What does spiritual growth mean to you? Every parent has the desire that their child grows, and there are expected milestones. God feels the same way about us. We looked at two key measures of spiritual growth:
Consecration: The Convictions of Your Heart
Convictions that are born out of a real relationship with God. Using the story of the old prophet and the young prophet, we explored how to honor without dishonoring. God spoke to the young prophet directly, but an angel spoke to the old prophet. Honor starts with God.
In some cases it may look like we are dishonoring men, but we need to know the priority per time. You can honorably agree to disagree. Pray that the Lord will reveal it to them as well, and decide to sit it out.
We tend to defer to those in authority or more established than us, but you have to be okay with being seen as dishonorable as long as God has spoken to you. As believers, we have to grow to a place of maturity where we know when we need to seek opinions subject to authority and when we do not.
Based on the old and young prophet story, sometimes you need to be quiet. There was no need to share it with people. When God gives revelation, sometimes He is miles ahead and it is not yet general knowledge. Sometimes when you meet people, they give advice shaped by their limited experience and opinions, not by what God has shown you.
Honor Becomes Visible Through How We Live: Romans 12:9-21
Honor shows up through humility, purity, and daily conduct. We also named ways dishonor has been normalized in our culture: aura for aura, mockery, insulting people, gossip, discrediting elders and leaders, cancel culture, and treating worship of God casually. These things have become so common we can miss them.
Tough Love vs. Damaging Love
Love is patient and love is kind, but love is also not long suffering without boundaries. Spare the rod and spoil the child. There is a way to deliver tough love that will sway someone, and there is a way that will damage them. The difference is in how you carry it. Speak the truth in love.
Honor is not a form of isolated politeness. Honor means addressing issues directly instead of secretly. Have the hard conversations.
What About When Trust Has Been Broken?
The way back to honor is to go back to God first. There are times when the test is not for the other person. It is meant for you.
Closing Thought
The topic itself says “practicing” honor, and that word is intentional. It is something you have to be deliberate about every single day, with the help of the Holy Spirit. Keep practicing.