What Obstacles Can Impede The Spiritual Growth

Let's get down to business! Most of us who were up in Christian homes don't/didn't understand what “Jesus is the Lord of my life” means. The truth is that the instant we acknowledged Jesus to be Lord of our life, we were giving Him complete control of our lives. Not only did we give Him the keys to the living room, but we also handed Him the keys to the rest of the house. Stop compartmentalizing your life. Living a life of half obedience will only stifle your spiritual growth.

b.IGNORANCE:

They claim that ignorance of the law is not a justification. People die because they don't know what they don't know (Hosea 4:6), thus ignorance isn't bliss. Spiritual illiteracy is quite harmful. We won't recognize the need to grow if we don't understand the purpose and importance of spiritual growth as youngsters. This puts us in a dangerous position since the devil has the ability to mislead and deceive us. You can't continue to ignore your spiritual well-being. Such a mindset can stifle your spiritual development.

LACK OF COMMITMENT&INCONSISTENCY:

Consistency has a lot of power, and sticking to a plan gets you fantastic results. It is not a virtue to be unconcerned about one's spiritual well-being. God is devoted to loving you, and He wakes you up every morning to remind you of it. That's a lot of good fortune! Spiritual growth does not happen on its own (it isn't something you just want); you must be devoted and show up on a regular basis.

I used to suffer with consistency, which was one of the things that kept me from pursuing a more intimate connection with God. Prior to this, I would get all worked up and make plans to read my bible, pray, and so on. Unfortunately, their intentions never came to fruition. why? Because I wasn't dedicated or constant in my efforts. I was able to discipline myself and learn how to be consistent with the guidance of the Holy Spirit (this is a whole blog post for another day lol)

INDIFFERENCE TO THE THINGS OF GOD:

I characterize indifference as a lack of awe or astonishment when it comes to God. It's a stoic demeanor characterized by a lack of passion. We can become so used to God's creations that we lose sight of their beauty. You may reach a point when you feel obligated to participate in all of these things because you are a Christian. This can stifle your progress because your drive or inspiration has vanished. God no longer astounds you, and you are just present (stagnant).

FEAR OF GROWTH:

It's no secret that growing up is difficult. To progress, one must step beyond of one's comfort zone, let go of old habits, and adapt. That is not something most of us want to do, but it is required. Some people are terrified of the responsibilities that come with maturing, and this perspective can stifle (if not completely stop) their development.

What is spiritual growth?

Spiritual development entails letting go of false and unreal conceptions, thoughts, beliefs, and ideas in order to become more conscious and aware of our inner selves.

This method reveals the inner spirit that has always existed but has been veiled beneath the ego-personality.

Spiritual development is the process of inner awakening, of rising above ordinary, everyday living and of awakening to Universal truths. It entails going beyond the mind and ego to discover who you truly are.

What causes spiritual struggles?

• Over the last 30 years, psychological study on a number of spiritual issues has been done. Spiritual problems are one spiritual issue that has garnered a lot of attention.
• People are affected not only psychologically, socially, and physically by major life challenges, but also spiritually.
• Natural disasters, accidents, sicknesses, and other stressful circumstances can put people's spiritual lives in jeopardy or cause them to struggle spiritually.
• Spiritual coping problems are attempts to protect or transform people's relationships with whatever they consider precious, such as their connection to God/Higher Power, spiritual identity, and religious community connections.
• Terminology. Many studies on spiritual difficulty use the phrase “negative religious coping,” but we and other researchers have started to use the term “spiritual/religious problems.” Why?
• Spiritual conflicts can be watershed moments in human development or “forks in the path.”
• According to several research, persons who are able to resolve spiritual conflicts over time gain and grow from them.
• Others may choose to temporarily or permanently withdraw from spiritual challenges.
• Others who are stuck in their troubles emotionally and physically deteriorate.
• Even atheists and non-religious people may deal with spiritual issues such as feeling distanced from, unhappy with, angry with, or abandoned by God.
• See Constructs/Our Measures for more broad background information on spiritual problems.
• Spiritual conflicts refer to disagreements with God/Higher Power, oneself, and others over spiritual topics. Distressing feelings and doubts about one's spiritual journey in life arise as a result of these tensions.
• Internal/intrapsychic spiritual conflicts—inner conflict about spirituality or religion
• Spiritual conflicts with other family members, friends, clergy, community members, or the greater culture concerning spirituality or religion are interpersonal/communal spiritual challenges.
• The 7-item Negative Religious Coping subscale from the Brief RCOPE is most typically used to assess spiritual problems (Pargament, Feuille, & Burdzy, 2011). For the entire Brief RCOPE and lengthier scales to more fully examine spiritual problems, go to Constructs/Our Measures.
• For additional information on how we define these two overlapping concepts, see Defining Religion & Spirituality.

What comprehensive empirical research on Spiritual Struggles in Coping with Marital Problems has been conducted?

• Despite substantial research on spiritual issues in other areas, there has been essentially no systematic research on spiritual struggles in marriage. Nonetheless, the Relational Spirituality Framework emphasizes that serious or persistent marital issues, such as infidelity, can lead to private or communal spiritual challenges with God.
• Prior research on spirituality and marital problems has relied on indirect indicators to determine if people feel spiritual struggles as a result of marital problems, such as frequency of religious attendance or overall value of religion in everyday life. We employ definitions and measurements of spiritual challenges established in past research on non-marital stressors to stimulate more in-depth study on spiritual struggles with marital problems (e.g., natural diasters, health problems).
• In practice, we have concentrated our research on Divine Spiritual Struggles rather than Internal or Interpersonal Spiritual Struggles in relation to marital issues.
• When it comes to interpreting and reacting to marital problems, we characterize Divine Spiritual Struggles with Marital Problems as having a confrontation with God. It's helpful to define conflict before delving into this definition. We define conflict as an individual's internal or external conflicts over his or her life goals and/or paths to achieving those goals. When troubles emerge, humans can be in conflict with God, just as they might have internal or interpersonal conflict. Problems in marriage can jeopardize life ambitions. An individual may have a disagreement with God about why marital difficulties have arisen and what should be done to resolve them. These conflicts with God might lead to negative feelings and thoughts regarding one's relationship with God.

For psychological research, how do we measure Divine Struggles in Coping with Marital Problems?

• We used the following three sub-scales (three items each) from Pargament's R-COPE to assess divine spiritual struggles with marital troubles in our transition to parenting study. These nine items were mixed in with R-COPE sub-scale items from other sub-scales. For additional information on the history and development of the R-COPE and Spiritual Struggles Sub-scales, see Constructs/Our Measures.
• Instructions for dealing with marital troubles include the following: The sentences that follow outline particular ways that people might manage with the inevitable marital problems that arise from time to time. When you think about the challenges you've had in your marriage, how much do you use each of the following to deal with them? When I'm having marital issues, I…

How might Divine Spiritual Struggles in Coping with Marital Problems benefit or hinder a marriage or couple relationship?

• To the best of our knowledge, our study on the transition to parenthood is the first attempt to investigate how much married couples experience spiritual struggles as a result of marital difficulties, and what impact these divine spiritual struggles have on the marriage and each spouse's psychological or spiritual well-being. We are presently doing analyses and will report back when we have more information.

What causes spiritual distractions?

We enjoy being amused. Television, movies, and literature all offer a respite from our regular routines. There's nothing to say that being entertained can't provide us a vacation from reality, but when entertainment gets in the way of our religion, it becomes a spiritual distraction. What is most vital must be prioritized. Should we go to church or see the movie? We have succumbed to our diversions if we choose entrainment over God.

What weakens our relationship with God?

Our relationship with God and others is harmed by venial sin. When we receive absolution, our sins are pardoned. True. The life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.

How do you overcome obstacles in the Bible?

God has not promised that we will not suffer in this life, but He has promised to walk with us through the valleys. He'll be right there by us, and his grace will suffice.

James 1:4-10 Consider it pure delight, dear brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that putting your faith to the test promotes perseverance. Allow perseverance to accomplish its work in order for you to be mature and complete, wanting nothing.

While other worldviews encourage us to sit in the midst of life's joys while anticipating future sorrows, Christianity encourages its followers to sit in the middle of this world's sorrows while anticipating future joy. — Keller, Tim

8:17-18 (Rom. 8:17-18) If we are children, we are also heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if we share in his sufferings in order to share in his glory. Our current hardships, in my opinion, are little in comparison to the brilliance that will be revealed in us.

1 John 1:12 Blessed is the one who perseveres in the face of adversity, for he or she will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him after passing the test.

5–6 in Proverbs Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; submit to him in all your ways, and he will direct your paths.

1, 7-8 in Psalm 112 God be praised! Those who fear the Lord are blessed. They are unafraid of bad news; their souls are steadfast and safe in God. They will not be afraid since their hearts are steady.

12:9 in 2 Corinthians For you, my grace is sufficient, because my power is perfected in weakness.