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  THE SEVEN FUNDAMENTALS OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH
  by Robert Wurtz II
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A teaching on the essential principles of Christian spiritual development, using
biblical imagery such as the Holy Spirit compared to water as the sustaining
substance of spiritual life.

  Chapters: 6

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS
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    0. THE SEVEN FUNDAMENTALS OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH
    1. Requirement 1
    2. Requirement 2
    3. Requirement 4
    4. Requirement 5
    5. Requirement 7

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  CHAPTER 0: THE SEVEN FUNDAMENTALS OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH
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  CHAPTER 1: REQUIREMENT 1
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The Seven Fundamentals of Spiritual Growth (The First Requirement) By Robert
Wurtz II

When it comes to spiritual growth there are seven fundamentals that are required
for success. The need for spiritual growth arises from the biblical mandate to
love the LORD your God with all your heart, mind, and strength and your neighbor
as yourselves. You will grow into His divine will as we follow these seven
fundamentals. You will learn in this series that there are things that can stunt
your spiritual growth the same as there are things that can stunt your physical
growth.

Spiritual Growth according to the Scriptures.

Throughout the New Testament there is a pattern that can be seen and followed if
we put forth the effort. Just as our physical man have needs, so does the
spiritual man. When you think about John 3:3, you see a mental picture of a new
born baby who is in desperate need of help when it comes to the basic
necessities of life. A baby cannot fend for itself, and if left alone without
help will perish. So it is with a new born Believer. They are in need of great
care, the same way that a newborn baby is. For starters, the baby needs food and
water. They are born with a great appetite. If there is no appetite for the
things of God in the life a new believer- there is likely no true conversion.
Jesus said that His ‘MEAT’ was to do the WILL of Him that sent Him. Newborn
believers can only accomplish simple things in the early stages. Simple acts of
obedience such as baptism in water turn a commandment into MEAT for the
believer. It is not meat or sustenance spiritually until we move past ‘hearing’
the word and begin DOING the word. The problem for all newborns is that they are
not able to properly digest solid foods, they can only digest MILK. Milk is a
combination of food and water designed to provide an infant with all of it’s
needed nutrition. This milk is the simple things easily to be understood and
acted on to become sustenance for growth. For the newborn believers we read
these words from the Scriptures… Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying
the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye
love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of
corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and
abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the
flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But
the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel
is preached unto you. Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and
hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the
sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that
the Lord is gracious (I Peter 1:22-2:3).

Growing in the Spirit Means Growing OUT of Carnality.

After repenting and being born again, there is a definite plan that God has for
us to follow. We are told at the end of verse 2 to desire the sincere milk of
the word that we may grow thereby. This milk often comes to us in the form of
preaching and teaching. It is the job of pastors and teachers to feed the
newborn children of God with milk. The pastor must take the meat of the word,
mix it with his own personal prayer time, and feed it to the congregation. As it
is written….. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were
not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal (I
Corinthians 3:2-3). Until a newborn believer grows out of his or her carnality
and begins to grow spiritually they will not be able to eat anything other than
milk. Scripture is clear on one thing, if you are carnal you will only be able
to digest (understand) the milk of the word and will never eat the meat. Babies
do not eat meat and potatoes; neither do their metaphorical counterparts, baby
believers. Hebrews said it like this…For when for the time ye ought to be
teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of
the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong
meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness:
for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even
those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and
evil (Hebrews 5:12-14). Due to a lack in spiritual growth caused by their
refusal to be a ‘DOER’ of the word, the recipients of this letter could not
understand the most basic elements of Scripture (such as the Priesthood of
Melchezidek) in so much that the writer could not advance on the thought he
wanted to pursue because he knew they did not have the spiritual growth to
understand it. We will look later at exactly what their problem was and why it
was hindering and even reversing their spiritual growth. Today the very subjects
that the writer to the Hebrews considered as “Milk” are what we would consider
as “Meat”, which is more than anything a testament to the desperate need for
spiritual growth that is widespread in the Body of Christ.

Growing in the knowledge of God

Far too often today there are questions that arise in the minds of believers
about spiritual issues that are answered not by personal study, but by a pastor
or teacher. This may be the case in situations or questions that are difficult,
but it should never be the result of lack of study or prayer on the part of an
adult believer. It is necessary for every believer to grow in the knowledge of
Christ. As it is written… Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things
(doctrinal errors, deceptions, etc.) before, beware lest ye also, being led away
with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in
grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be
glory both now and for ever (II Peter 3:17-18) and again….Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto
your souls (Matthew 11:29). Rest to our souls comes when we LEARN OF CHRIST.
Failure to study is an invitation to deception and the hall mark of confusion.

NO FOOD NO GROWTH

The first requirement of spiritual growth is EATING. If you do not eat, you will
not grow spiritually. Eating is progressive. You start out consuming the MILK of
the word, but advance as you grow- to the meat of the word. The milk of the word
we have already addressed, but the meat of the word is found in PERSONAL
devotions. The progression in spiritual growth is to advance from being, as it
were, ‘bottle-fed’, ‘to spoon-fed’, ‘to self-fed’. The writer to the Hebrews in
chapter five was upset because he was having to re-teach something that the
people should have already known and was having to “spoon feed” them again. At
least it was not as bad as Paul when he wrote to Corinthians having to "bottle
feed" the people milk all over again. Are YOU a hearer and DOER of the word? Are
you eating the meat of God’s word? How long have you been saved? Does you
spiritual age and spiritual growth correspond? Have you allowed sin to dumb down
your understanding until you can only process the simplest of commands? What do
you need to change in order to get the process of growth started again?

The MEAT of God’s Word

Biblically, meat is not a term for beef or pork; it simply means “strong food.”
Spiritual food comes in the form of hearing and acting in faith (obedience)
towards God’s Word. Jesus told the people of Israel…..Our fathers did eat manna
in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that
bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the
bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the
world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus
said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger;
and he that believeth on me shall never thirst (John 6:31-35). And again… It is
the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak
unto you, they are spirit, and they are life… and again… Purge out therefore the
old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our
passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old
leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the
unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (I Corinthians 5:7-8).

Christ our Passover

When Paul told the Corinthian Church that Christ is our Passover it brings into
play all of the before mentioned Scriptures. Passover is a feast the consists of
primarily unleavened bread and lamb. It is a celebration of God’s mercy in Egypt
and at Calvary. There was to be for each household a lamb that was slain and the
blood of it placed on the door posts. The people were then instructed to cook
and TOTALLY consume the Passover Lamb…And they shall take of the blood, and
strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses,
wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast
with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat
not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with
his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain
until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall
burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on
your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the
LORD'S passover (Exodus 12:7-11). God did not ask the people if they liked what
they were to eat, they were told to eat it all whether they liked it or not. So
it is with the meat of God’s word. We are to consume it, all of it, and are not
to pick and choose. We are to prepare it God’s way and not our way, just as we
interpret the scriptures rightly and rightly divide them.

The Sacred Message Does Not Have a Sacred Method

However you prefer you should get the Word of God into your heart. Whether it be
reading, bible tapes, bible CD’s, word for word VCR or DVD programs, or having a
person simply read the bible to you; get the word into your heart and begin to
act on it! There are few people who can actually find excuse for not having
received the word of God in the 21st Century. Cultivate an appetite for the word
by abstaining from things that suppress the appetite such as worldliness and
sin. The more you hear it and ACT on it- the more you need and want it. Soon you
are on your way to spiritual growth and are eating meat as opposed to drinking
milk.


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  CHAPTER 2: REQUIREMENT 2
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The Seven Fundamentals of Spiritual Growth (The Second Requirement) By Robert
Wurtz II

Of all of the substances on the earth, none are more essential for sustaining
life than water. Water is irreplaceable. For us as believers, the Holy Spirit is
that water. Many times in Scripture the Holy Spirit is referred to
metaphorically with water. The reason for this is because God wanted His people
to know how IMPORTANT the Holy Spirit is in the life of a believer. You will not
live long without water- and your relationship with God cannot survive without
continual infillings of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is essential for
sustaining the Spiritual life of ALL believers, and cannot be replaced with
anything else. All living things are composed primarily of water, and without
it- life ceases.

Drinking of His waters..

In lesson one we discussed the importance of eating (spiritually). We said that
if we do not eat, we will not grow (spiritually). The difference then between
eating and drinking is that if you do not eat you will not grow; if you do not
drink you will die (spiritually). Spiritual death occurs when the Holy Spirit no
longer exercises control over of a person through conviction, nor empowers them
for holy living. When a person reaches a certain point in their rebellion
against God’s Holy Spirit- they are considered REPROBATE. This word is used in
the New Testament several times. Romans 1:28-32 reads; And even as they did not
like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind,
to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all
unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of
envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God,
despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable,
unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things
are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do
them. The people had decided that they did not want to partake of God’s Holy
Spirit through His natural process of conviction. If you will notice it is said
that they were “filled” with unrighteousness, fornication, etc. in direct
opposition to God who said be “Filled with the Spirit.” The Spirit of God was
striving with the people as God said He would do in Genesis 6, but the time came
when the Spirit gave them over to a reprobate mind. Paul referred to this
process when he wrote “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection:
lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a
castaway” (I Corinthians 9:27). The word “castaway” could have easily been
translated as reprobate as it is in several other New Testament passages. On the
other hand, it could have had a meaning similar but slightly different than what
Jesus said in Luke 9:25-26; “For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole
world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me
and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in
his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.” When it comes to
spiritual survival the believer needs to ‘drink’ of the Holy Spirit. Not just
drink, but drink and drink and drink.

Getting a Drink of Spiritual Water.

Contrary to popular belief, getting a spiritual drink does not mean getting a
glass of Holy Water. Spiritual Water is the Holy Spirit being poured into or
onto a believer. Jesus said it like this “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall
thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall
never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of
water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13-14). The Spirit of God is
to your Spirit, as H20 is to your natural body. The “waters of God” bring
everlasting life, just as earthly water brings physical life (see John 3:5-7).
The question then becomes “where can I get a drink of this water?” The answer is
simple; from Christ Himself. Christ is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit. We come
to Christ and we say “Lord, FILL me with your Spirit.” The woman at the well
asked Jesus, “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to
draw.” Jesus then replied, “woman call your husband.” He no doubt used that
statement to remind the woman of her fornication. He did not condemn her, but
rather made a statement that opened the door for the Holy Spirit to bring
conviction and godly sorrow (II Corinthians 7:9-10). She repented and told the
whole town of what had happened. Only a few verses later Jesus made the
memorable statement “look on the fields for they are white unto harvest.” With
one command (go call thy husband) Jesus was able to touch the woman’s heart with
the need for repentance- in the context of a field that was ready to be
harvested. Whether people like to hear it or not, the number one job of the Holy
Spirit is to bring holiness to this world. As it is written…. Nevertheless I
tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not
away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him
unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:7-8). If the Holy Spirit is TRULY
present there will be great Holy Ghost conviction for sin. That is the primary
purpose of the Holy Spirit- that we might conform to genuine holiness by
emulating the personality of Jesus Christ.

The Washing of Water by the Word.

It is next to impossible to wash without water. If perchance a person were able
to wash well with soap, they will still need to rinse with water. The two go
hand in hand. This is also true in the Spirit, as it is written….Husbands, love
your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That
he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he
might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or
any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish (Ephesians
5:25-27). There is a washing effect that takes place when the Holy Spirit
applies the truth of God’s word. I wonder if God views the Church as if it had
the “Beaver Cleaver” syndrome? You know, go in the bathroom, close the door,
turn on the water, and stand in front of the mirror to fool your mother. Oh’ he
made a lot of noise in there, but he had a phobia about taking a real bath. He
avoided that bathtub like the plague. Is that not what many people do in church?
Come to the house of God, close the door, turn on the water, and make a lot of
noise in our attempt to fool God? Do you stand beholding our natural face in a
glass (James 1:23-24) and leave straitway to forget what manor of man and woman
that you are? Imagine a service where the Spirit of God was being poured out
like water, while the word was being preached without fear or favor to loosen up
the sin; but you are not washing, scrubbing, and rinsing. Do you leave the
working of God unchanged? The word of God is like the Holy Spirit’s soap. It has
a certain ‘acidic’ level when preached in balance like regular soap. Some people
will never get clean with regular soap. They need a STRONG dose of hellfire and
brimstone passages to be ‘mined out’ and preached ‘strait’- just to cut through
the layers of sin. Others need a gentler word that leans heavily on love and
mercy because of their brokeness. This is why a preacher MUST be led of the
Spirit of God. When the word has to be preached with such strength and power,
God will use it to expose your sin for what it is. He will then cleanse you of
it by “destroying the yoke” (because of the Anointing) by the power of the Holy
Spirit. Remember the Spirit’s name is Holy. The TRUTH sets the person free from
the stains of sin- to be washed away by the tears produced by great HOLY GHOST
CONVICTION.

The Many Avenues of Water

Water comes to us in many ways. There are oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, wells,
ice, rain, and steam. Amazingly, God uses most of these as metaphors to explain
the working of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that “out of our bellies would flow
rivers of living waters,” while Revelation said that there is a Crystal Sea
around the throne of God (Revelation 4:6). John 4:14 said that the water that
Christ gives is as a well springing up into everlasting life, while we are told
that God will send the early and latter rain. To simplify the matter, we come
into contact with the Spirit of God when we are born. When we get saved
(genuinely born again) He enters us to dwell there after binding the strong man
that used to reside there (Matthew 12:29). We then have the option of being
baptized with the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues as the
Spirit gives the utterance. Have you sought for the baptism in the Holy Spirit?
Offer your body to Christ, as a living sacrifice and the great Baptizer in the
Holy Ghost will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with FIRE. Are you right now
FULL of the Holy Ghost? Ask the LORD to fill you to overflowing!

Evidence of fullness

You do not have to ask if a person is Full of the Holy Ghost. Their actions are
self-announcing. Not to be confused with simply being ZEALOUS, the person who is
truly zealous for God in accordance with His Spirit seeks to do the will of God
and not their own. They do not turn God off and on like a switch, and they live
a life of holiness. Conviction is the number one most influential force in the
life of a person sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit of God uses it
like a steering wheel to guide them. They are convicted when they do not love,
when they hold bitterness, or treat others in a rude fashion. Love thy Neighbor
as thyself is their cardinal rule. Above all things they love God, with a true
love, that demonstrates itself verifiably. Their tongue is a bridled member of
their body, while the rest of them are being brought into subjection as well-
lest as Paul said “having preached to others they themselves might become
disqualified.” They are full of godly wisdom that begins with the Fear of the
Lord. When they ask for wisdom they are not surprised when their fear of God
simply grows a little more. For them, GOD IS AS REAL as you are-as I am.

Get to the Filling Station!

The first thing that happens when a car gets low on water is that it overheats.
Tragically, it could burn up. Bad things happen when a car overheats and often
it is expensive. So it is with the Christian life. If we do not check our “water
level” we could simply burn up under the pressure of life. Especially the
pressure of a Spirit Filled life at “half full.” We need that drink of water
that the woman at the well spoke of daily in our lives. Not a metaphorical
Pepsi, or Coke, but a drink of WATER. God has equipped us with the ability to
know when we are thirsty physically, AND spiritually. It is imperative that we
keep ourselves as full of the Spirit as we possibly can, and at all times.


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  CHAPTER 3: REQUIREMENT 4
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The Seven Fundamentals of Spiritual Growth (The Fourth Requirement) By Robert
Wurtz II

It could be argued that one of the most healthy things that a person can do is
to run. Under most circumstances that is correct, however, under the wrong
conditions running can be one of the most dangerous things that a person can do.
In this lesson we will look at the fourth faze of our spiritual growth and it is
that of running; not in the physical sense, but in the Spiritual. There are two
ways that we ‘run’ Spiritually: one is with Sin as the opposition, the other is
our fulfillment of the perfect will of God for our lives (i.e. ministry).

Running with Patience the Race That is Set Before Us.

The bible has a lot to say about running both in the Old Testament and in the
New Testament. Paul often used sports as metaphors in describing spiritual
truths. He talked about running, wrestling, boxing, and many other aspects of
Olympic type games in his day. The people could understand his use of these
analogies quite well, because they were familiar with those things that were so
much a part of the culture of that day. With this in mind let us look at what
Paul the Apostle had to say about running.

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and
let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the
author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him
endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the
throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners
against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet
resisted unto blood, striving against sin (Hebrews 12:1-4).

According to Hebrews 12:1 we are in a race against Sin in the which-Sin is
trying to beset us. Sin is literally trying to knock us out of the race. We are
told we MUST “lay aside” the WEIGHTS that are slowing us down allowing Sin to
easily beset us. So we see then that the weights are in a sense companions of
the Sin; they compliment each other like cause and effect. In order to thwart
Sin’s attempt to beset us we must separate ourselves from the WEIGHTS that are
slowing us down allowing a particular type of sin to catch us (as it were) that
we are generally vulnerable to. The tragedy in allowing sin to catch us- is that
we are almost guaranteed to stumble, and possibly even fall. Children frequently
fall and skin there knees when they run; however, falling for adults is much
more serious.

What is a Weight?

Weights come to us in many forms, but essentially they are ANYTHING THAT IS
SLOWING YOU DOWN IN YOUR FLIGHT FROM SIN. For example, the bible says to flee
fornication; obviously you will have difficulty ‘fleeing’ if you do not lay
aside the weights that hinder you from running from it. Remember, sin is a
relentless pursuer of you and I in our “race” against it. You cannot simply stop
on the shoulder of the road for a break, you must run and keep running. You
cannot afford to be weighted down with things that serve to keep sin in front of
you. You need to get rid of some things that are making it easy for the enemy to
trip you up! What is that thing in your life that you could rid yourself of and
be better off? James teaches us that there are going to be temptations that we
“fall into.” In other words-they are unexpected and unsolicited. That is a bit
different from adding and adding weights to yourself until you have a problem in
an ‘area’ maintaining the victory over sin. If your ‘vice’ is alcohol you should
not weigh your self down by eating lunch every day at the corner bar and grill.
You would not frequent liquor stores, convenience stores, or any other place
that is going to hinder you from keeping a SAFE DISTANCE from alcohol. You would
probably go as far as to avoid passing any type of business that made you think
about drinking. Otherwise, it would only be a matter of time before the weight
of having yourself bombarded by thoughts of drinking, led to your falling into
it AGAIN.

Identifying Your Personal Weights.

We must start this section from the premise that there is nothing worth losing
your soul over! Jesus said it like this “For what is a man profited, if he shall
gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). No matter how petty, how seemingly
stupid, or how unpopular you become, you must identify your weights and discard
them. You do not have a choice. You can go on telling yourself that your vice is
going to somehow get better on it’s own, but that is a lie hatched out of Hell!
YOU CAN’T HANDLE IT! How many years are you going to keep telling yourself you
can handle it? If you keep doing what you have been doing you are going to get
the same results. Change does not come until you decide to make some changes.
What would you be a lot better of without? What would you be a lot better off
for having stopped doing? Would you be better off if you quit going to thus and
such a place? Would you be better off not talking to so and so? Who, What, or
where are your weights? Say to yourself “I probably wouldn’t have half the
trouble with this STRONGHOLD in my life if I would simply get rid of or stop
(???What???).”

Discarding Your Weights.

I must take this time to announce the seriousness of refusing to discard the
weights that lead to the vices in your life. God has a very unique way of
commenting on this very thing, in the which He refers to Israel’s ‘Vice Sin’s’
as LOVERS, as it is written… They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go
from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not
that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers;
yet return again to me, saith the LORD. Lift up thine eyes unto the high places,
and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them,
as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy
whoredoms and with thy wickedness. Therefore the showers have been withholden,
and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou
refusedst to be ashamed (Jeremiah 3:1-4). What is the lover in your life that
stirs the anger of God? WHERE is the Image of Jealousy (Ezekiel 8)? Get rid of
it!

Getting Along Without Your Vices

Moving along in life without a vice begins with knowing that God is enough; not
God + this or that. Satan does not seem to mind allowing a Christian to gloat of
their full time holiness and ignore their part time vice. Getting rid of a
weight to keep you away from sin can be a painful ordeal for some people. But
you need to look at it from God’s vantage point! Just like the illustration of
the lovers, so are some weights and vices to deal with for some people. Would a
spouse tolerate that? Why should God? You need to reach a place where you HATE
sin! At first you cannot imagine life without them, but after a while you will
wonder what MADNESS you were thinking and will cry out to God for mercy over
your heartlessness and disregard for His feelings towards His Bride. The true
definition of whoredom is to take the love that belongs to the one and give it
to the other. Are you committing whoredoms against God? Are you in sorrow
because you have to leave those whoredom ways? Then you need repentance. A
repentance that utterly forsakes sin and all its stepping stones. Do you not
think God is tired of all the little black books? Know ye not that the Spirit
that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

Running in Your Ministry

The second way in which we will look at running is as it relates to our
ministries. Satan is working overtime to thwart us in our lives so that he can
hinder our ministries. Paul said it like this: To the weak became I as weak,
that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all
means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker
thereof with you. Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one
receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for
the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible
crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight
I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into
subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself
should be a castaway (I Corinthians 9:21-27). Paul showed the importance of NOT
allowing two things to happen 1) Bring a reproach against the Gospel 2) Become a
reprobate himself. He brought his body into subjection and laid aside every
weight so that he might win the race AND receive the prize; and that prize is
Christ (Philippians 3:8). Paul literally wanted to win Christ. Do you want to
win Christ? LAY ASIDE EVERY WEIGHT and the besetting sins once and for all!


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  CHAPTER 4: REQUIREMENT 5
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The Seven Fundamentals of Spiritual Growth (The Fifth Requirement) By Robert
Wurtz II

We have reached the final faze of preparation in our study of spiritual growth
that will accomplish the “Having done all” portion of Ephesians Chapter 6. Up to
this point we have looked at the first four things that allow us to grow and
mature Spiritually. They are EATING, DRINKING, WALKING, and RUNNING
(Spiritually). As a final point of preparation we will look at what the Bible
calls EXERCISING. This is not the physical exercise that profits us little (I
Timothy 4:8), but is a spiritual exercise that will strengthen us spiritually
and allow us to progress in our spiritual diet. With out this exercising, there
will never be any eating of the meat of God’s Word; there can only be milk. But
for those who are willing to properly use that milk to begin exercising their
senses to discern good from evil, they will grow and mature in the more deep
things of God.

Being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that
obey him; Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. Of whom
we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of
hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one
teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are
become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that
useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But
strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of
use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:11-14)

Exercising Your Senses

When the Bible uses the word “exercise” it carries a different meaning that what
the word is normally used for. The sense of the word is that we are to take
authority or take control of our senses. We are to literally exercise authority
over our senses by using them to discern good from evil-rather than using them
as a means of ungodly pleasure. God has given human beings senses that reveal
the nature of things that they encounter, both physically and spiritually. It is
a God given line of defense that should be used to distinguish what God accepts
from what He rejects, and from what is harmful from what is good. If you do not
exercise control of your senses… your senses will exercise control over you!
This is most dangerous in that we are taught from Scripture that our senses are
never satisfied. As it is written… The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the
ear filled with hearing (Ecclestiases 1:8). That is why we must rebuke things
that are vying for our attention. The word rebuke is simply to say STOP IT!
THAT’S ENOUGH! So often people rebuke the Devil… when they really need to be
rebuking themselves. We need to take our God given control of our own senses.
Taking control of our senses is difficult when you are spiritually weak- so it
is important to gain strength by exercising them as much as possible-while we
feast on God’s word to gain strength. The pattern works in a cycle like this
Eat/Exercise/Eat/Exercise… and so on-until we gain enough strength to take more
control. The message of Hebrews 5 is that God wants to teach us many things
about Himself and Christ, but He can’t because the people of God refuse to take
control of their senses so that they can begin to understand the more deep
things of God. This is a vicious cycle, because if a person never begins to
utilize the word that is able to save our souls, they will be locked in a
Repent-Backslide-Repent-Backslide ‘state’ until the day they die. We are
commanded in the following verses of Hebrews 5 and Hebrews 6 not to lay this
foundation over and over. We are to lay it once, begin hearing and doing the
milk of the word, walking in the word, running with every weight laid aside, and
EXERCISING CONTROL of our senses. Those senses are Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste,
and Touch. Additionally we will add the 2 other senses found in Scripture- the
Conscience and the Tongue.

The light of the Body is the Eye….

Your first and greatest sense is your Eye sight. All of a man’s senses would he
trade for his eyes. However, Job, being the oldest book in the bible and the
first human being ever mentioned by God as a God fearing man, made this
statement; I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a
maid? For what portion of God is there from above? and what inheritance of the
Almighty from on high? Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange
punishment to the workers of iniquity? Doth not he see my ways, and count all my
steps? If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit; Let me
be weighed in an even balance that God may know mine integrity. If my step hath
turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot
hath cleaved to mine hands; Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my
offspring be rooted out. If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I
have laid wait at my neighbour's door; Then let my wife grind unto another, and
let others bow down upon her. For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an
iniquity to be punished by the judges. For it is a fire that consumeth to
destruction, and would root out all mine increase (Job 31:1-12). Jesus added to
Job’s remarks when He said; The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine
eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil,
thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee
be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for
either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the
one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:22-24).
Between these two passages lie man kinds two greatest vices: LUST and MONEY.
Your eyes will never be satisfied on either count. If you do not exercise
authority over your eyes your entire heart will be filled with darkness…, and as
Jesus said it “a great darkness.” The primary passage into your heart is through
the portal of your eyes. It is by exercising this and the other senses that you
will “GUARD YOUR HEART WITH ALL DILIGENCE FOR OUT OF IT ARE THE ISSUES OF LIFE.”

The Ears are Never Full

The second great sense that you must take authority over is the ear. If a person
can distinguish the foulness of a resounding brass or tinkling cymbal there is
no reason that we cannot identify a destructive message in our ears. These foul
messages affect us spiritually by weakening us. If you let filth into your ears,
filth will fill your heart. Think of your heart as a tape recorder. Your tongue
will then become the “sound system” that replays every thing that you filled
your heart with…for out of the ABUNDANCE of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Sorcery

Few people know that the Greek word for Sorcery is Pharmakeia, the same root
word for our English word pharmacy. The word simply means a spell binding
substance. A ‘drug’ that alters the mind is in the category of sorcery. Keep in
mind that God gave us a nose to distinguish the difference between foul and
harmful odors, and pleasant -harmless odors. If it has an foul smell it is
likely poisonous…, either to your body or to your Spirit. So if it smells like
Marijuana it probably is, and God commands His people to forsake Sorcery. By the
time your brain goes dead from drugs, your Spirit man will have long since
metaphorically turned to ashes. Keep yourself clean from all these things that
feed in through your sense of smell.

Poison of the Soul

If you have to “acquire” a taste for it, it’s not the will of God. Your taste
buds are designed to alert you when a bitter and poisonous substance enters your
mouth so that you don’t swallow it. You could never drink gasoline, because you
could not stand the taste of it. So it is with anything you put in your mouth;
God gave you the ability to discern if it is bitter or sweet. If you override
your sense of taste- rather than being filled with the Spirit, your spirit man
will soon perish! God gave us our sense of taste to warn us what we have in our
mouth- if it is sin the taste buds will know it.

Our Sense of Touch

Sensuality is a serious sin in our time. Some are sensual and have not the
Spirit. Of all the things to exercise control of this is perhaps the easiest.
God has given us the opportunity to exercise the sense of touch by alerting us
when we are being treated in an ungodly fashion. That may seem funny at first,
but it was no laughing matter for the man who once laid his head in the lap of a
woman named Delilah and later went out into eternity physically blind and young
in years. A simple “keep your hands to yourself” would have saved that man’s
life and ministry. Exercising the first five senses will allow you to better
control the next two senses, the conscience and the tongue. There is nothing
quite like a guilty conscience; and there are certainly few things worse than a
tongue that is wildly out of control. The things that enter the heart through
the senses are the things that will be revealed in the conscience (to us) and
through the tongue (to others). Our conscience tells us where we are with God.
It is that unaffiliated member that speaks on God’s behalf. Is your conscience
pure and undefiled? Then the tongue reveals your heart through your words. When
you open your mouth and start speaking- everyone gets a printout of your heart
condition. What is your talk like? Do your talk a lot of foolishness and
idleness? Do you openly speak of sin? Our previous lesson was to lay aside the
weights in our lives, this lesson was to take advantage of fewer things
besetting us by exercising our senses. We must keep sin out of our heart and out
of our physical body. Getting rid of the primary sources (weights) and then
exercising your senses will make it easier to resist temptations as they come
less frequently.


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  CHAPTER 5: REQUIREMENT 7
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The Seven Fundamentals of Spiritual Growth (The Seventh Requirement) By Robert
Wurtz II

As we bring to a close this series on spiritual growth, it is imperative that we
practice the first 5 fundamentals that we have learned thus far. Not for merely
a week…, a month…, or a year…, but for the rest of our lives. They are not
optional, they are mandatory. Failure to follow the teachings of God’s word that
are required to bring spiritual growth and spiritual victory over sin, will
leave us believing that the blood of Christ can only free us from the penalty of
sin, and not it’s effect on our lives. As you follow the despair to it’s final
end, you will find yourself convinced that your- very will- is in bondage to
sin, and that your Born Again spirit man (the new man) is as depraved as was the
old man which was bound to sin and corrupt.

Obviously to believe that we cannot be free from the power of Sin, “fly’s in the
face” of all that was accomplished at Calvary, and contained in the Gospel. It
is a perverse concept of Grace, that teaches that God merely seeks to forgive
and does not seek to liberate from sin. As it is written: See that ye refuse not
him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth,
much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from
heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet
once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once
more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that
are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we
receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may
serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming
fire (Hebrews 12:25-29) and again….For if God spared not the angels that sinned,
but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be
reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth
person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the
ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them
with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live
ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the
wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing,
vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord
knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust
unto the day of judgment to be punished (II Peter 2:4-9). God has promised us a
way to escape in times of temptation, and that way of escape begins with us
making the preparation to fulfill -His Will -rather than making provision for
the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof (Romans 13:14).

Having done all….Stand!

When we began looking at the Book of Ephesians in the first few lessons, we said
that those lessons contained the “having done all” of Ephesians Chapter 6. For
if you have not done all, you are not prepared for what awaits you in your
Spiritual life. Because the ultimate end of our need to grow in strength and
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ is wrapped up in the fierce spiritual warfare
that every born again believer is engaged in. That warfare is described by Paul
in Ephesians 6:12 saying: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places….and again… The thief
cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy (I John 10:10).

Satan and the powers of darkness are literally out to convince us that we should
join him in eternity in hell. He would not waste his time merely harassing us
for the fun of it; he has a definite plan of destruction. He is strategic and
tactical- literally plotting our demise like a veteran chess player on the board
of life and death. Knowing that he cannot pluck us out of the mighty hand of
God, he engages us in a battle of the mind that is designed to allure us by a
seducing Spirit or a doctrine of the Devil, hoping that we will give heed. As it
is written: Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some
shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of
devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot
iron (I Timothy 4:1-2). They hear lies from seducing spirits and repeat them as
hypocrites. They have a conscience that is seared with a hot iron and propagate
the lies that they have believed, by teaching them to others. This thing is
happening mostly in areas of extreme teachings that make unattainable promises.
They are easily recognized, because they hinge on a mere hand full of Scriptures
and require the blatant reinterpretation of other scriptures that are easily
taken literally. “That’s not what that really means” is the hallmark statement
of a person who revises the meaning of a Scripture that is easily understood
literally, so that they can subvert their audience. The First principal of true
hermeneutics is that - Scripture’s that are easily understood literally- should
be taken so.

Whether it be a seducing spirit, in whispering lies into your mind, or “a devil
in men’s clothing” their teachings are to be cast down as vain imaginations…, as
it is written…, For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing
that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ (II Corinthians 10:3-5). When a devil
tries to convince you that God did not mean what he said, he is revealing
himself as the serpent that he really is. The tactic is as old as the Garden of
Eden. We must take a stand for God’s Word as it is written in plain English
(Hebrew or Greek). That is the premise from which you will conduct your warfare
with Satan if you have any intention of being successful. You must STAND on
God’s word!

Utilizing the Whole Armor of God for all it’s worth

If you have bought into the lie that your spirit man (the new man) is immortal,
this side of eternity, you will never feel the need to take the “Whole Armor of
God.” After all, if you cannot be spiritually separated from God no matter what
happens, there is really no reason to talk about an armor that metaphorically
protects a persons vital spiritual organs from destruction (heart, mind, etc.).

Love for God (as a Father) will not always be enough reason to cause a person to
consistently wear the whole armor, because foolishness is bound in the heart of
a child (and we are God’s children). Children often are not motivated to do the
right thing by love, it is frequently by the rod of correction. So it is with
us, and we are chastised by God as His children. Nor is our born again nature
enough to compel us to put it on by nature, for if it were, everyone would be
wearing it at all times no matter what. No, these things will not compel a
person to put it on. However, what will do it, is an awareness of impending
danger that “if I don’t wear that armor……(?????)” Some have forgotten that God
even told them to put it on, so they are being slaughtered in battle and are
either backsliding and miserable, or backsliding and adjusting their beliefs and
theologies to account for their condition. To negate the whole armor of God,
will result in a person not believing that a Christian can possibly live a
victorious life. And without the whole armor…you can’t.

The purpose of God giving us the whole armor of God is so that we can take our
STAND, and fight the good fight of faith, laying hold on eternal life. It is up
to us to take that armor and fight in PREVAILING PRAYER; God will not do it for
us. He will never leave us or forsake us, but it will be up to us to make the
conscious decision to FIGHT a good fight against the powers and rulers of the
darkness of this world. Jesus already carried His cross, met with Satan to be
tempted in the Wilderness, saw Satan’s influence in his friends and family; and
even watched as one of His closest followers believed the lie’s of hell and
became possessed of Satan himself. Will you persevere and prevail in this battle
for your soul? Will YOU fight the good fight of faith and lay hold on eternal
life?

The Sword and the Shield

The prerequisite for fighting the good fight of faith, is that we must exercise
a verifiable faith in every Jot and Tittle of God’s Word. For it is “faith in
every word” that makes up the very fabric of our shield. Likewise, it is the
rightly interpreted (divided) word that will make up our sword. We must start
today living not by mere bread alone, but by every word that proceeded out of
the mouth of God. Any compromise hereafter will present you with a weakness and
a vulnerability to sin and Satan. Never again will you be able to succumb to a
falsely interpreted or compromised meaning of what God said. If it is plainly
understood, you will look for no other meaning, whether you like what God said
or not!

Imagine a shield that is comprised of scripture verses; each one taking up it’s
own place in the hedge. These scripture verses make up nearly all of the faith
that we can possibly have. Each one that we exercise a verifiable faith in, will
protect us in that particular area. God literally gave us the word of God as a
shield against sin. That word stands between us and a sin. For each verse that
we negate to exercise a verifiable faith in, there is a hole in our shield. That
is why it is called the SHIELD OF FAITH. It is not “faith in our own faith,” it
is faith to LIVE by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God.
Literally, it is a shield of faith in God and His word. We leave holes in our
faith all the time and don’t realize it. Every time we make the word of God of
no effect by explaining a commandment or a exhortation away, we unknowingly
become inconsistent in our beliefs. We pray for the sick and believe the promise
of God as if He spoke them with an audible voice, but when we see a principal or
function that we are told to do by the very same God, we suddenly become hard of
hearing. No longer will a believer be able to be selective in what Scriptures
that desire to place on their “Faith” list, but rather must take them all as God
spoke them. How could a person ask God to see their faith (as Jesus saw so many
peoples faith) in the promises, but turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to their
unbelief in an exhortation or commandment?.

Quenching all of the Fiery Darts

The darts that the enemy shoots at you are temptations to sin. Each temptation
is shot with an accompanying “LIE” with which to sedate the conscience. This
tactic is as old as the Garden of Eden. The word of God will rise in the
conscience- so the devil shoots temptations with a lie to counter the
conscience. This is exactly what happened to Eve. The enemy drew the attention
to the forbidden thing and then began a series of lies that induced a temptation
to partake of the forbidden thing. He still uses this same tactic.

On the battleground of our minds we are bombarded with evil thoughts and
imaginations that oppose and exalt themselves against God (I Corinthians
10:3-5). Those thoughts come into our minds as fiery darts. James told us that
there is a fire that came from God, and a fire of hell (James 3:6-10). The fire
of hell in this case is the power(s) of darkness that demons and Satan use to
give FORCE and POWER to their darts. The darts are demonically empowered and
they must be extinguished or quenched according to Ephesians 6. Now, Satan will
fire a demonic thought into your mind that opposes God and His word; you must
respond by exercising unwavering faith in that word. In other words, you must
throw up your shield of FAITH.

Jesus (as the Captain of the Host) showed us how to defend ourselves against
Satan’s lies and twisted scripture, and put Him to flight by the sword of His
mouth. Satan’s tactic is to suggest we do something sinful; we must exercise
faith in what God REALLY said and then we must counter with a rightly divided
scripture. When the devil gives a twisted compromise to the scripture that we
well know the true meaning of, we must raise our shield of faith. If you do not
throw up the shield, that dart will lodge in your heart and attempt to take root
in your life. If you are drawn away in your own lust to believe the lie of the
tempter, that lust will conceive and eventually bring forth sin. If it goes
unchecked it will bring forth death. In the day that ye eat of the Tree thou
wilt surely die is as true today in our lives, as it was in Adam and Eves’. The
tactics (wiles) that Satan uses are the same as well. If he cannot get you to
doubt the meaning of what God said, he will work on undermining the penalty and
punishment for the sin. If He cannot do either of these he will lie and tell you
that judgment may be coming, but it’s a long way off! NAY! God will avenge
speedily! BE STRONG in the LORD and in the power of His might! This will ensure
that your will and resolve we be to stand and FIGHT and not easily give in and
succumb to sin. Are you doing all the things needed to stand? Are you ready to
use your shield of faith and FIGHT! If not you need to be about it- because the
thief is coming! He is coming to steal and kill and destroy you. Stand to you
feet and quit ye like men!


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Source: https://sermonindex.net/books/the-seven-fundamentals-of-spiritual-growth/
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