Have you ever felt like other Christians are maturing as if they are taking spiritual steroids?

The secret is not some special Bible translation, Bible teacher or external circumstances. The secret to growth is the attitude of the heart. There are attitudes we carry that lift us up and help us flourish.

There are also dangerous attitudes that weigh us down. Often we don't realize how a small yet faulty perspective hinders our walk. In this story, I reveal 7 secret attitudes that hinder your growth and prevent you from stepping into the fullness of what Jesus has paid for.

1. Desperation

When we are desperate, we rush, get into the tunnel vision and miss what is important on the way. Desperation leads to mistakes. When we are desperate, we don't have faith.

"Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world." (Psalm 46:10, NLT)

God calls us to trust and stillness. Patience is translated from long-suffering, and desperation is the inability to suffer long. When we are desperate, we fall into the temptation to cut a corner. Impatience leads to mistakes where we have to backtrack to fix them wasting a lot more time than if we remained patient.

Growth takes time, and that is a good thing. It shouldn't discourage you. Be encouraged that He who started the good work in you will finish it.

2. Forcing your growth

When we fall in love with Jesus, we start noticing people who are closer to Him. We start to compare ourselves with them. We find that we are not as far in the journey as they are.

Comparison brings disappointment. When we are not satisfied with where we are, we try to look for ways to accelerate our growth. The growth is not something you can put into the microwave, click the button, and see instant results. No, God-given growth takes time.

It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow. (1 Corinthians 3:7, NLT)

Healthy growth is slow. Don't force your growth, be inspired by the people ahead of you. Thank God for how far He has brought you. Don't compare yourself to anyone but Christ. You are being conformed to His image by His own doing.

3. Self-centeredness

God is Love, and He created us in His own very image. When Adam and Eve fell, they also broke the image of God. From being loving, they started to become more and more self-centered.

Self-centeredness is the opposite of love. It focuses on the good of the self, often at the expense of the other. When you are self-centered in your relationship with God, you are failing to worship Him for who He is, and you are robbing yourself of the true, pure experience of God's presence. When we fail to love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we fail to walk out love for one another.

Self-centeredness doesn't conform to the image of God. Love does. God-centeredness as we learn to love from God is where true freedom, faith and growth take place.

4. Fear to be completely honest with God in prayer

When we come to God we feel like we need to be better than we are. As if God doesn't know who we truly are! He knows us better than you know ourselves.

And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. (Matthew 10:30, NLT)

Do you know how many hairs are on your head? I don't know how many are on mine, but God does.

If God truly knows me, I can be completely honest in prayer. I can speak about my failures, struggles and shortcomings. I can be honest about them, and tell Him how I feel, and how I see life.

Sincerity opens opportunities for true transformation. Many ungodly qualities lose their power when you present your struggles to God and ask Him for help. You don't need to pretend to be better than you are. Bring them into the light and allow God's grace to change them.

Fear to be completely honest with God in prayer robs us from experiencing true transformation. We can't pray about the issues and receive help directly from God. Allowing Him to change us brings all the glory to God for our transformation.

5. Assumption of reality

A couple of months ago I found I assume and overreact when people tell me something. I take one statement and exaggerate it. Extra details lead me to wrong conclusions and I end up living in an assumed reality.

When I ask for clarification, I discover that the extra things I added were false. My struggles were completely baseless.

When we assume things, we don't allow questioning to lead us to the right conclusions. If you feel like God doesn't love you, don't assume that's the truth. The Bible teaches that God loves you, no matter how you might feel about it. Don't be assumptions, take what you hear as it is and question it to come to the right conclusions.

6. Complaining

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT)

The will of God in Christ is our thankfulness, not complaining.

Complaining is a way of discontent with circumstances. By complaining we declare negative aspects of our life to be God's fault. Complaining is educating God on what bothers us and why He is wrong by allowing it all to happen.

Thankfulness is the opposite. It expresses the joy of having good circumstances as a gift of God. Thankfulness strengthens our faith but complaining ruins your life. Choose to be grateful, and choose to remove complaining from your life.

7. Lacking hunger for God

Do you hunger to get to know God?

During life seasons when I lack hunger for God, I don't seek Him. I don't want to grow to get to know Him, and I don't enjoy the relationship with Him.

"Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5, NLT)

When I feel hungry for God, I don't feel like I lack Him, but I want to draw closer to Him. The seasons when I am hungry for God are always fruitful. I see a transformation and growth in the likeness of Jesus.

If you don't feel hunger for God, don't blame yourself. Come to God in prayer, as I shared in point number 4, and tell Him that you don't feel hunger to know Him. Ask Him to reveal what takes the focus off of Him. Ask God to create a hunger for His love, presence and His Word. Surrender and sincerity will empower His grace to change you.

Last thoughts

Growth is not linear. We grow like plants. We need to be taken care of as we live through different seasons. In each season growth doesn't look the same way.

Growth is dynamic. Be sensitive in learning what hinders your growth, and what helps your growth. Choose to remove all that hinders your growth and pursue God who is worthy of your surrendered life.