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Seismic Shifts
Copyright © 2005 by Kevin Harney
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Harney, Kevin.
Seismic shifts : the little changes that make a big difference in your life / Kevin G.
Harney.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-25945-9
ISBN-10: 0-310-25945-2
1. Christian life. 2. Success — Religious aspects — Christianity. I. Title.
BV4598.3.H36 2005
248.4 — dc22
2005017302
This edition printed on acid-free paper.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New
International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible
Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked TNIV are taken from the Holy Bible: Today’s New International
Version®. TNIV®. Copyright © 2002, 2004 by International Bible Society. Used
by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
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Part 1
Shifts That Bring Greater Joy
Than You Can Imagine
The Seismic Shift from Infancy
to Adulthood
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the
waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by
the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up
into him who is the head, that is, Christ.
— Ephesians 4:14 – 15 TNIV
In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need
someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over
again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk,
being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about
righ teous ness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant
use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore
let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on
to maturity.
— Hebrews 5:12 – 6:1
Babies are cute. They can do the smallest thing and adults cheer with
delight, laugh with joy, and stare in amazement. Think about it, parents
actually talk with pride about how their little boy holds his head up
or how their little girl smiles on command. They act as if these relatively
common activities rival the exploits of great athletes.
Chapter ONE
Chapter 1: The Seismic Shift from Infancy to Adulthood 23
How do parents feel when they realize their child’s growth is stunted?
The answer is obvious: they are deeply concerned. If their little boy or girl
has a physical problem, they call a doctor. They will go from specialist to
specialist and do all they can to help their child overcome this obstacle.
If their son or daughter is dealing with an emotional or mental hurdle,
they will contact a Chris tian counselor or a psychologist to get help. Any
loving parent who sees something hampering the growth of their child
will take action.
Seismic Shifts That Lead Us toward
Spiritual Maturity
One Sunday morning, I was preaching about God’s desire to see us
grow into mature followers of Jesus. To make the point, I showed a video
clip of a dad and mom teaching their little boy to walk. I borrowed a home
video from a woman who works in our church office. This sixty-second
clip of John and Chrisann teaching their firstborn to walk communicated
more clearly than I could have hoped to with mere words.
Little Evan was doing his best to keep his balance, putting both arms
straight up in the air. In his white T-shirt and diaper, he took wobbly steps
across the kitchen floor until he got to the little mat by the sink. As he
stepped on it, the mat shifted ever so slightly, and he lost his footing and
dropped to the floor. His mom cheered him on, “Great job, Evan! You’re
doing great.” He struggled to his feet and kept crossing the floor, arms in
the air, a look of determination on his face. Then with no warning, he
pitched straight forward and fell with a thud to the cold tile floor. The
congregation gasped. You could sense that everyone wanted to reach up
to the screen and help this little guy back to his feet.
There he was, sprawled with his nose just an inch off the floor, his little
butt sticking up in the air. Then his father spoke, “Evan, stand up and
walk to Daddy.” He lay there, frozen for a moment. Then from somewhere
deep inside, Evan found the strength to push himself up, turn around,
and begin walking toward his father. The congregation watched, wanting
to cheer but absolutely silent. Step by step, he crossed the floor until he
fell into his daddy’s arms. The response from the congregation was both
joy and a huge sigh of relief.
This video clip illustrates something God wants all of us to understand.
He looks at us and sees beloved children. When we lose our balance
and fall flat, he is right there. He says, “Stand up and walk to Daddy.”
That’s the heart of God for you and me. He wants us to get back up each
time we fall and continue the glorious journey across the linoleum tile of
life until we reach the arms of our Father.
Maybe you are lying on your belly in the middle of the kitchen floor.
You are tired, discouraged, and don’t feel you can get up and press on. It
feels better to just stay right where you are.
Your Father is there. Can you hear him? “Stand up and walk to Daddy.
Stand up and walk to Daddy.” He is so close. His arms are open. Don’t give
up. Stand up one more time and keep on trying.
When the apostle Paul wrote to the church in the city of Corinth, he
lamented the fact that they were not growing up spiritually. They had
slipped and fallen, but they refused to get up and try again. He writes,
“Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly —
mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not
yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready” (1 Cor. 3:1 – 2 TNIV). In
common language, Paul is calling the believers in the city of Corinth a
bunch of spiritual babies. Ouch! He then goes on to tell them about some
of the signs of their spiritual infancy and challenges them to enter a process
of growing up in faith.
The Holy Spirit invites every Chris tian to enter the joy of spiritual
growth. We accept by learning to identify signs of spiritual adulthood
and committing to take consistent steps toward maturity. These seismic
shifts propel us to deeper places of intimacy with God. Along the way,
