Carpe Mentality: 12 Days to Seizing Your Best Life in ChristSample

Growth: The Lifelong Process of Education, Application, and Development

We are all designed differently. We all learn differently. We all experience growth differently. There are those who lean towards intellectual growth. There are those who lean towards physical growth. We all gravitate towards what is easier for us. The true obstacle is growing in a way that challenges us. The hard way, not the easy way, is the better way. Since we all have different desires and skills, it's important to note that we need to focus on both the easy and the hard. One thing that is certain: growth does not come naturally in all areas for each person. It requires a level of work ethic, perseverance, and diligence to learn something new.

There is a book in the Bible that is nearly 2000 years old called Ephesians. The author makes a profound statement: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Isn’t it evident in our lives? Just simply look at the division amongst people in this world. More importantly, just look at the war that wages in your own mind.

We are all in this spiritual battle together. This battle is physically unseen but real. God’s goodness and demons’ evilness do exist. There is a battle between good and evil. What's on the line, you ask? Your souls. The battle is against our minds and hearts. The ultimate victor in this battle has already been announced, yet there are still many smaller battles to come.

Realize that your thoughts are not always your own. The good news is you are not alone in this battle. You can be on the winning side. It is not too late to make the right choice. As always, the choice is yours. God has given us all that gift. Choose Christ, as He is the ultimate victor of your soul. He paid the ultimate price, coming down from His throne above to sacrifice Himself as the once-and-for-all atonement of our wrongdoings. He loved us before we even knew Him. He loves us, even if we have cursed Him. He is faithful and He is good. He cares for you.

Simply surrender your life to Jesus. He is faithful to forgive your past mistakes and create a new heart and mind in you. He only asks that you give Him everything, as He has given you everything. He wants all of you, and not 1 percent less. Choose Him, and you will not be disappointed. His word and promise do not return void. I know this to be true. He has been faithful and good to me. He has never abandoned or disappointed me. I have been a follower of Jesus for twenty-two years now. I should not have made it this far, but this is why I did. That is why He gets my everything.

There is one daily routine I have that is the real culprit of my success as a student. I spend time with God every day. I get in His word, I talk with Him, write in a journal about Him, and simply have a relationship with Him. He is my significance. He is my reason to have reason in the first place. He is my beginning and end. Without Him guiding me and directing me, I am a nobody. I am only as good as the One who saved me. I am a nobody, just trying to preach about somebody, and this somebody is Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

My encouragement for you is to never stop learning. To be a lifelong student is to be in a constant state of growth. That growth will lead you down a path of discovering your authentic self. If you are like I was, and believe you are not smart enough or intellectually capable, I am telling you, that is a lie from pure evilness. You are good enough. God designed you exactly as He wanted to design you. You are perfectly created in God’s image. There are no flaws in God’s design. There are no mistakes.

Just know that this process of taking time for yourself, challenging yourself, and learning new things is a forever process. Be patient. Once you stop learning, you stop growing. When you stop growing, you are only dying inside. Do not kill your growth but thrive in challenging your intellect on a regular basis. Pick up a good book, join a course or program, learn something that challenges you. Do not think inside the box but think outside the box. Be a critical thinker. Think for yourself and not what others have told you to think. Be a lifelong student. Never give up on your intellect. You are worth it.