Unhealthy Habits of Inward Focus

Growing and Changing in Christ

Welcome to our blog! We are excited to launch a blog that will be helpful to our Living Hope church family and other churches that also want to “grow and change” into Christ’s image. We plan on posting various types of articles, both theological and practical from every area of living.

Over focus on theology without application. Healthy theology should always lead to doxology and evangelism. We ought to be praising our God and proclaiming our God to the nations. I enjoy a good debate, but if that debate doesn’t end with us marveling and praising God to the point where our hearts are broken for the nations, we can turn even good theology into idolatry. Don’t do that. The point of the study of God is to bring you to a place of praise and to equip you to reach lost people all around you.
Always learning, never discipling. If you are constantly studying but never teaching, you’ve got a problem. Every true disciple of Christ is a disciple maker. The word “disciple” means “learner.” So you should be learning so that you can teach others.
Always preaching, never praying. Always walk in the reality that you are the Temple of the Holy Spirit.
Confessing sin far more than praising God. You should be praising God and interceding 90% of the time and confessing sin about 10%. Holiness requires confession of sin, but hyper-scrupulousness never helped anyone.
Focus on the shame of the past instead of the joy of now. We can experience shame in any area of life, but we don’t have to let it keep us company or define us in the future. Shame should be something we learn to walk through and come out on the other side of, remembering that mistakes and failure are often among our greatest teachers. Remember no matter what that you are being conformed into the image of Christ (Rom 8:28-30). Rejoice in the Lord always because he’s loving you through every circumstance, sin, trial or victory.
Letting the judgment passages define you more than the grace passages. Many people who are not growing have a wrong view of God. They think God is there to punish them. We must always read the Bible allowing the grace passages to overshadow the judgment passages. The law is never there to merely condemn us (Jn 3:16-18) but to lead us to Christ (Gal 3:24).

Do you have any other thoughts? Let me know.

-by Pastor Matt Black