Not Instant Grits

Shalom,

Scripture references are from,
the SET (Stone Edition Tanach) for the OT
and the PNT (Power New Testament) for the NT unless otherwise specified.

 8:4. Therefore those who were scattered went through Judea and Samaria preaching the Word. 5. And when Philip came down to the city of Samaria he proclaimed the Messiah to them. 6. And the crowds paid attention to those things which were spoken by Philip. Of one mind in this, they listened and saw the signs which he was doing. 7. For then many of them had unclean spirits and they, unclean spirits, were coming out shouting in a loud voice, and many paralytics and lame were being healed: 8. and there was much joy in that city.
8:9. And a certain man named Simon was amazing the people of Samaria, practicing magic arts in the city and saying that he was someone great, 10. whom all from least to great were following saying, ?This one is the power of god called ?Great.?? 11. And they were paying close attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them by his magic arts. 12. But when they believed in Philip?s preaching concerning the kingdom of God and the name Jesus Messiah, then both men and women were being baptized. 13. And even Simon himself believed and, after he was baptized, he was attaching himself to Philip, and he was amazed when he saw that there were signs and great miracles.
8:14. And when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the Samaritans welcomed the Word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15. who, when they went down from Jerusalem, prayed on their behalf to the end that they would take the Holy Spirit: 16. for not yet was it fallen upon any of them, but they were only being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17. Then Peter and John were laying hands on them and they were taking the Holy Spirit. 18. And when Simon saw that the Spirit was given by the laying on of the hands of the apostles, he offered them gifts 19. saying, ?Now you must immediately give me this authority so that if I would lay hands on someone he would take the Holy Spirit.? 20. And Peter said to him, ?May your silver be destroyed with you because you believe the gift of God is acquired by money: 21. neither is there for you any part nor any share in this message, for your heart is not right before God. 22. Therefore you must immediately repent from this evil of yours and ask the Lord if He will really forgive the thought of your heart for you, 23. for I see that you are in a gall of bitterness, extreme wickedness, and a bond of sin.? 24. And Simon said, ?You must right now ask the Lord about me in order that nothing which you said would come upon me.?
8:25. So then after they had charged and spoken the word of the Lord they were returning to Jerusalem, and they were preaching the Good News in many Samaritan towns.

It is obvious from The Scriptures that Simon was in error. That his spirit was not aligned with that of GOD but, how often have you seen where a more mature CHRISTian is of a different opinion than a younger CHRISTian is as to how one is to serve YHVH? This was a man who had been "someone", had seen many things and he wanted to stay in a position of power and possibly esteem. He had not yet learned, that to be someone in YHVH is to be a nobody on the earth.
He had not learned how to die to his SELF, to his wills and desires in order that he could see the will and desire of YHVH.
He had not learned how to truly become humble...
2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. KJV

"Our ways", our ways are not YHVH's ways and thus no matter how good they may be they are not "good" unless they are HIS ways!
"Our ways" are based in the sin of the flesh even if they are directed to YHVH because they founded from within the sinful nature of the flesh.
Only ways from within us that are derived from the leading of The HOLY SPIRIT are not "wicked" in the eyes of YHVH. Thus...
Mar 3:20. And they came into a house: and the crowd came together again, so they were not able to eat a meal. 21. And having heard the commotion, those disciples with Him came out to take hold of Him: for they were saying that He was out of His senses. 22. And the scribes, who had come down from Jerusalem, were saying, ?He has Beelzebub? and, ?He is casting out demons by the ruler of the demons.? 23. And then He summoned them and He was speaking to them in parables. ?How is Satan able to cast out Satan? 24. And if a kingdom would be divided against itself, that kingdom is not able to stand. 25. And if a house would be divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26. And if Satan rose against himself and was divided, he could not stand but has his end. 27. But no one is able, when he comes into the house of the strong man, to steal his goods, unless first he would bind the strong man, and then he could plunder his house. 28. Truly I say to you that all of the sins by the sons of men will be forgiven, even blasphemies, no matter how great they would blaspheme: 29. but whoever would blaspheme against the Holy Spirit does not ever have forgiveness, but he is guilty of eternal sin.? 30. He said this because they were continually saying, ?He has an unclean spirit.?
...thus without The HOLY SPIRIT or for the one who has denied or blasphemed from within the spirit of man, The HOLY SPIRIT there is no way to gain forgiveness.

Consider Judas after his betrayal of Y'SHUA...
Mat 27:3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
Mat 27:4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What [is that] to us? see thou [to that]. KJV
This is one of those points where I really like the way the KJV has phrased this!
Simon was simply in error.

Remember what was said by Y'SHUA first to John and James and eventually to all of His disciples...
Mar 10:37. And they said to Him, ?You must now grant to us that we could sit one on Your right and one on Your left in Your glory.? 38. And Jesus said to them, ?You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup which I am drinking or to be baptized in the baptism with which I am baptized?? 39. And they said to Him, ?We are able.? And Jesus said to them, ?The cup which I am drinking you will drink and in the baptism which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40. but to sit on My right or left is not for Me to give, but for whom it has been prepared.? 41. And when they heard, the ten other disciples began to be disturbed about Jacob and John. 42. And after He summoned them Jesus said to them, ?You know that those who are considered to lead the heathens are lording over them and that the great ones of them tyrannize them. 43. But it is not so among you, but whoever would wish to become great among you will be your servant, 44. and whoever among you would wish to be first will be servant of all: 45. for also the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom in exchange for many.?

SPIRITual maturity or any other type of maturity is not instant grits. You cannot just simply add water and pop it in the microwave in an attempt to achieve maturity. Maturity takes time! All to often it also takes trial and failure.
Mar 9:38. John said to Him, ?Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name and we stopped him, because he was not following us.? 39. But Jesus said, ?Stop hindering him! For no one who will do a miracle in My name is then able quickly to speak evil of Me. 40. For they who are not against us, are for us. 41. For whoever would give you a cup of water to drink in My name because you are from Messiah, truly I say to you that he would not in any way lose his reward.?
Trail and failure or error. John was attempting to do the right thing, the logical thing and yet he was in error, he had failed. Y'SHUA makes the necessary correction and they move on. Y'SHUA does not over correct John nor does He linger on the issue or bemoan the fact that John has failed, He moves on never to revisit the incident.
Those with children of any age, learn!
Maturity is not instant grits.
If you are being led by The HOLY SPIRIT then you are being transformed in the process...
18. And we all by raising the veil are transformed from glory to glory just as by the Spirit of the Lord, to behold for one?s self the glory of the Lord.

Don't be found looking to your past...
Lk 17:32. You must continually remember Lot?s wife. 
Don't fear crossing the Jordan into a land of giants where you 'look' like grasshoppers before them.
Don't focus on the enemy all around you and fail to see the angels of YHVH that are with you.
Open your SPIRITual eyes to see beyond the physical.
Your needs, your wants, your desires are all based on the physical world...
Isa 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Simon had not yet matured in YHVH to the point where such giftings as he expresses the desire for could be given to him. Later Paul expressly directs us to seek, to desire, to ask for such giftings but these are not instant grits!
2:6. But we are speaking wisdom among those ready to apprehend divine things, but not the wisdom of this age and not of the leaders of this age of those things that are being abolished: 7. but we are speaking wisdom of God, the wisdom hidden in a mystery, which God predestined for eternity for our glory, 8. which none of the leaders of this age knew: for if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. 9. But just as it has been written,
??What eye did not see and ear did not hear? (Is 64:4, 52:15)
and did not go up upon the heart of man,
what God prepared for those who love Him.? (Sir 1:10)
10. But God has revealed them to us through the Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11. For who of men knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man that is in him? Thus then no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12. And we did not take the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is from God, so that we would know the things freely given to us by God: 13. and this is what we are speaking, not in teachings with words of human wisdom but in teachings of the Spirit, those thoughts joined together with spiritual teachings. 14. But natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him and he is not able to know, because they are discerned spiritually. 15. And the one who discerns all things by the Spirit, then is himself called to account by no one.
16. For ?Who has known the mind of the Lord,
who will instruct Him?? (Is 40:13)
But we have the mind of Messiah; we know what He has taught.

Maturity takes time. It takes trial and failure.
Grits are basically plain tasting. You may like them this way or they may need butter,cheese, salt and/or pepper.
Maturity, like salvation is never fully achieved while we exist upon this earth. It is constantly being improved, being altered...
Mk 7:13. so you make void the Word of God by your tradition which you had passed on: and you are doing many things such as these.
Maturity takes more than water. It requires more than baptism. It is Not instant grits!