Following Jesus is a Journey, Part 2

Rwh23aug Ep.378 – Run With Horses Podcast –  Following Jesus is a Journey, Part 2
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Author pages with links to all books on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BCSDDVLB – James Norman Smith
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BMGW51FW – Susan Jane Smith
 
**(24:00)**
If you feel like the spiritual life is an uphill battle sometimes you are probably in the right place. It is a journey of a lifetime that brings trials, and joys, that reveal your heart condition and point you to Christ. God is at work in the details and walks with you on the journey.
 
Welcome to Run With Horses! My name is Norman and my goal is to help you thrive as a follower of Jesus. The spiritual life is simple in many ways, but potentially the most difficult part of your life. God invites you to grow, to live intentionally and to join in His mission. It’s very cool that we can do that together!
Thank you for joining me today! “If you’re new here, you can check out past episodes at runwithhorses.net. As always, I appreciate your feedback, questions, and reviews!”
 
**(23:00 – 0:00)* *  PART 1
 
### *2: Expect Seasons of Slow Growth and Struggle
• Psalm 13:1-2 – “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?”
 
Key • Struggles don’t indicate lack of growth; God often strengthens faith in hidden ways during hard times.
 
Applications for Disciple Makers
•Prepare disciples for inevitable dry seasons—normalize them.
•Teach perseverance; encourage trust in God’s timing.
•Model honesty about struggles (Psalms as a prayer guide).
 
Illustrations
•Israel in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:2).
•Winter season for a tree—growth still occurs underground.
•Missionary biographies (e.g., Adoniram Judson’s long seasons of waiting).
 
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### *3: Be an Active Participant in Growth (Spiritual Disciplines)
• God provides growth, but believers must cooperate through obedience and spiritual disciplines.
• Abiding in Christ sustains transformation.
* Daily pursuit of godliness as Paul challenged Timothy
 
Philippians 2:12-13 – “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
 
Hebrews 5:14 –“But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
 
John 15:4-5 –“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
 
#### Key • Growth is not passive; disciplines keep us aligned with God’s transforming work.
 
Applications for Disciple Makers
•Practice spiritual disciplines: prayer, Scripture study, fellowship, serving. 
At their simplest, the spiritual disciplines are habits that support your spiritual life on your journey toward Christ-likeness.
•Encourage sustainable habits, not legalistic checklists.
•Train disciples to feed themselves spiritually and disciple others.
 
Illustrations
•Athlete training for a race (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
•Garden analogy: We water and tend, but God gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6).
•Example of early church practices (Acts 2:42).
 
**(00:00) END PART 1**
**(27:00 – 5:00) BEGIN PART 2*
 
### •4. Growth is a Shared Journey
Key idea: Progressive, Seasonal, Participatory Growth is God’s Plan
 
#### • Progressive  – Growth is ongoing; we are being transformed into Christ’s image step by step.
• “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV)
• “Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13 NKJV)
 
#### • Seasonal – Growth happens in different seasons: planting, pruning, waiting, harvesting.
• “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV)
• “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:2 NKJV)
God accomplishes different things in different seasons. What lessons are available in the trial you are facing now?
 
#### • Participatory – We cooperate with God’s work in us; He grows us as we yield and obey.
 1 Timothy 4:7-8 :“But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”
 
• “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13 NKJV)
• “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” (1 Corinthians 3:6 NKJV)
 
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### 5. Emphasize God’s Faithfulness: He Completes What He Starts
• God initiates and sustains our growth.
• “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6 NKJV)
• Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith.
• “…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2 NKJV)
• Even in failure, God restores and uses us. (Peter’s example: Luke 22:31-32; John 21:15-19)
 
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### 6. Practical Steps: How to Walk the Journey Together
 
#### *1. Identify Where You Are
• Be honest about your current stage: new believer, maturing, struggling, or discipling others.
• “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.” (2 Corinthians 13:5 NKJV)
• Use prayer, Scripture, and counsel from mature believers to discern areas of growth.
* Ask: What is my next step of faithfulness?
 
#### *2. Walk Alongside Others
• Support others in their stage without comparison or judgment.
• “We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” (Romans 15:1 NKJV)
• “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2 NKJV)
• Follow Jesus’ model: He lived closely with His disciples, teaching and encouraging them daily.
 
#### *3. Commit to Ongoing Growth Through Disciplines and Community
• Disciplines: Prayer, Bible study, worship, fasting, service, confession.
• “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” (1 Peter 2:2 NKJV)
• Community: Growth happens best with others.
• “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25 NKJV)
 
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### 7. Vision: Why Shared Growth Matters, We are Disciple Makers
• Our growth equips us for the mission of making disciples.
• “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV)
• The world sees Christ in a community that grows together in love.
• “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35 NKJV)
• Growth in community fosters perseverance and joy.
• “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NKJV)