Spiritual Growth – Part Three

Defining Moments

Another way to grow spiritually with God is through defining moments. In a sermon by Greg Carr, he defines a defining moment as “any time in your life in which a choice that you make or an incident that happens causes something in your life to change. It is something that from that moment on defines some aspect of your life.” The dictionary defines defining moments as “a point at which the essential nature or character of a person, group, etc., is revealed or identified” (dictionary.com).

We will all have defining moments in our lives. It can be getting married, becoming a parent or winning an award. The ultimate defining moment in our lives is giving our hearts to Christ. There is always a reason why we come to God and surrender our lives to Him. We may have come to Christ because we were facing a crisis or an illness and we turned to God for hope and comfort. I gave my life to Christ in the midst of chaos and confusion when my grandmother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. That moment in my life was a defining moment for me to realize I needed God. I remember my prayer to Him vividly, with tears streaming down my face, in desperate need to feel loved and accepted.

We may have come to Christ by someone sharing God’s love for us. Maybe a friend or even a complete stranger approached us asking if we had God in our hearts and whether or not we were interested in becoming a Christian.

There are many ways we can come to Christ. These examples above are not the only methods to become a Christian. No matter how we become a follower of Christ, the important thing is that we made the decision to give our hearts to Him.

The Bible has many great examples of defining moments. The people in the Bible had encounters with Jesus and those encounters changed their lives forever. I have listed several examples below:

Daniel was thrown in a lions’ den after refusing to bow down to King Darius and God sent an angel to shut the mouth of the lions. Daniel was not harmed. Daniel proved that God is sovereign and after experiencing what could have been a deadly situation, Daniel’s faith increased as well as others who witnessed this miracle (Daniel 6).

Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow down to a statue made of gold which symbolized worshipping other gods. King Nebuchadnezzar was very upset and ordered the men to be put to death by throwing them into a fiery furnace. God protected them by not allowing the fire to burn their skin. After the king saw these men were untouched, he believed that God was like no other gods and it increased his faith (Daniel 3).

Abraham and Sarah’s prayers were answered and had a child at an old age that was healthy and blessed by God. Sarah was barren and God allowed her to have a son of her own who they called Isaac (Genesis 21)

Mary gave birth to Jesus as a virgin and Jesus saved the world (Luke 2:1-20; John 3:16).

Saul was murdering Christians and God blinded him on the road to Damascus. God dramatically changed his life and used him for His Kingdom. God changed his name from Saul to Paul. Paul is one of the strongest Christians that we can read about in the Bible and he even suffered and was put in jail for his radical evangelism (Acts 9).

Job’s faith was tested by losing everything he owned, even his family. He never denied Christ once through the pain and trials he endured. He was a faithful servant for the Lord. God restored him and blessed him abundantly for his unwavering faith (Book of Job).

Moses parted the Red Sea and saved the Israelites from the Pharisees (Exodus 14).

I could go on and on about how God transformed people in the Bible and the miracles He performed to save His people. The Scriptures that are referenced above are not even a glimpse of who Christ is and how He can change people’s lives.

A defining moment is a moment that we will never forget. It is a life-changing experience that will increase our faith in Christ. The more we experience defining moments, the more we will know God on a deeper level and trust Him more with our lives.

Application:

Spiritual growth is vital for us to reach new levels with God. Our journey with Christ is exciting and full of adventure. We are all walking out our Christian faith and learning more about who God is through our life experiences.

What are some ways you have reached new levels with God? What were some “valleys” you have had to walk through to get to the mountaintop?

Write down some of the defining moments that you have experienced in your life and express how those moments changed your life forever. I encourage you to take the time to pray and thank God for the defining moments in your life.

Advertisement