What can stop me from maturing spiritually?

Isaiah 59:2It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.

James 1:12-15God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

Sin is a roadblock on the road to maturity. Sometimes, it comes in the form of temptations that will entice us to get off the road. Other times, it slows our travel and discourages us to the point of our giving up. When we allow ourselves to get sidetracked by temptation, we lose sight of what is truly important. Just as a child acts impulsively, temptation causes us to sin, which makes us spiritually immature in some way. True maturity recognizes and resists the temptations that try to slow our journey toward the destination God has set for us.

Matthew 6:34“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Matthew 22:37Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’”

Mark 8:36“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?”

Luke 12:34“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

2 Timothy 2:3-4Endure suffering along with me [Paul], as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.

Satan doesn’t need to use sin to distract us from our walk with God. Something good and healthy—work, a relationship, a hobby—could distract us just as well. If we prioritize something other than our relationship with God, our spiritual health will weaken and our growth will stall.