EL CAMINO A CASA Leccion 11

The Way Home, a biblical study for inmates, written by Pastor Leroy Johnson and produced by Christ for all nations. All Rights Reserved, 2024. Let's listen to the introduction of Lesson 11, How to Grow Spiritually. Welcome! In the previous lessons, you have received the biggest pieces of God's plan for your life. There is a big difference between eating in a fast food restaurant and in a five-star restaurant. These lessons, such as spiritual meals, are at some intermediate point between the two. In the last lesson, you have learned how to be saved, how to feed yourself spiritually, and how to find a good church. In this lesson, we are going to enlarge or expand the framework or spiritual foundation of your Christian walk. You will not reach the place that God has for you overnight. However, applying the biblical principles presented here, you will grow and fill the voids of your life. The Bible tells us in Luke chapter 2 that the child Jesus grew and strengthened, filling himself with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. If Jesus himself had to strengthen and acquire wisdom, what should the rest of us do? Like Jesus, as we grow in the things of God, we will live life successfully, one day at a time. How to renew your mind for a lasting change? St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians, We use the powerful weapons of God, not those of the world, to tear down the fortresses of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every obstacle of arrogance that prevents people from knowing God. We capture rebellious thoughts and teach people to obey Christ. By fortresses, those beliefs, opinions, prejudices, etc. are understood. Mentioned above, you do not want to think or feel how you do it, but it is as if you could not get rid of them. The fortresses of Satan are thoughts. If the devil can get you to entertain his thoughts of fear, anxiety, doubt, apprehension, he will get a door to control your mind. The study focused on the word of God is the way in which you knock down the devil's bad imaginations in your mind. Confess or say what God says about you in the Bible. For example, when the devil says that you are a double loser and that you will not succeed when you return home, confess the word of God for your life. Well, I can do everything through Christ, who gives me the strength, as we read in Philippians 4.13. Be careful not to get caught up in ways of thinking, believing and acting that are contrary to those of others and not productive for you. Remember that the fortresses of fear, anger, defeat and abuse can keep you captive in your mind. Listen to what Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians.

Get rid of your old sinful nature and your old way of living, which is corrupted by sensuality and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on the new nature created to be like God, who is truly just and holy. How do you renew your thoughts and attitudes? ¿Un cambio duradero? Filipenses 4.8 nos da esta instrucción. Concéntrense en todo lo que es verdadero, todo lo honorable, todo lo justo, todo lo puro, todo lo bello y todo lo admirable. Piensen en cosas excelentes y dignas de alabanza. El cambio no es fácil, pero es posible. Primero debemos tomar conciencia de lo que creemos y cómo pensamos. Luego debemos comparar eso con lo que Dios quiere que pensemos y entonces podremos centrar nuestros pensamientos en los pensamientos de Dios. Esto lo hacemos practicando sus pensamientos como se muestran en las escrituras y haciendo lo que dice su palabra, los cuales con el tiempo pasarán a formar parte de nuestro ser interior viviéndolos cada día. Para lograr un cambio duradero, esto debe repetirse una y otra vez. Nuestra transformación para llegar a ser más como Jesús, el ejemplo perfecto de Dios para nosotros, es un proceso continuo. Cuando tu mente se renueva, tu estilo de vida lo respaldará. Ahora mismo es como si tuvieras esto al revés, con una mente no renovada. Haz un inventario de dónde te encuentras hoy, qué pensamientos tienes a diario. Si te crees derrotado, tu mente está derrotada. Pero puedes y debes revertirlo, renovando tu mente con la palabra de Dios. ¿Cómo crecer en el fruto del Espíritu? Gálatas 5.22.23 nos dice, En cambio, la clase de fruto que el Espíritu Santo produce en nuestra vida es amor, alegría, paz, paciencia, gentileza, bondad, fidelidad, humildad y control propio. No existen leyes contra esas cosas. El fruto del Espíritu es una manifestación física de la vida transformada de un cristiano. Hay nueve atributos bíblicos, características o cualidades del Espíritu que deben estar en operación en la vida de un creyente. La naturaleza de Dios en nosotros se puede ver en nuestras vidas a través del fruto que su vida produce en nosotros. Nuestro fruto crece y se desarrolla o muere. Todo depende de cómo crezcamos y tengamos comunión en él. Los nueve frutos son, uno, amor.

El amor es paciente y bondadoso. El amor no es celoso, ni fanfarrón, ni orgulloso, ni ofensivo. No exige que las cosas se hagan a su manera. No se irrita ni lleva un registro de las ofensas recibidas. No se alegra de la injusticia, sino que se alegra cuando la verdad triunfa. El amor nunca se da por vencido. Jamás pierde la fe. Siempre tiene esperanzas y se mantiene firme en toda circunstancia. Primera de Corintios 13, versículos 4 al 7. Segundo fruto, la alegría. Saber que somos de nuestro Dios y que Él nos ama completamente nos fortalece. Dice Nehemias capítulo 8, porque el gozo del Señor es su fortaleza. Tercero, paz. Romanos 5, 1. Hay tranquilidad en nuestro corazón al saber que estamos en comunión con el Padre, ya que fuimos hechos justos a los ojos de Dios por medio de la fe. Tenemos paz con Dios gracias a lo que Jesucristo, nuestro Señor, hizo por nosotros. Cuarto, paciencia. Ser sufrido es la capacidad de permanecer firme e inamovible durante las pruebas, porque tu fe y confianza están en el Señor. Dice Hebreos capítulo 10. Perseverar con paciencia es lo que necesitan ahora. now to continue doing the will of God. Then they will receive everything that He has promised. We also read in the epistle of Saint James, because you know that whenever faith is put to the test, constancy has an opportunity to develop. So let it grow, for once its constancy has developed fully, they will be perfect and complete, and they will not lack anything. Saint James 1, verses 3 and 4. Fifth, kindness. Being affectionate and considerate are characteristics of Christian life. The Bible says, we demonstrate what we are for our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness for the Holy Spirit that is within us and for our sincere love. With fidelity we preach the truth. The power of God

acts in us. We use the weapons of justice with the right hand to attack and with the left hand to defend. Second Corinthians 6, verses 6 and 7. Sixth, kindness. So we continue to pray for you, asking our God to help you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to carry out all the good things that faith moves you to do. Second Thessalonians chapter 1. Paul himself tells the Ephesians, for that light that is within you produces only good, straight and true things. Seventh, fruit of the Spirit, fidelity. God can count on you. In other words, you fulfill what you promise. You are worthy of trust. Saint Paul says it. I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to carry out his work. He considered me worthy of trust and designated me to serve him. First Timothy chapter 1. Eighth, humility. This means to have a calm temperament that is not easily provoked. Ephesians 4 says, be always humble and kind. Be patient with each other and tolerate each other's faults for love. And finally, ninth, self-dominance. It is the ability to be the owner of your emotions, desires and actions. It is especially important to control what you say and how you say it. The word says, the mouth of the foolish is their ruin. They are trapped by their lips. Proverbs 18, verse 7. Again, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, humility and self-dominance. As a Christian, you must seek to develop the fruit of the Spirit in your life, which is the nature of Jesus being produced in you. When we have the fruit of the Spirit operating in our lives, we can get along with others and, in turn, they can get along with us. We mentioned this in a previous lesson, but many people say they are Christians, but they do not live as a true Christian should. By living on the flesh and trying to do things in a spiritual way, their lives are the opposite of the nine enumerated gifts. Thus, their lives show questionable reasons, tantrums, unfulfilled promises, lies, traps, thefts, curses, impatience and cruelty and little or no shame for such behaviors. Suffice it to say that when you see these negative attributes in yourself or in others, you know that the help of the Spirit is true. It is necessary, it is difficult to love those who behave like this without the help of the Holy Spirit. Now, how to grow spiritually? Every new Christian has a lot to learn. Where to start? Successful growth implies learning to trust your spirit instead of continuing to live by impulse, habit or tradition. Growing is learning to make decisions and assume their responsibility,

without blaming your parents or your spouse, God, society or the system for your mistakes. Spiritual growth is a process that lasts a lifetime. As long as you live, you should be growing. Spiritual growth is described in 2 Peter 1, 3 to 8, where it says, Through his divine power, God has given us everything we need to lead a life of righteousness. We receive all this when we get to know the one who called us through his wonderful glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These promises make it possible for you to participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption of the world caused by human desires. In view of all this, strive to the maximum to respond to God's promises, complementing your faith with an abundant provision of moral excellence. Moral excellence with knowledge. Knowledge with self-control. Self-control with perseverance. Perseverance with submission to God. Submission to God with fraternal affection and fraternal affection with love for all. The more you grow in this way, the more productive and useful you will be in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. God wants us to grow spiritually. In 2 Corinthians chapter 13, verse 9, Paul writes, We are glad to seem weak if this helps to show that you are actually strong. Our prayer is that you become mature. The ultimate goal of spiritual growth is to become like Jesus. That has always been God's plan for humanity, says Romans chapter 8, for God knew his own in advance and chose them to become like his Son so that his Son would be the eldest among many brothers. Growing spiritually is similar to the growth of the human being. Babies must be attended to, cry when they need something, and misbehave easily. As they grow up, they tend to talk a lot, have short periods of attention, and tend to be selfish and do not want to share their toys with others. Christian babies sometimes also show these same characteristics.

They speak when they should listen. Sometimes others label them as know-it-all. They are easily offended. They often lack discipline. They have ups and downs in terms of attendance to the church and reading the Bible, and also in their emotions. Growing spiritually means overcoming these and other natural obstacles. It also means growing in God's things and becoming a doer of the word of God. So, growing spiritually means growing in the knowledge and understanding of the word of God, being disciplined and committed to the things of God, practicing self-control, and remaining disciplined. firme en el compromiso con Dios, eliminar el pecado de la vida, caminar en amor y ser amable con los demás, ahora hablemos de cómo aplicar las palabras de la Biblia a tu vida. Damos gracias a Dios por su palabra y la bendita oportunidad de crecer en ella. Hasta ahora, hemos aprendido la importancia de renovar nuestra mente. Ahora queremos poner en práctica lo que hemos aprendido porque no hay ningún beneficio en aprenderlo si no aplicamos ese conocimiento transformador a nuestra vida y relaciones cotidianas. Entonces, la siguiente pregunta es, ¿Cómo aplicamos la Palabra de Dios a nuestra vida? Dice la Biblia, Entrégate a la instrucción, presta suma atención a las palabras de conocimiento. Proverbios 23, 12. Entregarse a uno mismo significa hacer algo, tomar algunas medidas, ser intencional en tomarse el tiempo para aplicar en la vida diaria lo que se está aprendiendo. En Oseas 4.6 dice, Mi pueblo está siendo destruido porque no me conoce. Así como ustedes, sacerdotes, se niegan a conocerme, yo me niego a reconocerlos como mis sacerdotes. Ya que olvidaron las leyes de su Dios, me olvidaré de bendecir a sus hijos. Como puedes ver, no podemos darnos el lujo de ignorar la Palabra de Dios y andar por la vida haciendo lo que queremos. Hacerlo nos duele y puede destruir no solo nuestra vida, sino la vida de los demás. Entonces, ¿Cómo aplicamos la Palabra de Dios a nuestra vida? Colosenses 3.16 nos dice que hacer, el mensaje de Cristo, con toda su riqueza, llene sus vidas. Enseñense y aconsejense

unos a otros con toda la sabiduría que Él da. Canten salmos e himnos y canciones espirituales a Dios con un corazón agradecido. En la última lección, hemos aprendido que debemos abrir el corazón para recibir al Espíritu Santo, leer, estudiar, orar, meditar y confesar la Palabra de Dios. Al hacerlo, la Palabra sirve como un espejo que refleja la imagen de cómo somos en Cristo. Si sinceramente queremos crecer, el Espíritu Santo nos mostrará dónde estamos y qué necesitamos cambiar. Nosotros, a su vez, seguimos sus instrucciones mediante la lectura, la oración, la meditación y el ejercicio de la fe en la Palabra. Como resultado, y a medida que Dios va obrando en nosotros, nuestra vida irá cambiando. No es instantáneo, pero es cierto. Esto nos lleva a otro aspecto importante del crecimiento cristiano, el ser hacedores de la Palabra. Santiago 1, versículos 22 al 25, lo dice perfectamente, no solo escuchen la Palabra de Dios, tienen que ponerla en práctica. De lo contrario, solamente se engañan a sí mismos. Pues, si escuchas la Palabra pero no la obedeces, sería como ver tu cara en un espejo. Te ves a ti mismo, luego te alejas y te olvidas como eres. Pero si miras atentamente en la ley perfecta que te hace libre y la pones en práctica y no olvidas lo que escuchaste, entonces Dios te bendecirá por tu obediencia. La Biblia es nuestra guía y tiene muchas promesas maravillosas. Aun así, si no sabemos qué son o cómo acceder a ellas, use them to bring blessings to our life, we will live defeated. So, if you want to become a good spouse or father, look for passages in the Bible that deal with husband, wife, or father, and study those scriptures. Spend time with them, write them down, and receive God's wisdom on how to be the spouse or father you know you can and should be. This is how our lives are transformed by the power of God's Word. So, how can I be guided by the Spirit of God? How can I listen to His voice? Will He really speak to me? How can I stop having difficulties in life? If you have asked these questions, you are like many other Christians who have also asked them. God gives us the answers to these and many similar questions, because all who are guided by the Spirit of God are children of God, Romans 8.14 tells us.

God, better than anyone, knows that we need wisdom and direction to be successful and make good decisions. Jeremiah 10.23 expresses it this way, I know, Lord, that our life does not belong to us. We are not able to plan our own destiny. Proverbs 4 verses 11 and 12 says, I will show you the ways of wisdom and guide you on straight paths. When you walk, they will not stop you. When you run, you will not stumble. And then there are the words of the apostle John, When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you to all the truth. He will not speak on his own, but will tell you what he has heard and will tell you what will happen in the future. The Holy Spirit will guide you. What good news! You do not have to be dark about your future. The Holy Spirit will guide you based on what is to come. Let's look again at Romans 8.14 For all who are guided by the Spirit of God are children of God. How does the Spirit of God guide us? One thing is to say that the Holy Spirit guides us. Another thing is to know how he does it. The following verses of Romans 8 tell us this. And you have not received a spirit that enslaves you to fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of God when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call them Abba, Father. For his Spirit joins our spirit to confirm that we are children of God. Note that the Spirit himself testifies, which means that he gives testimony. With our spirit he speaks to our spirit. Our spirit then echoes his voice. In other words, the Holy Spirit uses our own spirit to direct us and guide us. Proverbs 20.27 confirms this.

The light of the Lord penetrates the human spirit and makes known every hidden intention. The Holy Spirit communicates wisdom, understanding, discernment, and advice in our decision-making. The question is, are you listening? The Holy Spirit spoke to your heart so that you would receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. He inspired you to faith. You had the option of receiving or rejecting Jesus. And when you received him, you made the right decision. Think about your decision and remember how it was. We have the mind of Christ. This means that we have his thoughts and that as he falls, When we pray in the Word of God and learn more about Him, we will hear Him more clearly when He speaks to us through the Scriptures. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us see what is wrong in our lives. God corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do the right thing. God uses Him to prepare and train His people to do all good work. 2 Timothy chapter 3 The Spirit of God is the Spirit of love. As such, the voice of God is the sound of love. We have the hope that our actions are motivated by love as we do the will of God, becoming a blessing for our neighbor. It is about putting God and others first. The voice of God, His Holy Spirit, will always guide us in the direction of love. Having the love, the joy, and the peace of God in your heart is a sign that you are listening and obeying the voice of God. Isaiah tells us, you will live with joy and peace. The Holy Spirit reminds us of the truths of the Word of God. That is why the reading and constant study of the Bible are of vital importance. For example, when you need God's direction on a decision in your life, the Spirit will remind you of one or more scriptures.

By the grace of God, the scriptures inform the new man in whom we are becoming. The Holy Spirit gives testimony to our spirit. A passage from the Book of Acts can give us a clue as to how the work. We read it in chapter 27. We had lost a lot of time. The weather was getting more and more dangerous to travel by sea because autumn was very advanced and Paul commented that with the ship's officers. He told them, gentlemen, I think we will have problems later if we continue to advance. Naufragio, perdida de la carga y también riesgo para nuestras vidas. Observa que Pablo dice creo en el pasaje anterior. Nadie le dijo a Pablo del peligro venidero. Pero él lo percibió, lo reconoció, vio o identificó en su espíritu. El Espíritu Santo le advirtió a través de su espíritu humano y como era sensible al Espíritu Santo, tomó nota de ello. Este es un ejemplo de cómo recibir instrucciones en nuestro espíritu. Dios nos asegura que podemos conocer su voz. Dijo Jesús, una vez reunido su propio rebaño, camina delante de las ovejas y ellas lo siguen porque conocen su voz. Juan 10 4. Cuando el Espíritu habla, debemos escuchar y tomar nota de lo que nos está diciendo. La oración, por supuesto, es una parte importante de nuestra relación con Dios. Podemos aprender más sobre la oración a través de las enseñanzas de nuestro pastor, a través de ministerios de podcast, radio y televisión, a través de libros y devocionales. Quizás estés hablando con un amigo o familiar y él mencione la oración. Esa es una excelente oportunidad para compartir tus pensamientos y obtener comentarios sobre el tema. ¿Está el Espíritu Santo tratando de ayudarte? Podría ser. Aquí tienes un ejemplo. Sabes que debes llamar a un amigo o familiar, pero continúas haciendo lo que estabas haciendo

y lo ignoras. Más tarde, esa persona viene a tu mente una y otra vez, la descartas y dices que la llamarás más tarde. ¿Es el Espíritu Santo? ¿A veces sientes la urgencia en tu corazón de orar por alguien? Cuando cosas así te sucedan, aprende a detenerte y tomar nota. ¿Cómo encontrar el propósito de Dios? para tu vida? ¿Cuál es mi propósito? ¿Para qué estoy aquí? ¿Por qué es tan difícil saber qué se supone que debo hacer con mi vida? ¿Hay algo bueno dentro de mí? Las personas luchan con este tipo de preguntas todos los días. La buena noticia es que puedes saberlo y te diremos cómo, basados en las Escrituras, porque ciertamente puedes conocer el plan de Dios para tu vida. La palabra propósito significa la intención o plan original para el cual algo existe o ha sido hecho. El propósito es un motivador que da esperanza y sentido de dirección a la vida, respondiendo al porqué de nuestra existencia. Ya has dado los pasos más importantes, por lo que estás bien encaminado hacia tu propósito. Entiendes y crees en la salvación que Dios ofrece al mundo a través de su Hijo Jesucristo. Estás aprendiendo y creciendo en las cosas de Dios.