Aspire to Grow

By Wuan D. Miller

Are you struggling to live a mature Christian life? You don't have to. All you need is a step in the right direction. Which step? Intentionality! Why intentionality? While spiritual growth should be the goal of daily Christian living, it is not automatic. Unless the believer is intentional, what one learns from reading the Bible will never manifest on its own. The Lord can inspire one to action, yet it is up to the believer to ASPIRE, or move toward, the call of the Lord. The greater the aspiration, the greater the spiritual growth. The question is, how does one get started?

ASPIRE to Grow is a deep dive into biblical disciplines that can transform any life into the one God has intended. In this work, Wuan D. Miller shows Christians how spiritual growth is possible through a modern treatment of nine, timeless biblical practices:

• Connect to Draw
• Consecrate to Align
• Commit to Launch
• Share to Grow
• Serve to Receive
• Sow to Send
• Rest to Rejuvenate
• Reflect to Reposition
• Renew to Enrich.

Drawing from the model of Jesus, devotional scriptures, ideas for daily application, and questions to ponder, Miller unpacks the richness of these disciplines in the Word of God in a way that is relevant for today, while systematically condensing them into a simple 3-pillar model for living it out:

• Worship
• Witness
• Withdraw

Wherever you are in your study of the Word, ability to witness to others, or private devotion, ASPIRE can help one go to the next level. Anyone who wants to move from wherever they are right now to where God has intended them to be should read ASPIRE TO GROW.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ThinkWrite Books
• Release date: Jan 17, 2021
• ISBN: 9781736239933

Book preview

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

—2 Corinthians 5:17

NINE WAYS TO GROW INTO WHO

GOD CREATED YOU TO BE

ASPIRE

TO GROW

WUAN D. MILLER

THINKWRITE BOOKS

ZACHARY, LOUISIANA

Copyright © 2020 by Wuan D. Miller

Published by THINKWRITE BOOKS

Zachary, Louisiana 70791

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are in the King James Version, public domain.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from The New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, all Power Definitions are taken from Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, https://www.merriam-webster.com. © 2020

Cover Artwork: Stock ID 145068937, www.adobe.com. Used by permission.

Author Photo: Crux Captured Photography. Used by permission.

ISBN 978-1-7362399-0-2 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-1-7362399-1-9 (hdbk.)

ISBN 978-1-7362399-3-3 (eBook)

ISBN 978-1-7362399-2-6 (Kindle)

LCCN 2020924694

Religion. | Christian Living. | Spiritual Growth. | Spiritual Disciplines.

Wuan D. Miller has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within this book have endorsed this book.

For permissions contact: [e-mail]

For more information about Wuan D. Miller, visit www.pursuenew.life.

Printed in the United States of America

For My Lakeisha

Without whom this seed would have never become a fruitful tree

PREFACE

The catalyst for this book is the number of spiritual counseling sessions, mentor programs, conversations, and needs I have facilitated over two decades of ministry. As I interacted with believers in a variety of circumstances, I became increasingly curious about what held marriages together, what got teenagers through difficult peer-pressure, what turned suicidal thoughts into expectations of victory. Eventually, I saw the fault lied not in the preponderance of problems, but in the flawed application of Scripture before obstacles arose. Often, this made struggle difficult to overcome.

Commonly, the old cliché is while we celebrate on the mountaintop, we grow in the valley. That is true. But this is also true-If we intentionally grow on the mountaintop, we will see the valley differently. Often, we will even celebrate even in the valley.

Thus, I have become captivated with a mission to ground the modern Christian when life is good so that challenges won't knock one out of the race. To that end, I have written this work as one who is deeply concerned about the erosion of faith and intentional spiritual practices outside the modern Sunday Service of today's post-Christian society.

Christians today face a unique challenge from the multiplicity of faiths that now encompass America. Not only has this challenge affected the governance of our nation, but also that of the church. For the first time in American history, One Nation Under God has a myriad of meanings. That being the case, where the weekly worship of God was once the pinnacle of Christian expression, the need to re-define Christianity in a more personal, everyday application has now taken center stage.

In this, a refreshing application of foundational, age-old biblical principles may prove to satisfy both the old-school and the new-school, the traditional and the contemporary Christian of the 21st Century.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There are several people I would like to thank for helping make this book a reality—

Thanks to the many friends, spiritual fathers and mothers, and church family who have offered prayer and encouragement to do what God was leading me to do.

Thanks to all the pastors, co-laborers, and long-distance prophetic voices who have enriched my life with words of wisdom, accountability, and encouragement.

Thanks to my pastor, Bishop Raymond W. Johnson, who has mentored and spoken levels of ministry into my life from day one, and Pastor Shedrick Winfield, a true friend and servant of Jesus Christ who has influenced seasons of growth I could have never imagined.

Thanks to Evangelist Barbara Green, LPC, the Barnabas to this Mark. Your investment in my life shall never be forgotten.

Thanks to all the youth and young adults the Lord has allowed me to mentor. You’re Next! Go!

Thanks to all the five-fold gifts, ministers, leaders, small groups, and other disciple-makers in local churches who are using this book to promote spiritual growth in those you are called to minister to.

Thanks to everyone who has, or is using the companions to this work—the ASPIRE TO GROW WORKBOOK, the ASPIRE website and ASPIRE BIBLE READING PLAN APP.

I want to especially thank Lakeisha, my greatest supporter, and Joshua, Erin, Chloe, and Ethan, my biggest blessings, who have all believed, supported, and sacrificed much for me to study, learn, and prepare this book for the benefit of every reader. What faith you have displayed in believing this book would find its way to the hearts of those searching for an answer from God.

I am deeply humbled and honored by all of you. May this book be an invaluable resource to help you move from wherever you are right now in your walk with the Lord to where He has intended you to be. Blessings!

I: The Reality of Spiritual Growth

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:1-5

Lord, I thank you for the opportunity to grow closer to you in this season.

You have blessed me with every spiritual blessing. You have set your presence on me for this defining moment.

By your Spirit, you have begun a perfecting work in my life.

You have inspired this writing that I might grow in godliness.

As I begin this journey, reveal your matchless love towards me and allow me to move towards your will for my life.

In Jesus Name, Amen.

THE CALL TO SPIRITUALLY GROW

When one studies the Bible, one will discover the primary expression for the Word of God is seed. From Genesis to Revelation, the concepts of good and evil, faith and doubt, barrenness and indwelling, all center on the idea that a positive or negative eternal outcome directly results from a seed (Word) growing from within. Furthermore the seed is not just a Word, but also a person. Not just any person- Jesus Christ Himself,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:1-5)

In this, every sense of the process of seed to full grown tree points to the meta-narrative of the Biblical story of the Salvation of God's creation. This process is revealed repeatedly through the lives of biblical characters. After the Lord Almighty makes Himself known to them, they either grow in godliness and fulfill their destiny, or they grow in ungodliness and yield to the enemy's plan. In this context, one must understand that the treasure of wisdom in the concept of the seed, from its first mention to its last, is paramount to one’s success:

I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (Genesis 3:15)

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease" (Genesis 8:22).

I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? ... It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater. (Mark 4:30-32)

The seed is the word of God (Luke 8:11).

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building (1 Corinthians 3:6-9, NIV).

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever (1 Peter 1:23).

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:17)

Scripture is clear! If the seed is a critical concept, then growth is naturally an essential part of God’s plan. Thus, it must be a part of the Christian life. In this vein Peter admonishes, But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). What many see in Peter’s charge is that growth is possible. What is not so readily seen is the reason Peter sets forth this charge—potential does not guarantee progress. The reality is growth, while possible, is not automatic.

Just as seeds do not grow without first being planted and then watered, spiritual maturity does not happen with church attendance alone, occasional reading of the Word, or an every now and then prayer. It happens on purpose. Who better to make such a statement than Peter, who grew from denying the Lord thrice (Mark 14:72) to counting himself worthy to suffer (Acts 5:41). How did he grow? Intentionality! Just as he denied Jesus thrice, three times he was called to personal responsibility:

So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep (John 21:15-17)

Feed! What a call! Yet that was not all. There was more to it, The words that came next demanded growth,Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not (21:18). It is obvious that Peter heard the Lord loud and clear, for in his anger, he questioned the Lord’s call on one of the other disciples present, Lord, and what shall this man do (21:21)? Jesus responded, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me (21:22). What was Jesus really saying? He was calling him to an assignment; in order to fulfill it, Peter was going to have to grow up and accept personal responsibility. Fortunately for Peter, and you and I today, the transforming power of the Word of God is the best fertilizer for one’s daily movement towards spiritual growth.

Consider the following verses:

PERSONAL SACRIFICE | I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1)

RENEWING THE MIND | And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:2)

MATURITY | Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity (Hebrews 6:1)

These are just a few that call the child of God to intentionality. Perhaps the greatest example of man's responsibility to grow is found in Jesus' parable of the farmer who went out to sow the seed. To His disciples’ surprise, the object of the lesson was neither the farmer nor the seed, but the type of ground onto which it was cast. According to Scripture,

And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirty fold, some sixty, and some an hundred (Mark 4:15-20).

Let us think of the ground as a metaphor for the hearer’s level of intentionality after one has heard the Word. In each case, the hearer first heard the Word. To this end, the opportunity is the same for everyone—all can grow. Yet, from the point of hearing, each outcome was different. Some misunderstood what they heard, and never realized they needed to take a concrete step; others heard but were upset that change was necessary or difficult; still others heard and started to grow, until their growth conflicted with personal desires. Some heard, changed, grew, and actually produced fruit. Let the reader understand that in each case there was an enemy waiting to act on the response to what each heard. What is to be noticed is this—regardless of where one is in his walk with Christ, there is an enemy attempting to stop his growth.

Thus, true spiritual growth is recognizing what type of hearer one might be and making the necessary adjustments so that the enemy will not rob you of what God has for you, the thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10). Let’s examine these four types of ground together.

The One Who Lacks Understanding

Imagine a well-traveled path. This path will not only look hard but will, in fact, be hard. From the many feet that have traveled this path, the dirt would be heavily compacted, allowing no seed to take root within it. Such is the one who hears and doesn’t understand. Life