you have no proof
of being spiritual. Love; a proof of spiritual growth is a chapter that is loaded
with so many exegeses on the subject called Love.
This book also provides insights to the enemies of spiritual growth one must
watch out for. We should never be ignorant of the devices of the devil lest he
takes advantage of us. Open this treasure chest to examine and utilize the
jewels therein.
I would love to express my sincere gratitude, appreciation and love for co-
labourers that helped diligently in this project: Ogunsanya John, my co-
author; Oyetoro Opeyemi who proofread the manuscript; Oluwatobi Adesina
(Toby Tye) who designed the front cover; and Oladapo Olaogbebikan who
reviewed this work, gave necessary corrections and encouraged me to
embrace excellence. I won’t fail to appreciate Pastor Demola Awoyele (Senior

Pastor, Foursquare Gospel Church, Shipeolu, Lagos) who made a great deal of
sacrifice to write the foreword to this book. I am highly privileged sir.
In conclusion, I am so much persuaded that once you read this book with an
open heart you are sure to be left with an impression you can never forget.
Oluwaseun Ajayi,
December, 2014.
+2347032576199
oluwaseun.ajayi@yahoo.com

CHAPTER ONE
GROWTH AS A DUTY
In Biology, one of the important characteristics of life is growth. We learnt
then that plants continue to grow throughout their lifetime while animals
would not show considerable increase in height when they reach adult stage
(though it does not infer that the process of growth has ceased). In
Christianity, the issue of growth is not one to be taken lightly. Growth is a
responsibility for a Christian, as well as a duty. By duty, it means it is
something one must be engaged in. It means an activity one consciously and
deliberately put his effort into. God is so much interested in your growth and
you are an important factor in the equation. God’s part is to provide avenue
for you to grow. A Christian’s responsibility is to utilize and maximize such
avenues for growth.
Matthew 13 is a real eye-opener to God’s attitude to the Christian’s growth.
The Christian race is a race of growth. One of the prayers Jacob prayed for his
grandchildren was a prayer of growth according to Gen. 48:16. (…….. and let
them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth). The scripture says in
Psalm 92:12, “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow
like a cedar in Lebanon. Take note of the word “shall”. It is more of an
expectation from the righteous to grow. The scriptures didn’t say the
righteous can grow neither does it say that the righteous might grow. God’s
purpose for His acts, most times, is tied to growth. The first responsibility
God gave to Adam was to grow the garden. God set him up in the garden so
that Adam can make the garden grow. (Gen 2:15) And the LORD God took

the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it (to
create a condition for its growth) – Emphasis mine.
If God could take it as a duty, then Christians are inexcusable. Have you ever
experienced or seen the agony of a mother if her suckling refuses to grow?
She becomes clearly frustrated. Hebrews 5:12 says; “For when for the time ye
ought to be teachers……..” This scripture emphasizes the issue of growth and
also timing. Everything under God is timed. God expects us to have attained a
particular level of growth at different points in time. And if we fail to, it
grieves Him just like it grieves the heart of a mother whose suckling is not
growing. “Ought” in that scripture connotes a sense of duty. The writer of
that book expected them to have been teachers at that point in time, but
instead they were still being taught elementary doctrines (a phase they
should have passed). The difference between what you were before and
what you are now is GROWTH.
The growth I (Oluwaseun) am talking about is the increase in our knowledge
of God. Not only that, but also our transformation into Jesus daily. Our focus
is to grow to become like our Model, Jesus Christ. Ephesians 4:13 says, “Till
we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ”. I love verses 14 and 15 of Ephesians 4 and while considering them, it
is expedient to take note of three key points in Eph 4:13 which are: the
knowledge of the Son of God, perfect man and fullness of Christ. God wants
us to grow more in the knowledge of Jesus. Remember, the Scripture
emphasized Jesus as the Word of God. As you take out time to plunge
yourself into the study of God’s word, you begin to know Jesus more and
more and gain illumination into who He is. The second point, “perfect man” is
about a call unto maturity. It is not wrong to start as an infant but it would be
absurd to remain one. Other translations render “perfect” as mature (AMP),

fullgrown (ASV), full growth (BBE) etc. The journey of Christianity is a
progressive one. You must take it as a duty to keep growing. The last point,
‘fullness of Christ” reveals that there are degrees one can attain in Christ.
What God wants us to have is the fullness of Christ.
It is very pathetic that so many who profess Christianity are deficient of
Christ. Such Christians have not taken conscious effort to enroll into the
school of growth. Paul the Apostle rendered a prayer in Phil. 3:10 which
every one of us should not be tired of praying. The prayer goes thus: “That I
may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his
sufferings, being made conformable unto His death”. Paul was not satisfied
with the level he was, he was interested in getting the fullness of Christ.
Let us consider Ephesians 4:14-15. The passage read thus:
14. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried
about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning
craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is
the head, even Christ:
God does not want us to remain as children (infants); He wants us to grow
unto maturity. He wants us to grow up into Christ in all things. We can never
exhaust God.
Let us consider also, some Bible characters that took growth (in all
dimensions) consciously.

Samuel
i. He grew physically – I Sam. 2:21. Many destinies have been aborted
as a result of retardation in physical growth and development. Our
bodies have been given to us to carry our spirit man. The body is
what grants the spirit man a physical presence on earth. At creation,
after God had created man (spirit), He formed man (body) in Genesis
2:7. Without the body, the spirit will not function here on earth. So, a
Christian should not be foolish as to say, I don’t need to take care of
my body.
ii. He grew in the things of the Lord – I Sam. 2:26, 3:19). This is the
spiritual dimension of Samuel’s growth. The prophetic assignment
was upon the life of Samuel but it was not automatic for him to step
into it. Samuel had to learn the prophetic under the guidance of Eli.
He learnt to minister before the Lord (I Sam. 3:1) so that he would
know how to minister for the Lord. He learnt to discern the voice of
God so that he would be a voice for Him (I Sam. 3:2-10). Samuel took
the issue of growth consciously and deliberately knowing full well
that it is never automatic.
John the Baptist
Another beautiful character in relation to growth in the Scriptures is John the
son of Zechariah. He was ordained to be the fore-runner for Jesus’ ministry.
But before he could step into divine purpose, he had to go through seasons
of growth. He had to become mature (a man) for the call hanging over his life
even though the call was made while he was yet unborn (Luke 1:13-17).
Another beautiful thing about John is that he discovered his purpose on time

(while he was a child). For his understanding that, the discovery was still not
enough if he would fulfill destiny, he submitted himself consciously to the
school of growth and all the attendant actions he took to fulfill this call, he
did very early in life (Luke 1:80). And the child grew, and waxed strong in
spirit …….
The place and relevance of physical maturing in the pursuit of spiritual
growth can never be overemphasized. Clearly, “And the child grew” connotes
physical growth while “and waxed strong in spirit” predicates spiritual
growth. Pursuit of spiritual growth should never be to the detriment of our
physical growth. A vibrant spirit and a weak, shabby body are not a good
combination. Likewise a healthy (strong, sound) body and a broken spirit
(Prov. 17:22, 18:14). Remember, the core of this book is on developing strong
spiritual muscles, so more preference should be given to spiritual growth
even as we balance it with physical development.
Jesus Christ
The last character who would be considered on the issue of growth for this
chapter is our Model, Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. His birth, life and
ministry were prophesied several years before He came on the scene.
Prophecies don’t fulfill themselves, men fulfill them. Jesus knew that destiny
is far from being accomplished if one does not grow into it. For Jesus Christ, it
was recorded that He experienced three important dimensions of growth;
physical, spiritual and mental growth (Luke 2:40). The spiritual dimension of
growth was double dose for Jesus as recorded by Luke 2:40; ……. (1) and
waxed strong in spirit,…........ (2) and the grace of God was upon him. Other
schools of thought also added the fourth dimension of growth (social
development). According to Luke 2:52, it was added that He increased in

favour with man (i.e. he got better by the day in His relationship with people
around).
As I round off this chapter, I’d really like to emphasize our attitude to growth.
It is something to be taken very consciously. Per time, ask yourself,
“Am I making progress in spiritual growth?”
“Is my knowledge of God deepening as time breezes past?”
“Am I getting better spiritually?”
“Am I making progress in all dimensions of growth?”
God won’t do for you what you are meant to do for yourself. God is a God of
growth; He wants you to experience growth (most especially spiritual
growth). But you have a part to play and a price to pay if you would grow.

CHAPTER TWO
PATHWAY TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Just as a newborn baby starts with feeding on breast milk (or any other infant
formula) and liquid, then semi-solid food and on to taking solid foods;
progressively in that manner, so are we meant to have our own basic and
necessary recipe for spiritual growth. In a situation whereby a child has not
started doing some things expected from his or her age group then special
care and attention would be given and necessary steps taken to know where
the problem lies and the nature of the solution to be proffered. As it is in the
natural, so it is in the spiritual. In this chapter, I (John) will not elevate one
ingredient or pathway above the other because just as the hand is not more
important than the leg, so it is for these ingredients.
The growth of the early Christians was a major concern to Apostle Paul that
he had to address it in Heb 5:11-6:12 stating that when they ought to be
teachers who will be imparting others, they have refused to grow up and
can’t take solid food thereby feeding on milk.
These ingredients are explored thus:
1. The Word of God
The word of God is as food or bread which we feed on to nourish and give
strength to our spirit in order to forge ahead. It is a pity that our generation is
made up of a greater percentage of people who want food to be served on
their tables (not caring to know the process(es) it went through to before it
could be ready) instead of them going to scoop or dish it out from the pot
themselves. The bible in this context is the already prepared food (word) by

God which we have to serve ourselves (study) for us to be able to know what
it takes to grow. I belong to the category of people that hardly eat food I
don’t know how to prepare. The truth is that you can’t complain about
something you didn’t work for when it is given to you for free (regardless of
the quality and/or quantity) but in a situation whereby you worked hard for it
then you can lay claims on it. I grew up knowing that people are around you
because of what you can offer or know, but in a situation whereby they
notice that you cannot offer anything new, you have been offering the same
thing over time (no change or increase), they will desert you.
The reason we are to study the word of God is not just because we want
people around us, but for us to grow and also be able to stand firm and hold
our ground against every false teaching. Paul also admonished Timothy to
study to show himself approved……correctly analyzing and accurately dividing
[rightly handling and skillfully teaching] (2Tim2:15 AMP) because he knew
that false teachings and doctrines that would later come up and that there
would be the need to liberate men from such.
Our growth should have a positive impact on the lives of others.
How will you be in the know and come to the realization of the right and
power you have to test or prove every spirit if they are from God or not
(1John 4:1) if you do not study your bible? Just as we have the following
growth stages in human development: infant, toddler, playgroup, adolescent
and puberty, adulthood (young, middle and advanced), in like manner, our
word life determines our stage and what we should or can feed on e.g. milk,
meat, bone, etc. the way a child and an adolescent will be addressed on the
same issue of, say stealing, will differ because of their level of understanding
and our expectations from them also.

It is the word that sustains the growth of a Christian because it is also like a
seed planted (according to Matthew 13). For us to experience increase, we
must feed on what keeps the word alive (just like a man in the desert feels
happy at the sight of water). We need to graduate from the level of ‘My
Pastor said…’ all the time to that of ‘The bible says…’ as this gives us more
confidence and assurance in facing life’s challenges. The difference between
a growing Christian and a stunted Christian is their word life.
I (John) recall a situation I found myself in while I was a corps member in the
National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). I was unable to have my quiet time for
almost two weeks. This affected my confidence a lot although people didn’t
really notice this as the grace of the office I occupied was still speaking, but
deep inside of me I was rotting or decaying, until God intervened and
restored me before a major task was to be carried out. So, if you are not
growing, you are rotting or decaying silently which leads to death or a great
fall on the long run (People don’t die in a day, it starts from somewhere). One
of the things that helped me was because of the people I had around me who
were always up and doing; not leaving any stone unturned. Also I heard the
word everyday (morning and evening, at times during discussion).
One of the causes of stunted growth in human beings is MALNUTRITION
during fetal development which means not eating food with adequate
nutrients or overfeeding at times. In Christianity, it is not a crime to take too
much or overfeed on the word of God because there is nothing like that but
when you feed too little on it you will face the consequence which is stunted
growth. Also when we refuse to feed adequately on the word of God we will
experience a RETARDATION (delay or hold back in terms of growth) or
stagnation. How do you know when you are experiencing stunted growth?
This is simple. The purpose of spiritual growth is to become like Jesus and He

is the standard or yardstick by which we ought to measure ourselves. Don’t
be a tomato Christian that’s bubbling today but easily blown away by winds
of false doctrines due to shallow roots in the word of God.
Note: it is not just about studying the scriptures but putting it into
practice. That is what brings about growth or you would only have head
knowledge and that’s all.
2. Prayer
Prayer and the study of the word are two brothers that cannot be separated
just like Oluwaseun and I always said back then in the Jesus’ Corpers’ family
house (in Bayelsa). The word complements prayer and vice versa. If you are
not studying the scriptures then how do you want to pray? If you are not
praying, how do you want to key into or lay hold of God’s assurances in the
Bible? So many people want to enjoy grace like Jesus did yet they neglect the
place of prayer not knowing that this same Jesus was a man who never toiled
with prayer. I have heard so many teachings on why we don’t have to pray
much because we are under grace. Some even said they don’t have to pray
because the scripture says in Rom 8:26 that the Spirit is praying for us. They
failed to read where Jesus had to take time to teach His disciples about
prayer on several occasions (Matthew 6:9-13). If there were no need, why
would He have done that?
Something interesting about the Lord’s Prayer is that it is a prayer of one who
has a relationship with the Father. We can also picture it as being a letter.
During my days in secondary school, we were taught that there are two types
of letters; the formal and the informal. The formal letter is written to a

person one does not necessarily have a relationship with (i.e. it is strictly
official). A good example is a letter to a Commissioner, Governor, the Director
of a company, etc. While the informal type is one written to friends, families,
close associates, etc. The Lord’s Prayer is like an informal letter as it is
addressed to our Father whose address is in Heaven. In it, we have time to
talk about our wellbeing, our feelings, challenges and needs but only for
those who have a RELATIONSHIP with the Father. It addresses a lot of our
needs: physical, spiritual, relational and so on.
Prayer is a lifeline. It should not be a last resort when other means have
failed, rather, it should be the first option. A Christian who does not pray is a
powerless one. The devil is not always afraid of a man who can talk so much
but he is afraid of a man who can travail so well in the place of prayer. The
concept of prayer and the word is like fuel and fire that brings about result.
The world is always at the mercy of men of prayer. Prayer is also like water
we drink on food (word) we have eaten so as to speed up the digestion
process and make necessary impacts in our system. Jude 20 admonishes us to
build up ourselves on our most holy faith by praying. Show me a man who is
not praying and I will show you a man on the road to oblivion. It is the Holy
Spirit that grants us strength to pray.
3. Fellowship
2Cor 13:14 (AMP)…. the grace (favour and spiritual blessing) of the Lord Jesus
Christ and the love of God and the presence and fellowship (the communion
and sharing together and participation) in the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Amen (so be it).

Like I was made to understand, the grace is from Jesus, the love is from God
(the Father) and the communion/fellowship/partnership is with the Holy
Spirit. What makes our gathering as Christians different from that of other
people is the presence of the Holy Spirit, if not any group of people can
gather together and say they are doing one thing or the other. That’s why we
call it fellowship, communion (common unity or union), partnership. The Holy
Spirit unites us all so we have a common vision: to be like Jesus.
The kind or nature of the environment we find ourselves in can also tell a lot
about our state of health. Environment with poor sanitation will do lot of
harm to our health while that with good sanitation will be highly beneficial to
us. So also, the kind of people we sit, stand and walk with (Ps 1:1) affect our
lives. Like I shared under the first point (word) about my deteriorating state
when I couldn’t meet up with my quiet time, it was because I found myself in
the community of believers that I could be strengthened.
I (John) still remember vividly, an experience I had on a particular Sunday in
fellowship during my 300Level in the University, the then President of the
fellowship I attended (Bro. Wole Ayoade) asked a question while preaching.
He asked: “Why are you in church today?” The question seemed so simple
and plain but as I was seated there pondering on it, it dawned on me that I
had no readymade answer until I meditated seriously and deeply while
silently praying I would not be called on to provide an answer. He went ahead
to point at people and there were answers like: “I am in church because
today is Sunday”, “I am in church because I just have to be”, “I am in church
because I was brought up this way”, and so on. If I didn’t gain anything on
that day I knew I got an answer within me to that question.
You can refer to the following scriptures on fellowshipping together:
Ps 133 and Heb 10:25.

What effect does fellowshipping with the brethren have on our lives? It helps
us to encourage each other in love and help out as well as spurring ourselves
on. Fellowship is an avenue to share your pains, challenges and struggles with
one another. The survival strategy for a Christian anywhere is fellowship. No
force is strong enough to stop the Holy Spirit and us at the same time. We
gather strength from fellowshipping together as well. Ps 84:7. Although this
race is that of personal responsibilities yet it isn’t a competition, nor a private
or secret one. In this light, we need the help of others on this journey as well.
One of the reasons why we refer to the early church on regular basis is
because they showed us the importance and benefits of fellowship which
also helped their growth.
4. Mentorship
We live in a world where mentors have turned to tormentors but that does
not mean that we do not have a lot of people we can look up to for good. A
mentor is a more experienced person who helps a less experienced one in a
particular work, career, discipline, project, assignment, etc. Jesus Christ is our
perfect example of a mentor who took His time to guide and teach His
disciples on the right path to go before committing to them the Great
Commission. Mentorship is also an important ingredient of spiritual growth.
The followings are biblical examples of mentors and their protégés: Jesus and
His disciples, Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Jethro and Moses, Paul and
Timothy, Eli and Samuel, etc.
“Mentorship is a brain to pick, a shoulder to cry on and a kick in the pants.”

Murray and Marna (1991) defined mentorship as an agreed-upon exchange
between two men, a more experienced man and a less experienced man,
developing the less experienced to his maximum potential in Christ and
empowering him with abilities to meet a need, achieve a goal or to GROW
through situations.
Spiritual mentors help others develop a solid pattern of spiritual discipline in
their lives which helps deepen their personal relationships with God, help
them grow in the image of Christ and prepare them to become usable vessels
for the kingdom. The activity a mentor takes the protégé through includes
bible study, directed reading, training in the Christian disciplines (quiet time,
bible reading, prayer), helping to determine spiritual gifts and ministry
direction. The protégé is also accountable to the mentor (who serves as
checks and balances) in a way thereby helping him to attend to the necessary
details of growth. Since mentors are more experienced, they advise the
protégé on issues and guide them through steps to overcoming challenges.
Mentors help their protégés to understand God’s ways and purposes in
difficulties, provide counsel and help to navigate through time of crisis.
The following scriptures can also help us understand the place of mentors in
spiritual growth: Prov 22:6, 2Tim2:2, Ps 71:18.
5. Spiritual Songs
Eph 5:19 (NLT) says: ….singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among
yourselves and making music to the Lord in your hearts.

The world of today is filled with diverse kinds of songs (both secular and
spiritual) which affect the lives of people who listen to them. One thing about
music or song is that it carries its own power. There is a way it shapes the life
of the singer or the listener. One of the pointers to the growth of King David
was because he was always singing psalms to the Lord. So many people in the
Christian faith have him as a role model, myself inclusive. Let me ask this
question before I proceed: have you ever listened to secular musicians and
you are stirred up to pray or study your bible? The answer is NO. But when
you listen to Gospel singers, there is a kind of stirring up or refreshing within
your spirit.
Hymns and spiritual songs take or lead us into the presence of God where we
get resources and adequate meal like Elijah (1Kgs 19:7) to keep us going.
Thank God for the church of today where hymns, psalms and other spiritual
songs are being rendered frequently/regularly. Even though we may not
value them, they exert a positive impact on our growth. Countless times,
hymns have stirred my faith and helped me overcome situations of life at
different points in time. The secret of most of the songs is that they contain
simplified version of verses from the scriptures which helps in building our
faith. Spiritual songs keep the spirit alive as petrol does to fire.
6. Fasting
Fasting is an act of willing abstinence or reduction in some activities that
bring pleasure to the flesh so as to give us more time to focus more on a
spiritual exercise. Fasting on its own means nothing but what you do during
the fast is what gives meaning to it. If you are fasting without a set time to
pray or study the word then you are on hunger strike. Fasting is not all about

staying away from food but also reducing or denying the flesh its cravings and
indulgencies (certain things we enjoy doing a lot) e.g. doing away with our
phones for some period of time, being in isolation for a while, etc. Fasting is
an act of gaining concentration.
When the Late Kenneth E. Hagin’s son was asked if his father was the fasting
type (based on food), he said not really but he lived a fasted life (as he hardly
slept during the night, been engaged doing study or praying). That’s also a
good example of fasting. One of the ways by which we humble ourselves
before God is through fasting as we wait patiently on Him to help us (Isa
40:29-30). We can’t be like Jesus if we are not humble; the bible had to
emphasize on it in Phil 2:5-8 for us to imitate His humility. Another benefit of
fasting to spiritual growth is that it leads to brokenness, repentance and
transformation within us.
During fasting, the word of God is quickened in our hearts and the truth
becomes more meaningful to us. This also helps to transform our prayer life
into a richer one. It can also result into a dynamic personal revival which then
spread to others around us. I strongly believe if you can overcome the devil
or temptations during fasting then it would be easier for you to face other
temptations on your way like Jesus (Luke 4:1-). Fasting is beyond going
without food or other pleasurable activities but also concentrating on
spiritual things.
I recall someone telling me back in the university that my growth was a big
surprise to him. He didn’t keep it to himself but also went ahead to share it
with others. I don’t engage in fasting only to get things from God but for God
to take from me as well. You may be wondering what I have in my possession
that God will take from me. He will take away my weaknesses, my
incompetences, my imperfections that they may be replaced with strength,

courage, competence, etc. it was recorded in the scriptures that Jesus fasted.
Apostle Paul after his conversion stayed in Arabia for three years before
launching into ministry (Gal 1:13-20) but I see a mystery in our generation as
men after conversion look forward to having a congregation without being
fully nurtured to maturity.
My Pastor once shared the story of a new convert who was sent to the
seminary. He didn’t last there before turning into an herbalist. I believe such
people are meant to be well discipled and trained spiritual ethics before
sending them on such path. Was it the seminary that destroyed him? No, he
wasn’t well equipped before he embarked on such journey.

CHAPTER THREE
THE GROWTH CURVE CONCEPT
During my undergraduate days, I (Oluwaseun) offered a course in the
microbiology department of my institution. The course was MCB 201
(General Microbiology). One of the course synopses is Growth curve. This is
however in relation to microbial growth. But it seems a very useful concept in
explaining spiritual growth. There are four phases in this growth curve. They
are: lag phase, log phase, stationary phase and diminishing (death phase).
Ideally, A Christian would have to pass through the first two phases. Often,
some Christians experience the last two phases (though it is not God’s
intention for our lives as His children). In this chapter, the concept of the
growth curve is explained.
Figure 1: The Growth Curve

LAG PHASE
This is the first stage a young convert assumes. At this phase, minimal or no
growth is observed (spiritual growth might not really be visible to people
around). The young convert is just getting to know how to follow Jesus. He is
learning to keep up with his quiet time. He is just learning to keep up with
regular church attendance. At this point, he will make some mistakes and
learn from them. Some of the attributes he picked up while in the world
would still be manifesting. He might still find it hard to do away with his old
friends. He might still be keeping in touch with his former partners in his old
acts. During this phase, the young convert’s faith is not yet established. He
might still be indulging in some of the sins and habits he confessed on the
altar the day he gave his life to Jesus Christ. At this point, revelations he gets
from the scriptures would be shallow.
This is the stage at which God begins to work on his life to rid him off of his
old man with his affections. It is very possible for a Christian to remain at this
stage for years if he doesn’t decide consciously to make progress with God.
Your level of response to God will determine how long a man will remain at
this stage. At this stage, foundations for Christian living are laid. Once a
wrong foundation is laid, it would invariably have an effect in the life of such
a man even after he has left this phase. Elementary doctrines of Christ are
taught at this stage (Hebs. 6:1-2). So, if such a convert gets it wrong at this
stage, it would show in later stages. No wonder, we hear so many
malpractices practiced by respected men of God. This is due to the wrong
foundation they had while growing in Christ (deficiency in the lag phase).

LOG OR ACCELERATION PHASE
The second phase of the growth curve is called the Log phase. At this phase,
growth in the life of the young Christian becomes obvious to people. You can
at this stage clearly notice a divide between the old life of the young convert
while in the world and the new life he now lives in Christ. 2 Cor. 5:17 now
becomes a reality not just a theory. At this phase, the faith of such Christian is
established. He begins to build on previous knowledge he has learnt about
God while in the lag phase. Bible study, prayer, fasting and fellowship at this
time do not become a burden. Visible proofs of the manifestation of the fruit
of the spirit are noticeable in such a life. The spiritual development of such
Christian is on the geometric progression. Revelation from the word of God
becomes deep in this phase. Remember, the path of the righteous is like a
shining light, that shines brighter and brighter ………. (Prov. 4:18
Paraphrased).
Spiritual giftings are also noticeable at this stage i.e. such Christian begins to
manifest a particular gift of the Spirit. At this stage, errors from the lag phase
must be corrected. But the danger of this phase is that some errors from the
lag phase might go unnoticed until later. That is why you will be surprised to
hear that a healing evangelist was caught committing fornication. Funny
stories like the set-man of a ministry involving himself in embezzlement of
church funds or the choir master impregnating choir members might also re-
surface. Log phase is the boom of spiritual growth. Moses, the meekest man
on earth was denied entrance into the Promised Land just because of the
issue of anger that showed up in the log phase of his life (which he didn’t deal
with at the lag phase of his spiritual growth). Another danger is that, spiritual
gifts might “mask” errors or deficiencies in the life of such Christian at this
phase.

This is actually the phase God wants every Christian to reach and not leave.
He wants us to experience spiritual growth on the exponential. The more we
know Him, the more we want to know Him. The more we become like Him,
the more we want to become like Him (2 Cor. 3:18). God wants us to move
from one level of glory to another. We can never exhaust God. Our God is
infinite. You can never be too spiritual.
STATIONARY PHASE
The stationary phase is the phase characterized by complacency. A Christian
in this phase chooses to relax in his achievement rather than rest in Christ. At
this stage, he would choose not to increase his spiritual input for increased
spiritual growth. Remember, for you to increase spiritually per time, you
must increase your spiritual input (increased word life, prayer time increase,
fasting days increase etc.) as well. Spiritual progress can only be made as you
also increase in quality and/or quantity spiritual activities you engage
yourself in. So for a Christian that crosses into the stationary phase, he
believes he does not need to exert himself any longer in spiritual activities.
However, such Christian becomes stagnant (he no longer makes progress).
For some, they think they have arrived; they begin to despise the spiritual
input put in by others. They make comments like; “Why will you be fasting for
this long?”, “Do you want to kill yourself?”, “Do you think I attained this
spiritual level by fasting for this number of days?”, “It is as not hard as you
are making it out to be”.
Pride is a likely reason why some enter into the stationary phase. Some might
be as a result of “busyness”. Itineraries are clumped up throughout the year
such that they lose the place of personal devotion to the Lord. They are
ministering to others while ministration to their own very lives is missing. If
this persists in such Christians, they would definitely cross into the decline

phase of growth. Laziness might also be the reason for stagnancy in some
Christians. This would be explained better in the last chapter (Enemies of
growth).
DIMINISHING/DEATH PHASE
This is the backsliding stage or the decline stage of a Christian. At this phase,
the Christian no longer has any spiritual input. Personal devotional life is lost
at this phase. The word life becomes dead. Fellowship with other brethren
might also be lost. At this stage, the Christian victim withdraws himself from
anything spiritual. He thinks God is longer faithful and wonders why he need
to serve God. Spiritual fervor and savour are lost. Some Christians backslide
because of long standing difficulties and challenges that look as if God does
not want to solve. Some of them eventually fall into sins which take them
away from God.
Sometimes, it might not be as a result of sin, but as a result of swimming in
accolades and the trophies they have won. At this point, they begin to place
emphasis on their achievements rather than God. Pride sets in and it is clear
that God resists the proud. Some might be like Solomon that traded his love
for God for love for strange women (I kings 3:3, 11:1). We all know that
Solomon didn’t finish well. Some might also be like Saul the first king of Israel
who allowed his unrepentant heart to rob him of the presence of God. The
bible records that the Spirit of the Lord left him (he grew dead spiritually) and
the evil spirit from the Lord came to torment (I Sam. 16:14).
Conclusively, the phase God wants us to experience is the log phase
(acceleration phase) such that we grow daily in our knowledge of Jehovah.
Paul records that he dies daily. That should also be our experience as
Christians. God wants us to die to the flesh and grow more mature in the

spirit. He daily loads us with benefits (Psalm 68:19) necessary for our spiritual
growth. Your focus should be to maximize these benefits for your spiritual
progress. Difficulties should not put an end to your spiritual progression.
Don’t be like the children of Israel who decided to be stagnated just because
they were confronted by the red sea. God had to bring their consciousness to
the need for them to make progress. And the LORD said unto Moses,
Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they
go forward: (Exodus 14:15). My prayer is that we would never retard as we
seek to grow spiritually.

CHAPTER FOUR
LOVE; A PROOF OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Love is the evidence of us becoming like Jesus. When we love, we get to a
stage that we begin to look beyond the actions or deeds of people in relating
with them. If you love your fellows, you must have discovered their value.
Jesus loved us so much because He placed such a high value upon each one
of us. Jesus said in John 14:15 that: if you love me, you will keep my
commandments. We can infer that if you do not love Christ, you will not obey
Him also if you do not obey Him you cannot love Him.
I would be dead wrong to say: you must obey Christ in order to show/prove
you love Him. Jesus knew there was no obedience without love. Love is the
foundation and motivation for following Christ in full obedience. Better put,
you must love Christ in order to find obeying Him easy. Consider the
following scriptures:
Mark 12:30: And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your
soul, all your mind, and all your strength. (NLT)
1John 5:3: For the [true] love of God is this: that we do His commands [keep
His ordinances and are mindful of His precepts and teaching]. And these
orders of His are not irksome (burdensome, oppressive, or grievous) (AMP)
2John 1:6: Love means doing what God has commanded us, and He has
commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning
(NLT)
Love comes first, then true love produces absolute obedience. There is a
saying that: ‘A dog is a man’s best friend’. Have you ever wondered why? A

dog neither questions you nor chooses whether to obey or not. Dogs are
always there to welcome you when you get back from your outing wagging
their tails even if they are very hungry.
Love being a proof of spiritual growth is not only based on our relationship
with the Father but also with the people around us (John 13:34-35).
Heb 6:10-12: For God is not unrighteous to forget or overlook your labor and
the love which you have shown for His name’s sake in ministering to the
needs of the saints (His own consecrated people), as you still do. But we do
[strongly and earnestly] desire for each of you to show the same diligence and
sincerity [all the way through] in realizing and enjoying the full assurance and
development of [your] hope until the end, In order that you may not grow
disinterested and become [spiritual] sluggards, but imitators, behaving as do
those who through faith (by their leaning of the entire personality on God in
Christ in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness)
and by practice of patient endurance and waiting are [now] inheriting the
promises (AMP)
The true indicator of spiritual growth is our ability to love against all odds.
Paul wrote to the Ephesians that: ‘Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly
beloved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave
Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.’ Apostle John
also wrote: “Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love”
(1John 4:8).
To know and be like God is to have developed a capacity for loving. The Spirit
of God influences us to love. Once we allow the Holy Spirit to have a free
course in us then our capacity and inclination to love in a godly manner
becomes greater. This love transcends emotions and feelings (John 13:23).

Love, like faith, without works or manifestation is dead. If we say we have
love but do nothing to demonstrate it, we have no reason to claim it. Love, to
be love has to have legs. A friend of mine once said that as much as love is a
noun, it is also a verb (it should not just be a name but something that is done
as well).
In short, Jesus taught that if one is a true Christian, he should love his fellow
Christians. Sometimes the need of the moment is the determinant of the
magnitude of the love being shown. Love is antonym for hate. True
Christians do not hate others for any reason. If they do so, it is a symptom of
spiritual immaturity and lack of understanding. It is one thing to disagree on a
point and is another to hate. There is no room in the Christian’s vocabulary
for hatred. Paul reflected on his own spiritual development when he wrote to
the Christians: when I was a child, I talked like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man, I put childish things behind me. (1Cor 13:11)
Consider the nature of a child. The younger the child, the more self-centered
he tends to be. A baby thinks of his own needs, comforts and wants. Once he
is satisfied, there is no more cause for alarm. But as the child grows, gradually
his world opens up. He moves from his own small world of self into the larger
world of others. Consider the following questions to ascertain your level of
growth;
 Do you still have issues with your temper?
 Do you feel spiritually powerless?
 Do you have long dry spells in which nothing seems to be going on
between God and you?
 Are you unable to generate love, care and concern for others?
 Do you still live a self-centered and self-seeking life?

 Do anger, hatred and jealousy play large roles in how you express
your personality?
 Do you reflect more of the works of the flesh than fruit of the Spirit?
We have this understanding already that one of the indicators of immaturity
(just as in babies) is preoccupation with self. Paul also went ahead to show us
that love is not self-seeking (1Cor 13:4). Earlier in the chapter, he made us
understand that no matter what we can do – speak angelic or human tongues
we didn’t learn, demonstrate gift of prophecy, fathom mysteries or even
exercise mountain-moving faith – if we can’t express love, spiritually we are
nothing. In that case, love is the fruit of spiritual growth. Love is listed first of
the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). Paul also taught that every Christian should
‘follow the way of love…’ (1Cor 14:1).
Those who have reached a height in terms of spiritual growth will no longer
be interested in keeping track of other peoples’ mistakes, sins and faults
(1Cor 13:5).
I (John) will like to briefly point out something interesting in the life of
Apostle John (the beloved) who was regarded alongside his brother James as
Bonarges: Sons of thunder. Why were they given that appellation? Luke 9:
51-55 talks of Jesus looking for a place to pass the night on His way to
Jerusalem but was unable to get any. The available one belonged to the
Samaritans which they would not let out to Him (taking into account the
ancient rivalry between the Jews and the Samaritans; John 4:9). This got the
two brothers angry and they sought permission from Jesus to call down
thunder to strike the inn-owners from above but Jesus stopped them. John
was so much interested in the destruction of anyone who will not give a
room to Jesus, but he was yet to discover there was more to the Christian life

than what he (John) had seen. The gospel is not a do or die affair i.e. it is not
about physical violence. We don’t preach with a gun or sword in our hands
but we do so with love in our hearts (we don’t win soul with acts of violence
but heart of love). The gospel is not about arguments like some people
actively engage in. You don’t have to compare and contrast, you go straight
to tell the truth of God’s word and let the Holy Spirit breathe on it that they
(unbelievers) may make a decision willfully.
There came a time in the life of John as he was growing in his walk Christ that
he realized that it is all about love and not violence. This was evident in his
books (1John 1, 2 and 3) thereby earning him the designation “Apostle of
Love” because his message centered mainly on LOVE.
The Holy Spirit taught me something related to that in my 400Level when I
was an intern that we are so much concerned about the destruction of our so
called "enemies" not realizing they are also flesh and blood like us that need
to be saved. Our love is made manifested in our passion for the lost souls. A
person who loves hangs in there and perseveres. He or she has hope and is
optimistic about what God has in store for His faithful children. Their growth
is evident in their character in that they are not “fair weather people”. They
stick with you in your worst as well as your best moments. They show a
steady state of love in times of challenges (the love doesn’t diminish but has
room to grow).
Fellowshipping with the brethren is an exercise of love which brings us
towards maturity. When you can remain loving and steadfast; even when
people say negative things about you; let you down or do offensive things,
your love is being perfected; you are growing up as a Christian and becoming
more like Christ.

It is important to note that spiritual growth is not determined by these
factors:
· Baptismal age;
· Full knowledge of and belief in the doctrines of one’s denomination;
· Weekly attendance of church services;
· Physical age;
· Being a "high ranking" minister;
· Title of office in church;
· Having grey hair and dressing well;
· Being a great preacher;
· Hanging out with “big” men of God;
· Being a moralist or being principled;
· Being wealthy;
· Being highly placed in church hierarchy;
· Knowing so much about the Bible

CHAPTER FIVE
OBEDIENCE; A KEY TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH
It is important for us to really know what obedience is and not just assume
we have always known it. Obedience means willingness to do what one is
instructed to do (without questioning the authority of the instructor).
According to Longman’s Dictionary of Contemporary English, obedience
means always doing what you are told to do by your parents, someone in
authority or to do what a law or rule says you should do.
From the above, there is a word of utmost importance and it is the word
‘always’. There is something about the human nature; no one loves to be told
what to do and when to do it. It is called the Ego Personality. How I wish the
various dictionaries would have added ‘without complaining’ to the meaning
of obedience. In our world today, most times we are told what to do, even
though we would eventually do them on the long run we will still complain or
grumble. If only we would realize that some of these instructions or tasks are
being given in order to help us grow and make us better. Life is full of
different stages or phases we are to go through for us to be fulfilled. The
bible talks of Jesus our perfect example in Heb 5:8 that He learned
obedience….. Intuitively and also judging from past experiences and
occurrences, I have deduced that those things required of us may not be
palatable or pleasant at some points but we will be glad we ever hearkened.
Obedience defines our faith. To hold a doctrine or an opinion with the
intellect alone is not to believe it. A man’s real belief is that which he lives by.
The whole secret of spiritual growth is doing the will of God as we know it
and going on from there. If we do what Jesus tells us, His light will dawn in

our hearts. As we follow His directions, He will be there to guide and
empower us. There is no other way of progress in the spiritual life.
There are two parts to obedience; firstly there is submission. That word has a
negative connotation in the world that means weak, loser, oppressed, etc.
when in fact it is much more liberal than that: it means you yield to someone
else’s opinion, plan, authority - you trust. Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding. (Prov 3:5). We don’t get the big
picture all the time. We can’t see the future or what may be around the
corner, but God can. Trusting Him means submitting our decision-making
process to him.
God’s will for our lives is governed by His nature and character. How do we
find out more about the very nature of God? We search His word. John 1:1
says: In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the
word was God.
The other part of obedience is the actual act of obeying. When God gives us
direction, it is important we act on that and move. It is an act of obedience to
study, write and pray everyday. However, it is not an easy thing. I am being
tested and stretched unlike I have ever been before and I know it is part of
God’s intent as He wants me to grow and to expand my horizon. His word
says: He watches over what He speaks to make sure it gets done.
Reminder: the aim of spiritual growth is to produce men and women who will
demonstrate the character and qualities of Jesus Christ.
Obedience is without question the most important aspect of consciousness
that one must master in order to attain God-realization. Ego is defiant,
arrogant and focused on serving self rather than being in constant deference

to the Divine. God’s role is to protect and serve (us) and humanity’s role is to
serve and obey (God). Many of the problems people create in life can all be
traced to some form of defiance or disobedience (Gen 1-3). Obedience is
giving one’s power away. The way to become one with God and therefore
become the ultimate servant (to God’s will) is to be humble and obedient.
The more you become selfless, humble and obedient, the more you integrate
or ingratiate yourself into the Divine. Obedience is listening and accepting
without question or hesitation.
Obedience is a barometer of our spiritual growth. Perfect obedience to the
will of God is a pointer to our growth. 1Thess 4:3 says expressly that God’s
will for us is our sanctification, namely that we would become more Christ-
like in holiness and in perfect character. This life is to be a process of
progressive sanctification as we learn to perfectly imitate our Saviour. The
more we consistently and persistently exhibit a lifestyle of obedience to God,
the more we develop. Obedience will become less burdensome, though it will
still be a battle given that our flesh wants nothing to do with the truth. There
is no growth without taking steps of obedience first.
We cannot grow if we are not humble. We must recognize that it is ultimately
God who enables our spiritual growth (Phil 2:13), not anything in and of
ourselves. It is Christ in us who empowers us for service and who enables us
to produce true and lasting spiritual fruits (John 15:4-5). Spiritual growth is
also being humble enough to believe God’s word and to do what He says. As
we humbly believe, learn and obey, by the power of the Holy Spirit in our
hearts, we will grow.
Spiritual growth is not automatic, it requires unquestioning obedience.

For us to attain the full measure of Christ, we must go beyond the level of
having Jesus as our Savior alone but our Lord as well (not for our own desires
but for His will). When He is Lord of our lives then He directs and orders us as
He wills. He tells us what to do per time, what He wants from us and so on.
The truth is that we don’t know what is best for us as the Lord does.
Humanly speaking, Moses like us knew that it is suicidal to hold a snake by its
tail but since God told him to do so, he obeyed, after which he discovered
that it was a possibility (one without any casualty or regret). He attained
another height in God. The bottom-line is that every act of obedience takes
you closer to God. Obedience to His will is a way of walking in agreement with
Him. He takes away the worthless from us to give us the priceless. Also, this is
the way we can rule with Him over our own lustful desires. As we feed on
Christ we will learn to be obedient to the Lord of lords, whose word is a
sword that cuts off all our fleshy desires. Obedience activates our death to
sin; it also confirms our salvation (1John 2:3). John wasn’t teaching that
salvation is conditional in obedience but he taught that salvation is evidenced
by obedience.
As you grow in obedience you get to know that you don’t just memorize
scriptures but you think scripturally.
The following bible texts can be helpful: Matt 6:24, 22:37, John 14:21, 15:10,
1John 2:6).

CHAPTER SIX
ENEMIES OF GROWTH
As much as God is interested in our lives, the devil is also interested. God
wants to make and use us. The devil wants to get and ruin us. Yahweh wants
us to grow spiritually; the devil wants us to experience the opposite of God’s
intention for our lives. No wonder, he (the devil) throws several darts to
distract us from making spiritual progress. He is aware that when a Christian
grows spiritually, then his works (of darkness) will be threatened. So a
Christian that wants to grow must also be sensitive to what the devil is doing
to stop him from growing.
We should never be ignorant of the devices of the devil lest he takes
advantage of us. The devil is daily taking advantage of people, so we must
always be on guard. Permit me to say also, I won’t totally blame the devil if a
Christian does not make progress in his/her spiritual life. Some impediments
to his spiritual growth might be attributed to his flesh. This chapter focuses
on some of the several enemies that might threaten a Christian’s spiritual
growth.
A. THE ACHIEVEMENT SYNDROME
It can also be called the “I have arrived” syndrome. This is one of the sensitive
and salient reasons so many people have failed to make further progress
along the plane of spiritual growth. When a man begins to dwell on his
achievement, exploits, breakthroughs etc., in lieu of his walk with God, such a
man will soon begin to “deteriorate” spiritually. I call this spiritual spoilage.
When a man begins to think he has arrived, such a man has just started
leaving. Just as I (Oluwaseun) said in an earlier chapter, no man can exhaust

God. El-Shaddai is so infinite that the depth, height, breadth and length of His
virtue, power, nature and awesomeness cannot be used up.
The more a Christian knows God, the more he must be willing to know Him.
The more you think you are conforming to His image, the more you must be
interested in making progress in becoming like Him. You can always be better
than where you are now. My mentor once said that the path of a Christian is
good, better, better, better and better. Our best is yet to come. It would
come at the appearing of Jesus, when we would see Him as He is (I John 3:2).
Our conformation to Jesus must be from one level of glory to another (2 Cor.
3:18). Don’t ever come to a point in which you think your spiritual input is
enough. As you walk with God, you must be willing to improve your spiritual
input per time. Don’t ever think you have prayed enough. Don’t ever think
you have understood the scriptures enough. Once a Christian stops learning,
he starts dying. No wonder, Paul said; “All those things I have achieved in the
past, I put them behind me. I press forward….” (Phil. 3:13-14 paraphrased).
He knew there was more to be achieved.
The enemy of a Christian’s future spiritual growth sometimes is his current
level of spirituality. Don’t be caught in the web of thinking you have arrived.
There is more you have not done; there is more you have not known. There is
more you have not achieved. I believe Elijah can explain better. The moment
he started emphasizing his work for God more than his walk with God (I kings
17:1, 19:10, 14), God had to raise others to take over. The moment he
thought he was the last man standing, God had to tell him there are other
seven thousand (7,000) chaste vessels. I believe that was not the initial
intention of God for Elijah, for him to end his ministry in such a manner.
Nothing kills faster than swimming in previous medals and achievement.

B. PRIDE
Another enemy of spiritual growth is pride. This also has a link with the first
point we just discussed. Some might decide not to pay more attention to
their spiritual growth just because of laxity while some might be as a result of
pride. As one makes progress as a Christian, mistakes might be made. But the
best thing is for one to learn from them. A man of a haughty spirit and proud
look will never take corrections from people even when it is glaring they had
made errors. Such Christians believe no one is big enough to correct them.
They find it very difficult to submit to God-given mentorship relationship (in
case they have one). Pride makes them believe they can make progress
spiritually without the input of others.
This category of Christians has erased in their bible the verse that says, “Iron
sharpens iron”. Pride will not allow them associate with people that could
help them spiritually. It will not allow them to seek for counsel when things
are not clear to them. Most of them are lone rangers. They put so much
emphasis on their abilities instead of God’s. Pride will not make a Christian
repent from wrongdoings. It was pride that led to the eventual fall of King
Saul (I Sam. 15:30). Most Christians have fallen spiritually just because of this
disease called Pride. What are you to honour in a man that just transgressed
a clear (not ambiguous) instruction from the Lord?
Submission is very important if a Christian would make progress spiritually.
Pride would always rob you of learning new things because you would always
believe you are better off than others. God so much resists the proud. He
would only pour His grace on humble vessels (I Pet. 5:5, 6). God will only lift
up humble Christians while the proud ones continually dwindle spiritually
(James 4:6, 10).

C. LAZINESS
There is no future for a lazy Christian. Spiritual growth requires so much hard
work. A Christian that cannot pay the necessary sacrifice for his spiritual
growth should never expect it. A lazy Christian will decide not to pour himself
into the reading and study of the word of God. Prayer is serious work and it is
only for serious-minded Christians. Laziness will rob a man of waiting on the
Lord (fasting). All spiritual inputs necessary for spiritual growth requires a
great deal of hard work. A Christian eaten up by laziness would not be able to
engage himself in them. Ultimately, such a Christian will not grow.
Most of the time, the Holy Spirit would wake me up in the middle of the night
to engage myself in spiritual activity. One thing about the Holy Spirit is that
He will never force you against your will. So most of those times, the Holy
Spirit will not coerce me to pray or read my scriptures. The best He would do
is to wake me up. It is now left for me to maximize such night to pray or
engage in other spiritual-benefiting exercise. Some of the manuscripts of this
book (that you are reading right now) are products of night-work.
Sometimes, I would have to sacrifice a portion of my night in order to finish
up the reading of spiritual books. These are some of the sacrifices one has to
pay for spiritual growth. My mentor, (while he was a student) said he often
had to read all through the night in pains. Some might say in pidgin; “who
send you?” but I believe those spiritual inputs are paying off for him now.
Any Christian that is not interested in sacrificing the present pleasure for
future gain should not think of spiritual growth.
Some of you would make several confessions; I want to be like Bishop David
Oyedepo, I will like to be like Pastor E.A. Adeboye. Those confessions are very
good. But how many of you are willing to pay the sacrifice these people paid?
How many of you would be willing to spend seven days in the wilderness

fasting and reading only the Book of Acts? Kenneth W. Hagin said when his
father first started out in ministry, he would read the scriptures all through
the night without sleeping. He said he would meet his father at the same spot
he left him the night before. Men that experienced sporadic spiritual growth
were never lazy Christians. Jesus, our Model was also not lazy. Before the day
breaks, He would go into a solitary place to pray. He was doing this
consistently and diligently. Laziness would surely rob you of growing. Am I
saying you should necessarily pay the same sacrifice? No. The dealing of God
with every Christian is peculiar. So there is a particular price you must pay if
you must grow. You must find out yours and be willing to pay it.
D. INDISCIPLINE
Another enemy of spiritual growth is indiscipline. Fasting requires so much
discipline and it is only the disciplined that can engage in it. Some Christians
have a very weak control over their appetites. No wonder, they find it hard to
fast. Even if they do, they would be checking the clock over and over again. It
takes great discipline to read the scriptures undistracted. Distraction is
capable of restricting you from getting the best of God. Engaging in prayer
without being distracted by phone calls and social media messages requires a
great deal of Christian discipline. Internet distraction is rampant in our world
today.
For a Christian to grow in this world of social media distraction, he must be
willing to embrace discipline. Indiscipline won’t allow a man to pray all the
night without yielding to sleep. It is indiscipline that will make you break your
fast abruptly. It is indiscipline that will make you suspend your bible study
prematurely. Remember, spiritual growth is not by luck but by work. Spiritual

side-distractions (programmes, meetings, etc.) are also in vogue now. It is not
compulsory you attend all programmes just because you saw their posters
pasted around your area. So many Christians have gotten wrong doctrines
into their heads because of the kind of programmes they once attended.
Distractions will surely come, you will feel hungry at some points, you will
also feel sleepy but a man eaten up by indiscipline would allow all these to
deny him of plunging himself into activities that will improve his spiritual
health. Gehazi allowed his appetite for material things deny him of God’s best
for his life. He allowed a passing pleasure to stop his spiritual progress. God
had the intention of using him mightily but he allowed indiscipline to cut him
off from divine agenda. His spiritual progress was endangered because of the
decision he took the day Naaman the Syrian came to be healed of his leprosy.
Indiscipline with time management can also endanger your spiritual health. If
you are someone that loves putting your whole 24 hours into visiting friends,
watching films and football, “gisting”, chatting on social media, then you will
be disadvantaged at the long run. The time that you should have invested
into seeking God would have been wasted on carnal things. Indiscipline
causes spiritual rottenness, please embrace discipline.
E. PROCRASTINATION
Another giant enemy of spiritual growth is procrastination. It means putting
off until later, important things one ought to have done at the present time.
Most times, that “later” will never come. Spiritual growth is also time-bound,
as earlier explained. For the time when he ought to be teachers ……… (Heb.
5:12 paraphrased). Another scripture says there is time for everything under

the heaven (Ecl. 3:1). When you make a decision not to do something as and
when due, you are unconsciously disrupting your spiritual progress. When
you decide not to pray consistently, you might at the end of the day not be
able to get another ‘perfect’ avenue to pray. When you decide to put off your
bible study until later, you will discover eventually that there would not just
be any available time to do that.
Lack of urgency and promptness to spiritual things would surely affect the
spiritual growth of the Christian involved. Spiritual things should not just be
done well; they must be done in time. Many projects have become
abandoned because of this disease called procrastination. Procrastination
steals away vision and dreams. What you think you will do later, you will find
yourself not been able to do it.
Some sinners have died in their sins just because they kept putting off
salvation. This is an earnest plea from me to you: As Christians, anything God
puts in your heart to do, find out when He wants you to do it and do it in
time. If He wakes you up to pray, don’t tell Him you will pray later. Be urgent
with every of His promptings. If he prompts you to fast today, don’t
procrastinate. Procrastination always unnecessarily elongates the time period
of spiritual growth. The spiritual height you should have reached in time (t),
you find yourself reaching in time (3t). When procrastination becomes a
habit, spiritual growth is not in view.
Enemies of our spiritual growth are inexhaustible. The flesh will always lust
against the spirit. For you to grow, you have to put it under subjection. Don’t
always yield to your “flesh need”. Rather, respond promptly to your spiritual
needs. There is no future for any Christian that pampers his flesh. My prayer
is that your spiritual growth will not be stunted in Jesus name.

About the Book
This book supplies the necessary recipe a Christian needs on the subject of
spiritual growth. One of the chapters of this book dwells on the growth curve
concept. Obedience and love; two important elements in the subject of
Spiritual growth were also emphasized on in this book. The latter being a sign
that a Christian is making progress spiritually while the former is needed to
activate spiritual growth and maturity. The last chapter of the book gives a
peek into the enemies that war with the process of spiritual growth. Every
reader should open up their minds as they scan through the pages of this
book.

About the Authors
Oluwaseun Ajayi is a graduate of the prestigious Federal University of
Technology, Akure where he obtained a Bachelor of Technology in Biology.
He is a young man passionate about and dedicated to youth capacity
development. He is also an academic mentor to many students interested in
being their best in their academics without a stain to their Christian
experience. He has served in several capacities in Christendom. During his
National Service year, he was the Bible Study Secretary of Nigeria Christian
Corpers’ Fellowship, Bayelsa State Chapter. Currently, he is serving as the
Vice President of the Royal Youth Ministry, Foursquare Gospel Church, FUTA
road, Akure. He has the zeal of teaching young folks both scriptures and
academics.
John Ogunsanya is a graduate of Urban and Regional Planning from the
Federal University of Technology, Akure. He is a born again Christian, a young
and vibrant leader who loves reading and making researches. He has served
in various leadership capacities within and outside the church. During his
National Service year, he was the Prayer Secretary of Nigeria Christian
Corpers’ Fellowship, Bayelsa State Chapter. He is a writer who has a number
of unpublished articles to his name.

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