TIME MOVES ON: ARE YOU MOVING WITH GOD? By: Major Frank Materu
Key Scripture:
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” — Galatians 5:25
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INTRODUCTION
Time is a divine system ordained by God to move forward—never backward. Every second, every minute, every day, and every year continually advances, reminding humanity that life is a journey, not a stagnant experience. Yet, although time moves on, not everyone moves with God. Many people remain spiritually stuck, repeating the same cycles year after year, refusing to grow, refusing to obey, and refusing to adjust their lives to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
This lesson is built upon the prophetic revelation that God is asking His people a critical question: “Time moves on—are you moving with Me, or have you settled down in stagnation?” Multitudes today behave like the first generation of Israel under the leadership of Moses—people who started the journey with God but never finished because they chose fear over faith, rebellion over obedience, and carnal reasoning over spiritual discernment. Their bodies left Egypt, but their hearts never did. Their feet moved in circles, but their spirits never advanced. And just like them, many believers today are repeating the same spiritual cycles because of unbelief, fear, pride, compromise, and disobedience.
This teaching aims to expose the dangers of spiritual stagnation, the consequences of following demonic influences, the pitfalls of modern complacency and complacent religion, and the tragedy of refusing God’s correction. It also offers hope—showing how God's grace, through Jesus Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, offers a way out of deception and bondage. God’s desire is always restoration, transformation, and forward movement.
The core message is clear: God is moving—do not remain behind. Every believer must make the choice to walk in the Spirit and stay aligned with God’s direction, commands, and timing.
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THE DANGER OF SPIRITUAL STAGNATION
“So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” — Hebrews 3:19
The first generation of Israel provides the clearest warning in Scripture about the danger of refusing to move forward with God. Though they witnessed miracles, deliverance, provision, protection, and the manifest presence of God, they still chose to remain in fear instead of walking in faith. Their journey became a repetitive cycle because they refused to trust God’s plan.
They heard God’s promises but believed the fearful reports of the ten spies. They saw the land flowing with milk and honey but chose to focus on giants. Their disobedience turned an eleven-day journey into a forty-year death sentence. They literally circled the same mountains until their corpses filled the desert.
Sadly, this is still happening spiritually today. Many believers remain stuck in:
Fear
Doubt
Unbelief
Offense
Stubbornness
Carnality
Old wounds
Unrepented sin
Rather than progressing in the Spirit, many are circling the same spiritual mountains—anger, bitterness, discouragement, lust, laziness, excuses, and rebellion—because they are refusing spiritual growth.
Failure to move with the Holy Spirit leads to spiritual decay. Stagnation becomes a silent killer of destiny.
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THE BATTLE BETWEEN FEAR AND FAITH
“God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” — 2 Timothy 1:7
Fear is one of the biggest weapons satan uses to keep people from moving forward. The Israelites were crippled by fear—fear of giants, fear of change, fear of responsibility, fear of battles, fear of the unknown. Fear caused them to reject God’s plan and accept the lies of the enemy.
Fear kills vision.
Fear poisons faith.
Fear paralyzes progress.
Fear blinds people to the truth.
When people give fear more authority than God’s Word, they will always remain stuck. Fear births disobedience, and disobedience shuts people out from God’s promises.
Faith requires movement.
Faith requires obedience.
Faith requires trust beyond logic.
Every believer must choose daily whether to walk in fear or faith. One leads to stagnation and destruction; the other leads to victory and God’s promises.
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THE INFLUENCE OF DEMONIC VOICES
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” — 1 Timothy 4:1
Demons are constantly speaking. They are always searching for someone who will listen, agree, and obey. Those who give their ears to demonic voices eventually give their souls to darkness.
People become what they listen to.
People follow the voice they believe.
Those who listen to demonic voices become:
Bent in their thinking
Twisted in their behaviors
Darkened in their understanding
Unstable in their emotions
Enslaved in their desires
Confused in their identity
God never intended people to be mentally tormented or spiritually enslaved. But when individuals reject the Holy Spirit’s guidance, they become vulnerable to demonic deception.
Rejecting God’s voice opens the door to satan’s voice.
Turning from truth invites lies.
Ignoring conviction produces bondage.
Therefore, the believer must remain vigilant and spiritually alert, continually filtering thoughts through the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.
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THE CHURCH OF COMFORT AND COMPLACENCY
“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” — 2 Timothy 3:5
Modern Christianity has become comfortable, complacent, and compromised. Many churches prefer entertainment over holiness, psychology over Scripture, self-help over repentance, and motivational speeches over spiritual discipline.
This generation often chooses:
Diversity instead of purity
Perversity instead of righteousness
Entertainment instead of worship
Compromise instead of conviction
Carnality instead of spirituality
Instead of confronting sin, many churches celebrate it. Instead of calling people to repentance, they call them to acceptance. Instead of preaching holiness, they preach tolerance. And instead of upholding God’s standard, they bow to societal pressure.
Such churches are spiritually dead. They produce spiritually dead members who are emotionally satisfied but eternally lost.
A church that no longer moves with the Spirit becomes a graveyard of religious traditions.
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THE TRAGEDY OF DEPARTING FROM GOD’S WAYS
“They did not keep the covenant of God; they refused to walk in His law.” — Psalm 78:10
God does not force anyone to follow Him. He gives every person the freedom to choose. But when people reject His commands and refuse His correction, they end up wandering spiritually.
Those who depart from God become:
Directionless
Restless
Empty
Deceived
Spiritually blind
Hungry yet never satisfied
Confused about truth
Drawn to false spirituality
Some run from place to place looking for meaning. Others seek answers from psychics, false prophets, witchcraft, ancestral spirits, mediums, and occult practices. They chase mystical experiences but find no truth.
Such individuals become spiritual wanderers—never stable, never grounded, always seeking but never finding because they rejected the true Source of Life.
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THE CORRUPTING POWER OF WORLDLY INFLUENCE
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.” — 1 John 2:15
One of the greatest enemies of spiritual progress is the influence of the world—media, entertainment, trends, ungodly philosophies, and anti-Christ culture. When believers feed on worldly content, they become spiritually weak and morally polluted.
The heart absorbs whatever it is fed.
The mind becomes whatever it meditates upon.
The soul reflects whatever it consumes.
Young people especially are being spiritually poisoned by ungodly music, movies, social media, pornography, sexual immorality, and demonic ideologies. These influences shape values, corrupt morals, and destroy destinies.
Worldliness kills spiritual hunger.
Worldliness replaces holiness with compromise.
Worldliness produces spiritual death.
Only those who feed on God’s Word, prayer, worship, and purity remain strong and stable in the Spirit.
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MOVING WITH GOD REQUIRES OBEDIENCE
“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.” — Isaiah 1:19
Walking with God is a daily journey of obedience. It is not enough to start with God—you must continue. Movement in the Spirit requires:
Listening
Submitting
Yielding
Surrendering
Trusting
Following
Obedience is the key that unlocks God’s promises. Disobedience is the barrier that keeps people from destiny. When the Holy Spirit commands, directs, corrects, or convicts, the wise believer responds immediately.
Those who obey move forward.
Those who resist remain stuck.
Those who rebel fall backward.
God’s desire is progress, growth, maturity, and transformation for every believer—but the decision to obey remains personal.
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SUMMARY
This lesson has revealed that although time moves forward, not everyone moves with God. Many believers today are spiritually stagnant, bound by fear, influence of demons, worldliness, and rebellion. Like the first generation of Israel, they refuse God’s direction and fall into cycles of failure. The world, media, and modern religion have drawn many into compromise and deception, leading to spiritual wandering and loss of purpose.
However, God calls His people to move on with Him—walking in obedience, faith, holiness, and spiritual discipline. The Holy Spirit is available to guide, strengthen, convict, and transform every believer who chooses to surrender fully. Movement with God brings clarity, purity, direction, protection, and divine purpose.
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CONCLUSION
Time does not wait for anyone. Every day that passes is a reminder that destiny must be pursued and purpose must be fulfilled. God is moving, and His Spirit is directing His people into the paths of righteousness, holiness, and spiritual maturity. Those who refuse to move with Him will be left behind in confusion, stagnation, and destruction.
Every believer must examine their heart and ask:
“Am I moving with God, or have I settled into spiritual comfort and complacency?”
The call of God is urgent. The hour is late. The spiritual climate is dark. The dangers of deception are increasing. Therefore, believers must awaken, rise, and walk in obedience, faith, boldness, and spiritual discipline.
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CALL TO ACTION
Commit yourself today to:
Deepen your prayer life
Study the Word daily
Reject worldly influences
Obey the Holy Spirit immediately
Break free from fear and stagnation
Cut off ungodly associations
Pursue holiness
Move in faith
Walk in the Spirit
Renounce compromise
Do not remain where you are spiritually. Move forward. Grow. Advance. Follow God’s direction with determination and consistency.
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FINAL WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT
God is not finished with you. You are not too far gone. You are not beyond restoration. If you choose today to walk in the Spirit, God will strengthen you, guide you, transform you, and lead you into His perfect will. He will redeem your past, restore your soul, and make your path clear.
Do not fear the future. Do not dwell on the past.
Move forward with God—He is faithful, and His plan for your life is good.
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SALVATION PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I come before You today acknowledging that I am a sinner in need of Your mercy. I repent of all my sins and turn away from every form of darkness. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for my sins and rose again for my salvation. I ask You, Lord Jesus, to come into my heart, cleanse me with Your blood, and make me a new creation. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and help me to walk in obedience, holiness, and truth. From this day forward, I choose to follow You and move with Your purpose for my life. Thank You for saving me, restoring me, and giving me eternal life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
