April 10, 2022
“So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely, we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.” Hebrews 6:1. NLT
“I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.” Ephesians 3:17. NLT
Today is Palm Sunday the beginning of “Passion Week” which leads up to Resurrection Sunday which is commonly called Easter! After all that Christ has done for us, the goal of every committed born-again Believer in Christ is Spiritual Maturity. It is attained through the journey of becoming more like the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ made it possible on the cross. After salvation, every Christian begins the process of spiritual growth, with the determination to become spiritually mature. If you had to rate yourself on a scale from 1 to 10, where would you be on the Christian Maturity Scale today?
When we give our life to Christ, first of all, it is no longer our life, and we are given all the tools we need for growing toward spiritual maturity. The Apostle Peter makes it clear and tells us in 2 Peter 1:3, “God’s divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence” God alone is our resource, and all growth comes by grace through Him, but we are responsible to make the choice to obey. The Apostle Peter helps us again in this area 2 Peter 1:5–8: “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” Being effective and fruitful in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus is the essence of Spiritual Maturity
Spiritual Maturity requires a fundamental rearrangement of your priorities, changing over from pleasing self to pleasing God and learning to obey God. The key to maturity is consistency and perseverance in doing those things you know will bring you closer to God. Paul shares one of the secrets of reaching maturity in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. He points out that to reach maturity, you must practice strict self-control and discipline like athletes. Athletes surpass as they exercise and push the boundaries of their physical capabilities and as Believers in Christ you should give as much emphasis to developing spiritual maturity?
Spiritual Maturity is an ongoing process. It simply means making Christ the beginning and end of your faith. To grow in maturity, you must center your life on HIM and not depend on religious rituals, not fall back into sin, not trust in ourselves, and not let anything come between us and Christ. Christ is sufficient and superior. As Believers in Christ, we have the enabling power of the Holy Spirit within us, and we are to “walk by the Spirit” as noted in Galatians 5:16. The Greek word for “walk” actually means “to walk with a purpose in view.” We are to walk as Paul notes later in this chapter which reminds us again that we’re to “walk by the Spirit.” The word “walk” translated here has the idea of taking things “step by step, one step at a time.” A characteristic of spiritual maturity is being filled with the Spirit submitting more and more and walking under the control of the Holy Spirit. This is learning to walk and maturing through Bible reading/study, prayer, fellowship, service, and stewardship displaying more and more of the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22–23.
Remember, Bitter Roots Produce Bitter Fruit! It Contaminates
Wherever Is Allowed To Grow!
Pastor, T. Harrison
Behaviors That Will Kill Your Spiritual Growth And Stunt Your Faith
A Bad Temper ~ James 1:20-21. A bad temper can destroy your spiritual growth because you’re always doing damage control by trying to apologize time and again, and it really does destroy your Christian testimony and kill your spiritual growth.
Not Attending Worship Services ~ Hebrews 10:25 Not being within the Body of Christ, they missed out on worshiping God and being fed the Word of God.
Lack of Prayer and Bible Reading. Ephesians 3:17 An Insufficient Prayer Life and an adequate degree of Bible reading and study, there will be spiritual decay, which is a recipe for killing your spiritual growth.
Absence of Integrity ~ Romans 13:7. Cheating and not paying your debts. A lack of integrity doesn’t only kill your spiritual growth, it robs you of the joy of your salvation.
RX: A MATURE 
HEART Hebrews 13:20. “May the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, all that is pleasing to him. Jesus is the great Shepherd of the sheep by an everlasting covenant, signed with his blood. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
FATHER GOD: Thank You for what You have provided for us on the cross. Help us to grow to maturity in You by centering our lives only in You. Help us not to allow anything to come between us and You Father, in the Precious, Powerful and Preeminent Name of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord, Amen.