Spiritual Maturity

Now there’s a phrase that’s often thrown about like a child’s toy. However, like all spiritual concepts and principles, we must take a moment to understand what this phrase really means, practically speaking. It’s often mistaken to represent the length of time someone has been a Christian or a person’s age, neither of which are real indicators of maturity. Instead, spiritual maturity is a result of continuous understanding, application and obedience to the Word of God characterized by progressive, continuous and authentic life changes for the better. Spiritual maturity is not just “change we can believe in,” it is change we can see in our everyday lives. Changes in habits, conversation, associations and attitudes that are a result of a real process of making mistakes, learning from them, growing, and getting better everyday. It is the process of “growing up” as a

Christian.

Several weeks ago, my husband spoke about the “stunted growth” of many Christians. He explained to us that much like the natural process of growth, a believer’s walk with God requires time, attention and nourishment to flourish. Without it, your development as a believer is stunted such that while you may be saved and participating in church/religious activities, you will fail to see true growth and development (change) in your everyday life. The apostle Paul describes this as ever learning but never coming into the knowledge of the truth. And what is that truth? That real spiritual maturity is a

demonstration of the Word of God at work in your life…in your home, in your money, in your heart, in your mind, in your relationships…in YOU. Spiritual maturity happens as a result of on-going experiences with God that result in your willing obedience to Him.

 

Now, it must be said again that spiritual maturity is a process. It is not something that we reach at some crowning point in our lives and then rest there. On the contrary, spiritual maturity is a state of constant growing and changing. A woman who is spiritually mature is always making application of the Word in her life and thus she is always getting better. So as you take time to evaluate your progress in spiritual maturity, I want to leave you with a few ways spiritual maturity shows up in the life of the believer. My husband shared these in his message, and I encourage you to take some time to evaluate yourself in these areas and/or asked a trusted friend to give you honest feedback.

• Love – the ability to demonstrate goodwill, sincerity, care and pure motives towards others, with no conditions or selfish motives
• Stability of mind – unwavering in salvation and spiritual commitments; purpose and obedience driven instead of pleasure and emotional driven; focused on the goals and objectives at hand while managing distractions and fleshly desires
• Self control – self management; the ability to do what is right in the face of temptation; the ability to respond to situations with clarity and control instead of react to situations with emotions
• Wisdom – the ability to make sound, good and timely decisions, led by God, while minimizing the influence of flesh and emotions. The ability to learn from mistakes without repeating them over and over. The understanding of when to get counsel from a trusted source. The ability to have something to say without saying it.
• Selflessness –committed to the principle that life and godliness is centrally concerned with aspiring to be a blessing; focused on giving rather than receiving
• Practical Application of the Word – focused and determined on gaining understanding and knowledge of the Word for the primary purpose of becoming a doer and applier rather than a hearer alone

While these aren't the only areas spiritual maturity manifests itself, this is a good way to know if you're on the right track. Have a wonderful day!

All my love,

Nicole