Why The More You Grow Spiritually You face Harder Challenges?

Is God that unfair? Let’s explore why would God put the people who revere Him the most in situations seemingly more difficult.

This is among the most troubling question not only among believers but also people who are on the point of deciding to follow God. It starts this way, “I knew Jerome before, the guy was fine and successful, but ever since he said he’s turning to God now he’s short of money, run into family problems and seems more complicated as days go on. Why would I follow the same path?” 🙄

Many even are afraid of spiritual growth because they are afraid of tougher challenges ahead of them. “It’s better I stay just this way, after all God is gracious to all of us what’s the use?”🤷🏾‍♂️. The path of growing spiritually seems threatening and many people are willing to stay on the other side of the river, gazing at its waters.

Sociologists are trying to research on it and are yet to get satisfactory answers to unveil the real blessing that come with it. It is my hope that this writing will tell you a new thing concerning God’s reasoning for putting the spiritually mature people in harder challenges.

In a war camp there’s training of soldiers and the training is supervised by the General, who simply knows it all—excellent skills, courage, with tons of warfare experience. He’s the supreme and everybody simply listens to him. The General observes the trainees (soldiers) carefully to the point of knowing the level of their competence. Then he starts sorting out.

The ones he find very competent he’ll put them in tougher tasks, usually with some soldiers under their command, and these 'captains' are given directives from the General himself to lead the others in a war. The General would decide who goes where and does what—the captains never meddle up their roles as they are combat ineffective.

This depiction gives us several points that answer our question. Now let me explain what the sorting means.

1. The General has trusted them.

After a thorough observation the General has come to trust them that they can handle more difficult tasks. The spiritual mature people have won God’s trust that they can step up and make it out alive in difficult circumstances that others wouldn’t. The General is proud to have them.

2. They are the key soldiers in the army.

These people become the key in the army due to their tactical skills of warfare. Being a key means new door cannot be opened without them, meaning that no other war the General would decide without involving them. They’ll be close to the General and would hear every information beforehand and will have a chance of advising the General. They rank up from just receiving orders to making orders.

3. They are more similar to the General.

Being chosen by the General means the General has seen that they are becoming more like him—in courage, skills, and character and so he gives them power—making them like ‘minigenerals’. This means that they are growing to the point of starting connecting the General himself in character, and the General is proud because that’s how he wants every soldier to be.

With all these come enormous benefits which are usually unknown to many believers. Some of them are explained below;

1. More Authority and Power.

With being more competent in the army, you will be awarded with more authority and power to control affairs of the war. And wait, who doesn’t like power?🙄 Literally, no one. Being in control of circumstances is the deepest desire of every human. When a person becomes spiritually mature, God gives them more authority and power to subdue. This should tell you something about the spiritual powers of people like Elijah.

2. More Closeness to the General.

As I said, the General won’t plan a war without involving his top captains. This means the captains are the people the General thinks of whenever he wants to wage a war and will talk to them before talking to anybody else. As a person becomes mature spiritually, God will be informing them about things before other people and they stand in a chance of advising God. Yes, they have this closeness to God to the extent that God talks to them more often than others. So, these people struggle not to find God, He finds them.

3. More Protection and Better Weapons.

In a warfare, the captains are the ones with most advanced weapons and get more protection since they are the heads of the war. The General would give them special access to some weaponry that other soldiers never knew existing, and it’s because he’s sure that they can handle them. In the very same way, as a person grows spiritually God unveils stronger spiritual weapons to them and offer them more protection.

4. More Decisiveness on the Battlefield.

The General usually places his captains in decisive points in that they are so close to decide the fate of the war. In traditional Korean warfare, when the two armies are meeting for battle, the elite would be placed in a point of meeting their counterpart in that their battles become decisive unlike other soldiers. Why? Because they fight the enemy’s elites who are looked upon by other soldiers for directives, so when they defeat them a large portion of the enemy lose confidence and morale of the war.

This should tell you something about fighting unclean spirits. For instance, when you shift to a new residence and notice that there are activities of the dark world, you need to pray that the strongest among them to come and fight you. Because after you defeat one great, all other, despite how many, would never dare come close to you. Others might even receive Christ and repent as well! You fight one and disperse a hundred!

5. More Opportunities to Greater Blessings.

This is very crucial to understand; after a war victory the top captains are usually awarded the greatest than any other. This is very clear from the role they play in the war—they fight stronger enemies. In past centuries, after the war, the elites would be given large tracts of fertile land, slaves, enormous amount of precious metals as well as wives as they wish. Their residence would, also, never be the same again as their ranks. It’s like the war opened a door to prosperity.

In the end, the war turns to be an opportunity to them. The spiritual mature also face the same thing. The challenges serves as opportunities to greater blessings. When you win the challenges you can never be the same again.

6. More Victories On The Way.

With being stronger spiritually, you win a lot more battles even before fighting them. This is what God was doing to the Israelites. In Joshua 5:1, the Scripture talks about the kings of Amorites and Canaanites becoming terrified of the Israelites after hearing how God parted the Jordan for them. How did this create the Israelites' victories ahead?

The mindset is a crucial tool. God can help you defeat an enemy and when other enemies of you hear they tremble even without your presence. In being stronger spiritually, and winning God’s confidence, given more authority and power, being more decisiveness and all, you’ll become feared all the way you will pass.

Fear in your enemy means you’ve already defeated him, only a manifestation is waited. This is important when considering the role of propaganda in wars.

There’s so much blessing in being mature spiritually. In the next article I’ll write on what the devil does to make the spiritual people not knowing, admiring, receiving, and living all these blessings poured upon them by the General, Lord God Himself.

Don’t be afraid of growing, never think that God leaves people who trust Him in trouble, think about the blessings and embrace them.