Marks of Maturity – Part 1

Most of us want to mature as Christians. I would venture to guess that the vast majority of believers do not want to stay immature and “baby-ish” in their walk with the Lord. And clearly the scripture gives us instruction about growing up in Christ. Paul, James and Peter exhort us over and over to be mature in our walk with Jesus.

So, here’s the question: What are the indicators of maturity in my walk with Christ? How do I know that I’ve grown? There has to be some measurable results which will tell me that I have progressed in the things of God. Over the next few weeks, we are going to be covering things that I like to call “marks” of maturity in the believer’s life. The New Testament has a lot to say on the subject, so let’s dive in…

The first concept that I would like for us to get into is perhaps one of the most important things that we can learn as Christians. Yet it is one that is either ignored or poorly taught on a wide scale in the Church world today. That is, being led by the Spirit of God. Of all the marks of maturity in our lives as Christians, this issue must have a high priority. As believers, we MUST be able to hear from God and allow what we hear to be the thing which guides and directs our decisions and lifestyles. In this is true maturity. Often times we place emphasis on things which are carnal as indicators of our walk with God. For example, we say things like “I haven’t missed a Sunday service in two years. My walk with God must be on point.” Yet when the scripture deals with our maturity in God, it always addresses internal things. Things like our love walk, or our ability to control anger and our sensitivity to God’s Spirit. Funny, how it never deals with our church attendance, or even (as ministers) our ability to preach a good sermon, or how many people we got saved last month. The scriptures indicate that internal aspects of our life are the things that are the most important. The book of Romans illustrates this for us perfectly.

Romans 8:14 states: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.”

Now there are two things to notice here. The first is the word “led” and the second is the word “son.” Both are critical to defining the meaning of this scripture and to understanding our discussion regarding maturity. The word “led” means: “To lead, by accompanying into a place; To conduct or bring.” So firstly we need to see that it’s God’s desire to lead us into His will and purpose for our lives through the working of the Holy Spirit. That means that the Holy Spirit can and will take you deeper into God’s heart if you’re willing to follow. The scripture says in 1 Corinthians 2 that “…The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God…” So The Holy Spirit is always exploring the depths of God’s will and if we’re willing to follow Him, He’ll take us with Him on that journey. He’ll literally lead us into the will of God.

There are so many practical applications in our lives when it comes to being led. For example, it’s possible for us to have a working knowledge of God’s will regarding our future and then make choices based on that knowledge. If you’re sensitive to God’s Spirit and to His leading, than He can give you insight about the future, He can tell you where to be or where not to be. So often, we blame the devil for causing things to go wrong in our lives, when in reality a simple obedience to a word from the Lord would have spared us the trouble. God’s heart is always good and loving. He wants to lead us into His plan for us which is perfect. It’s ALWAYS up to us whether or not we follow.

Secondly, the scripture uses the word “son.” Now this is an interesting Greek word, because it is not the same as the word in the scripture which describes us as God’s children. This word for “son” is not trying to tell us that we’re God’s kids. In fact, Paul already assumes that we know that we’re God’s offspring, so he uses this word “son” instead of “child.” The reason that this word is so awesome is because it denotes maturity. Everywhere else in scripture where you see the word “child” or “children” the Bible is reminding us that we’re God’s kids. We’re His offspring, we’re in His family. But this word “son” is special because it indicates maturity. And as we all know, not every Christian is mature.

You see, the minute we get saved, we become God’s “child.” But unfortunately, not everyone grows from a child to a mature “son.” Think of it in natural terms for a moment. When you’re a baby, everything is done for you. Mommy and Daddy have to feed you, and clothe you. They have to bathe you and help you learn to walk. But as you grow, the responsibility of life begins to shift from your parents over onto you. When you’re 35 years old, no one is changing your diaper anymore (hopefully). You now have the authority and ability to be trusted with things in your life. Like the ability to drive a car or own a home. But these were things that you never could do as a child. Right?

It’s the same in the Kingdom of God. We must develop and grow in the things of God and move beyond spiritual babyhood into maturity as a “son” of God. And one of the first ways in which we do that is by learning to be led by God’s Spirit. The way that we know that we’re mature is when we can follow God into uncharted waters based on what He has spoken to us, with no fear or concern for our surroundings. This is a mark of maturity. Sonship, not babyhood. Being one of God’s sons enables you to be entrusted with heavenly wisdom and foreknowledge of things to come. Babies always live in the moment, but sons always know what is on their Father’s mind and walk in a confident understanding of His will.

In order for you and I to grow in our relationship with the Father, we must learn to be led by His Spirit. Maturity is found in your ability to hear God and then execute what you’ve heard. Notice that it’s not just in the hearing that we are matured. The scripture doesn’t say that all who hear God are the sons of God. It says, all who are led by Him are His sons. We must be willing to take instruction from God’s Spirit and then do what we’ve heard! This is maturity my friend. It’s not whether or not you attended every Bible study in the month of June last year or the fact that your family has attended the same church for 150 years. Those things are of little relevance when it comes to maturity. The question is: Can you hear God? And: When you’ve heard him, are you willing to do what He’s said? Those are the issues that truly indicate where you’re walk with the Lord is really at.

Are you hungry to be a mature son of God, or are you comfortable with having your spiritual diapers changed?

Fight Discouragement with Faith

Sometimes I think that we have a tendency to be a bit passive in life. I know that this has been the case for me in times past. It is certainly not a constant, but there are those moments when we feel like lying down would be easier than facing whatever is standing in our way. Have you ever had moments of discouragement? Where your efforts don’t seem to be translating into measurable success? It seems like you’re making progress but when you step back, you feel as though you haven’t gotten anywhere. Like a hamster on a wheel. You spin.

Welcome to the land of discouragement. It’s that place that’s sandwiched in between success and mediocrity. It’s the moments in life that, when we look back, seem to be the moments that defined our success or contributed to our failure. It’s the point where the camel chooses to lie down because someone just put that last straw its back, and now it feels broken. And it’s one of the places where the enemy of our soul has been allowed to creep in and end the dreams of many who were not fortified by faith in God.

I know that I sound a bit negative this morning, but there’s a happy ending, I promise. I mentioned at the beginning that there are times in life when we find it much easier to pacify ourselves rather than fight the good fight. We feel as though the challenges of life are speeding towards us like a train with no brakes, and the easiest thing to do would be to lay down and take it. It seems to me that in these types of situations the devil finds a voice in people’s minds and he begins to use discouragement to weaken them towards their breaking point. But the interesting thing about discouragement is that it is easily ousted by simple faith in God. When you begin to analyze discouragement, you find that it’s not quite as deadly as it appears.

For example, Jesus said in Mark 11:22-23 “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, he who says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things that he says will be done. He will have whatever he says.”

 I wonder why Jesus uses a mountain as His example in this scripture. I think it’s probably related to the size and appearance of mountains. Anyone who lives around Boone knows how big our mountains are here and how intimidating they can look. And discouragement often takes on a large and somewhat foreboding, “mountainous” appearance in our minds. But the interesting thing is that unlike mountains, discouragement is a mere shadow of things. It’s an illusion from the devil. A net result of his deceptions. Discouragement is an emotion that is easily laid to rest by having faith in God.

Most of us know this, but often fail to remind ourselves that the devil is a LIAR. Jesus said so in the book of John. He’s the father of LIES. He is incapable of telling the truth, and even when he does say something that seems accurate, it’s always laced with some element of deception. So it stands to reason that when he tries to use discouragement to beat you up, he’s simply not telling you the truth! So when you hear that little voice in your brain saying, “You can’t make it!”…. Rejoice! Because, guess what? You can make it! The devil just confirmed that you are victorious by telling you that you weren’t…

 So the question then remains: Where does the strength to rejoice come from, when I’m fed the lie of failure? The answer is simple: Faith in God.

You see, faith is a heavenly quality that challenges a natural reality. One of the things that defines faith is it’s ability to put up a fight. Faith always challenges the obstacle in front of it with the power that’s behind it. And faith in God always challenges every single discouragement that we face with the power of God. It’s been said that “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” Well, guess what? Faith is the “fight” in the dog. And the stronger your faith is towards God, the stronger you are in a fight.

Discouragement is always a battle. It’s always a challenge. But it’s always defeat-able. Faith will triumph over every lie that the enemy can muster. And if we can remind ourselves that “Greater is He that is IN ME, than he that is in the world…” Our faith will always rise to the occasion and trump the devil’s biggest onslaught of discouragement.

xJust like a can of soda that’s shaken up, faith can be awoken inside of you and can explode onto your circumstance. So remember to put your trust in God and let faith froth up in your heart. Then watch it extinguish the fires of Satan’s discouragement.

Sustaining Victory

It was late last night and for some reason I was not at all tired nor ready for sleep. My eyes were not heavy like they usually are around that time so there was no way that I was going to go to bed. My wife and child however, were both fast asleep. So with no one else to talk to I decided to pull out my Bible and read a bit.

After what I considered to be a successful men’s Bible study earlier that evening, my mind was still wrapped up in the discussion that we had. I was thinking about Jesus’ triumph over sin at the cross and the efficacy of that triumph in my life. I began to ponder the reality of His total and complete victory over the works of the devil and over sin. 1 John 3:8 came to my mind, “…for this reason was the Son of God manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” The fact of the matter is that as a Christian I’m no longer held captive by the dominion of sin. Sin no longer has ownership over my soul. Without this vital revelation, Christianity has no foundation on which to stand. Triumph is the bedrock upon which The Kingdom of God has been established.

With that thought in mind, I began to think about how we sustain victory in our lives. Often times people live far short of the reality of victory at the cross. Even though our lives are no longer subject to sin, we still live as though they are. There are times when we wallow in the effects of yesterday’s mistakes and forget to live in the freedom of forgiveness. Sin consciousness grips our minds and paralyzes further growth in God. Because it’s impossible to progress in the things of the Spirit if you are constantly bound up in your thinking by every memory of past failure…

So the question remains: If Christ has made me free from the law of Sin and death, how do I sustain that victory in my life? If sin could not have dominion over Jesus, how can I live in that same reality in my own life? As I thought about this, my eyes passed over some wonderful scripture in Isaiah 40:28-29. It reads:

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. ²⁹ He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.”

Did you just read that scripture? ……Are you jumping up and down with excitement yet? Maybe you need to read it again…. “He gives His power to the weak…” “He increases strength to them that have no might!!!” That same power that causes Him to “Neither faint, nor be weary” is available to you. Right now.

Are you struggling with sin/depression/strife/fear/etc? What is the answer?? Tap into the power of God which comes from heaven!!!! According to this last scripture it sounds to me like God is pretty willing to give of His resource to us, as long as we’re willing to receive. Now, we have to take a look at this word “power” in verse 29 because there’s more than meets the eye. This word here for power in the Hebrew is loaded. The definition for power is as follows: “Might; Strength; Potential to exert ability in performing a function; Authority; Vigorous and Robust Health; Resources; To be Qualified; To Shout.”

Now that is just downright awesome. God gives us might and strength to triumph in every situation. God gives us the potential to complete tasks and functions. God gives us His Authority making us more powerful than the devil, rather than the other way around. He gives us vigorous and robust health in our physical bodies. God gives me his wealth and resources in my life so that I have an abundance for everything that He has called me to do and be. God causes me to be qualified for the tasks at hand. And He puts a victorious shout in my mouth!!! How could anyone live a defeated life with that kind of power available from heaven?!?!?! Yet people do it every day. There are folks all over the world who don’t realize that God’s power is available for them at the asking. This scripture is the key to sustaining victory in our lives. Tap into the power of God that has been made available to you and you will undoubtedly live in a place of perpetual victory.

There is one more thing that I would like to highlight about this scripture. I want you to notice the method in which God gets this victory across to us. He gives it. He doesn’t sell it. He doesn’t barter with it. He’s not interested in making you work for it in any way… Rather He GIVES power to those who are in need of it. You and I must realize that there is nothing that we could possibly do to receive this power, other than to simply ask for it in our lives.

What are you facing in your life? Is there some sin that keeps clawing at you? Do you need God’s power to show up in your relationships? No matter how threatening the need is, the answer is simple, practical and obvious. Ask God to give you His power. Simply approach Him with your need and ask Him to empower you. He will not withhold His ability when you need it. He will not hang you out to dry and tell you that you need to “figure this one out on your own…” If you are in need of God’s ability in your life this morning, just ask Him for some.

The more that we learn to live in the power of God, the more that we’ll sustain victory in our lives. Contrary to what you might have thought, life does not have to be a victory/defeat roller coaster. Where one day with God seems good and the next seems to be a disaster. YOU CAN live in the reality of Christ’s victory and sustain that same victory in your life EVERY DAY. Let me say this next phrase with some emphasis: DO NOT LET THE DEVIL TELL YOU THAT YOU CAN’T DO IT. BECAUSE YOU CAN!!! Live every day in the reality of Jesus’ triumph over the devil by tapping into the power of God and do life the way that Jesus did life. Victoriously.

Running Around with Dad

Have you ever had one of those moments in life where something profound happened during a moment of silliness? I think that sometimes the Lord delights in showing us deep things when we least expect Him to. It seems that in His grand sense of humor, He finds ways to teach us during the times when we’re just “minding our own business” and having fun. God really is a funny guy, and I enjoy His interruptions… Something interesting happened to me this week. It might not seem that interesting to others, but it sure did catch me off guard and reminded me of a profound truth. I’d like to share that story with you.

It was about 7:30 in the evening and I was having a fun little time with my daughter Claire in our living room. We were on the floor playing with her toys and laughing. I had dressed her in her pajamas for bed and I knew that we had few more minutes before it was time to put her down to sleep. Now, our daughter has always been very good at going right to sleep when we lay her in her crib at night. Typically we never even hear a peep out of the kid. She just goes right to sleep. But being the innovative dad that I am (just kidding), sometimes I will try to wear her out a little bit before it’s time for sleep. I’m not sure if this is a good parenting tactic or not, but it seems to make sense to me. If I make her run around a little bit, it will tire her out and help her to sleep soundly.

So we started running around the living room. Myself on my knees and her in her adorable pink one-piece pajamas with the built in “feet.” I had made it my personal goal to chase her around the coffee table, eventually catching her and rolling onto the floor. This of course ended with much tickling, and lots of little toddler kisses. (Unfortunately, if you’re not a parent, you don’t have the slightest clue of how rewarding these moments really are. Solution? Get married and have lots of kids! haha.)

Amidst all of this fun and laughter, the oddest thing started happening. Instead of running away from me, my daughter changed her “strategy” and started running straight for me. As I said before, this surprised me and I wasn’t sure why she was doing this. But as I thought about it, the reality quickly dawned on me: She couldn’t wait for me to catch her. For her, the best part about the chase was when it ended. The real reward was when I “tackled” her to floor and tickled her until she squealed!

This experience became a new game in itself. We started lining up on opposite sides of the living room and began charging at each other, the anticipation building with each step. There was a delightful tension and expectation in her eyes. She could hardly wait for daddy to scoop her up and give her all the hugs and kisses that she could handle. It was like that feeling that you get when you arrive at the top of the roller coaster track, just before making that initial drop. You’re tense with anticipation and you can’t wait to go over the edge. It’s a wonderful feeling. And that’s what I saw in my daughter that night. Anticipation of being swept up by daddy. She was so enamored with the idea of me “catching” her that she actually altered her course of movement so that the payoff would come sooner. It was in this that God starting talking to me…

Now, I tell you this story at the risk of sounding cheesy. And even as I write this, it’s hard for me not to be overcome with emotion at the thought of how precious those few moments were for me. But as a dad, there’s simply nothing greater than the affection of your kids. No matter what age they are. These moments of love, affection and attention from your children are the things that help to shape your life. And we must never take them for granted.

As I thought about this experience with Claire, my mind was drawn towards a book that I read a long time ago by a man named Tommy Tenney titled “God Chasers.” In fact, the story that I’m telling you bears some eerie similarities with some of the stories of his book. I do not wish to copy or plagiarize his work, but it would seem that we’ve had some similar situations as fathers. And it seems as though God has taught us some similar lessons through our fatherhood experiences. As I sat there that night and contemplated the lesson that had unfolded in front of me, my heart was drawn to the following scripture, which is found in James 4:8. It says:

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

I have heard this scripture quoted many times and I have even preached it with vigor. But I have never seen it displayed so clearly or accurately until I watched my daughter charge at me in our living room that night. The lesson is clear. Often times we play our little religious games with God, trotting around and playing “tag” with the Holy Spirit. When the whole time God is wanting us to change our course of action and run at Him. He makes Himself available to us and asks us only to come after Him. God has made it easy for us to find Him, because He’s “hidden” in plain sight. Often times we just need to be like Claire and change our direction. We need to make a slight course adjustment and move in the path that leads straight to Him. We’ll find every time that He’s waiting to “catch” us.

Sometimes this can be difficult for us, because many times life gets in the way. Our passion for God gets mixed with the cares and obligations of life. It happens to every single on of us at various times in our lives. But the good news is that it’s easy to diagnose and just as easy to fix. Let’s take a look at this same scripture again from the New Living Translation. I like the simple way that this verse is translated in the NLT. It reads:

“Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”

Notice that last phrase: “…your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” Wow. That’s an intense accusation, but yet it’s one that most of us live with much of the time. That word loyalty is powerful. It speaks of our heart’s constant desires. It represents which direction we gravitate to when life is in its normal routine. It’s easy to cling to God when life is bad, in the same way that it’s easy to grab a life boat when your sinking in the ocean. But that word loyalty….that word changes everything.

Loyalty indicates a consistency that is maintained regardless of the situation. Meaning that I’m moving in God’s direction at all times. Now this doesn’t mean that I can’t be committed to the world. There are responsibilities that all of us have in the world. We have jobs, social commitments, mortgages, etc. that we are committed to and there’s nothing wrong with that. Because I can be “committed” to my job and still be “loyal” to God. The difference is found when we look first at our hearts and second at our priorities. If my heart is putting God first than my priorities will be filtered through my heart’s desires and my actions will reflect my priorities. Make sense?

We must realize that we can chase after God all the time. James 4:8 diagnoses our problem for us. Much of the time our loyalties are divided between God and the world through the choices that we make. Every day we have a choice to either “Draw near to God” or not. And our priorities and actions will always be a clear indicator of where our loyalties really lie. The way we live is always a very good test of where our hearts are at. You see, God designed us this way. He made it very easy for us to diagnose areas for improvement in our lives. The quickest way to adjust my lifestyle is to get close enough to God so that He can change my heart’s condition. Which is why the scripture tells us to draw near… The more that I draw near Him, the more He changes me, which causes me to draw even closer to Him. It’s perpetual. Closeness with God always results in even more closeness with Him.

When my daughter runs at me, the world stops spinning. My heart is drawn to her as her father in an even stronger capacity. Time with one another strengthens the bond that we have and always leads to us spending even more time together. As Christians, we should be known for our closeness with God. The world should look at us and notice that we are infatuated with Him. Our relationship with the Father should be reflected in every arena of our lives. But much of the time it’s not. Often times I find myself repenting for not putting God first. Some days it seems as though I “wake up” or “snap out of” my little bubble and realize that I haven’t been charging at God in an area of my life. It’s not something to feel guilty about. It just simply requires a course adjustment. We just need to repent and start to give those areas to the Lord.

My prayer for you as well as for me is that we would define our relationships with God the same way that my daughter defines her relationship with me. And that is persistent pursuing. May we always be people who find the greatest joy in the moments when we are “caught” by God because we charged at Him and He charged at us. Remember to keep your loyalties directed at God and not at the world. My daughter can’t run around the living room with me, if she’s busy coloring or playing with one of her toys. Neither can we run with God if our loyalties become skewed. Put Jesus first in your life. Make Him the priority of every day, no matter where your other “commitments” may take you. Charge at Him with reckless abandon and you’ll find that He’ll “catch” you and overwhelm you with His Presence, Love, Grace, Mercy, Joy and fulfillment.

Video Blog – Potential & Grace

Good morning everyone. I decided to do things a little bit differently today by uploading a video. I hope that you enjoy it!!