Spiritual Maturity

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Brethren, do not be children [immature] in your thinking; continue to be babes in [matters of] evil, but in your minds be mature [men].
1 Corinthians 14:20 (Amplified)

My Spirit is Life and Peace Workbook

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One usually views maturity as physical or mental growth. Many believe that older people naturally are more mature. This is true from a physical perspective but not necessarily from a spiritual perspective. It is true that someone can be mature in the ways of the world which comes with age. But worldly and physical maturity is not the same as spiritual maturity. The key to spiritual maturity is the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Those who follow the Spirit and walk in His ways will obtain wisdom. The world’s standard for maturity is independence and knowledge. God’s standard for maturity is love and obedience. When God begins a work through the Holy Spirit, He imparts wisdom to those who obey.

There are two principles to spiritual maturity. First, you should be maturing in spiritual things. Understanding the ways of God represents a mature mind. To be spiritually mature, your mind must develop in Christ. You can only accomplish this by consistently walking in the Spirit and remaining in God’s Word and in prayer. A willingness to learn and grow is necessary. Even though a young believer hasn’t had years to develop a walk with God, a young believer’s mind can still have mature thinking as he submits to the Holy Spirit. A person is not capable of creating this mind by himself because it must come from an abiding relationship with Christ and a desire to be molded into His image.

The second principle to spiritual maturity is that you should not be maturing in evil things. If you constantly battle over right and wrong, you are spiritually immature. Many learn about evil ways and beliefs in order to avoid them or to defend the truth. However, God says to learn about Him in order to recognize and resist what is not of Him. To engage in evil thinking is to fuel the carnal mind which is immature in the ways of God. One who does this may even deceive himself into believing he is mature when he is not.

Maturity does not mean perfection, but it means willingness. God’s picture of maturity is not the same as the world’s picture of maturity. Time on earth does not automatically make one spiritually mature. Only time with God does. Spiritual age is not the equivalent of chronological age. It is possible for a seventeen-year-old to be more spiritually mature than a fifty-year-old. Willingness to obey God is a sure sign of spiritual maturity.

 

From My Spirit is Life and Peace: Workbook by Alison Veazey and Kerry Skinner.