God is totally committed to our growth and moulding into Christ-likeness, but we have to remember that we have a part to play, and thus must be careful to avoid certain attitudes that will hinder or impede our growth in Christ.
Do you want to grow in God? Here are three attitudes that will be harmful to your growth.
1. Arrogance/Pride
Pride or arrogance is a growth-killer. It stifles the growth of any Christian, period. The Bible expressly declares that God is against the proud, and that pride will always result to a problem in the Christian's life.
"But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'" (James 4:6)
"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud." (Proverbs 16:18-19)
2. Unforgiveness
Being unforgiving and bitter also causes one's growth to be hindered big-time. I cannot emphasise this enough: God requires that we be forgiving, or else He won't forgive us ourselves. If we are not forgiven of our sins, then how can we be cleansed and sanctified?
"If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-15)
Our growth in Christ requires that we hold no grudge, no hatred, for another person. Not only that, being bitter causes us to get stuck in the past, specifically at the time we get hurt, offended or disappointed. Better release forgiveness and move on – it's for our own good.
"Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it?" (see Isaiah 43:18-19)
3. Stubbornness
Another attitude that's sure to stifle the growth of any Christian is being stubborn. Being stubborn causes one to be unteachable, hard/impossible to correct/mould, and thus unprofitable in their faith.
Consider the Israelites who died in the wilderness despite being led out of Egypt by Moses. Their stubborn minds refused to obey God. In their rebelliousness continually did what was displeasing to Him. In the end, they were refused entry to the Promised Land.
"For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief." (see Hebrews 3:16-19)
