Everybody Needs to Grow
Pastor Dave Monreal, Lead Pastor
It was my first year in ministry and I was serving at Shell Point Village Church. The average age of the congregation was 78 years old, and we had many people in the 80s and 90s plus a few at 100+! I led a variety of Bible studies and sometimes was asked to give a devotion at various groups. One time, I was asked to speak at the King’s Crown assisted living facility Bible study. We had a short devotional followed by a question-and-answer time. After a few questions, one lady put her hand up and said, “How do you deal with temptation? I struggle an awful lot and was wondering what ideas you might have.” I was momentarily stunned. First, she had probably been a Christian twice as long as I have been alive! Secondly, I thought to myself, “what does an 85-year-old woman struggle with?” I jokingly thought later, maybe she covets someone else’s Jell-O in the cafeteria. No, I didn’t say that! Did I mention I was 24?
I was reminded of a profound reality that day. No one, no matter how long he or she has been a Christian or how old the person is, is exempt from struggling with sin and temptation. It isn’t as if a person gets to be 60 or 70 or 85 and eventually stops battling temptation and sin. Of course, the sins may not always be the same at any given age. Someone in his 70s may struggle with financial issues or issues of mortality in a way that didn’t happen in his 30s or 40s. Someone in his teens or 20s may struggle with his thought life in a more intense way than someone in his 50s or 60s. The temptations and struggles don’t always stay the same throughout a person’s life. Also, there are some temptations that God allows in a person’s life and chooses not to remove so that God’s strength can be seen through the person’s personal weakness. But even if a person is delivered instantly from an intense sin, which isn’t God’s normal operating procedure, this person is still going to have some other issue or temptation there to take its place.
The same reality is true in regard to prayer. I don’t know anyone who believes that he has arrived and does not have any more room for spiritual growth. I know personally there have been times when my prayer life has been fervent and other times where I have struggled to have a consistent prayer life. Wanting to grow in his or her prayer life or struggling with prayer are some of the most common concerns believers have personally shared with me. Whether you have been Christians for 75 years or you just accepted Christ 75 days ago, we all need to grow in our prayer life.
This conviction is why we are offering “A Praying Life Seminar” on May 13th from 6:00-9:15 PM and Saturday, May 14th from 8:00 AM – 12:15 PM (snacks and breakfast will be provided). If you have been on the fence about attending, I want to personally invite you and challenge you to consider signing up. You can click the link below the advertisement or you can sign up at the sign-up table in the church. The cost of materials is $10 per person. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me personally.
