Life can be tough sometimes. Most of life is about the decisions we make and how we navigate ourselves. It comes down to us as individuals because God gives us freedom of choice. Serving God and loving Him is easy and that makes life less tough.

Therefore, one of our constant prayers should be, “God teach me to grow.” That was Bishop Hargrove’s prayer, and the Lord blessed him with “9 Keys to Growth” and he explores some of those keys in this dynamic message.

In 1997, Bishop Hargrove asked God to help him to grow. God answered his prayer by giving him a vision in which He received “9 Keys to Growth.” For two years, Bishop Hargrove applied each key to his life and as he grew, the church grew. He taught them to the church in 1999. About every other year, he revisits this teaching. In the second part of this series, he addresses keys 3) How to Have a Genuine Care for Others, and 4) Adjust to Unexpected Changes.

Making life, light, and adding laughter to our lives does us good on so many different levels. Laughter can be therapeutic and healing.

In the third part of this series, Bishop Hargrove addresses keys 5) Have a Sense of Humor and 6) Maintain Foresight.

Jesus explains the importance of taking risks. His parable tells of three men, two of which took risks whereas the third one was afraid. Avoiding risk is counterproductive for kingdom-building and for living.

In the fourth part of this series, Bishop Hargrove addresses key 7, “Be Prepared to Take Risk.”

According to Luke, Jesus grew in four different areas of His life.  He grew in wisdom, in stature or physically, in relationship with others, and with God. Growing is inevitable and starts from within. Learning is essential to growth, and we should seek to learn and grow, continually.  Moreover, staying determined keeps us growing in our faith.  Determination is what keeps all of the other eight keys on track.

In the final part of this series, Bishop Hargrove addresses key 8, “Continue to Grow” and key 9, “Stay Determined.” He examines ways to grow and learn along with what we can do to stay determined and keep our faith fresh.