There is a natural process that has been established by our Creator in the course of development. The time frame may differ, but growing from infancy to maturity is the same whether it is a plant, animal or a human being. We recently brought home a puppy, and I quickly remembered all of the extra time and attention that an infant requires. As cute as the puppy stage is, it is exciting when there is growth and healthy development. It is the same with our children. Babies and toddlers require a lot of loving support as they are growing towards doing more things independently in their own strength and power.
When the natural progression doesn’t occur with development, we know that something is seriously wrong. We can apply this same process with our spiritual growth. When we begin to grow in our faith spiritually, we begin as spiritual infants. It is very exciting to become alive spiritually and awaken to life in the Kingdom of God. As we begin developing as an infant in our relationship with God, we are very dependent on the spiritual milk or elementary teachings to begin building a spiritual framework around us in which to continue growing. Often, we are like sponges, just soaking in new information and developing a strong structure of faith.
“And we with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, and are being transformed into his likeness, with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit,”(2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV).
As we are growing from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity, there is ever-increasing glory coming from the Spirit of God in us. Much like our physical heart that maintains the life-flow of blood throughout our bodies, the Holy Spirit brings spiritual life to us. Without the Holy Spirit, there is no spiritual life within a person’s inner being. We may call ourselves a Christian, or Christ follower, but it is the Holy Spirit that brings us from spiritual death to life, and from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity or Sonship in the Kingdom of Heaven. In Galatians, Paul describes the importance of walking by the Spirit,
As you yield to the dynamic life and power of the Holy Spirit, you will abandon the cravings of your self-life. When your self-life craves the things that offend the Holy Spirit you hinder him from living free within you! And the Holy Spirit’s intense cravings hinder your self-life from dominating you! So then, the two incompatible and conflicting forces within you are your self-life of the flesh and the new creation life of the Spirit (5:16-17, TPT).
As I work with clients to emotionally realign in their souls, we often recognize this inner conflict that Paul describes between the life-giving freedom that the Spirit of God brings and the resistance that arises from the soul or flesh. The battle is real for all of us! We often live out of wounded places in our soul that are still reacting in fear, control or anger to the stress in our daily lives. The challenge is being fully surrendered to the work of the Holy Spirit as he helps us grow and mature.
Steps in Pursuit
- Prayerfully ask Holy Spirit to fill you with his presence, as you submit your soul to the growth process.
- Galatians 5:22-23 describes the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you as divine love in all its varied expressions. Take some time to evaluate the mature fruit being displayed in your life.
- Find a friend that will walk with you in this season of growing in setting some goals that will help you move to the next level of maturity in the Spirit. Set aside some time each week to honestly share your progress with each other.
What an amazing opportunity we have to mature in the Holy Spirit and reflect to the world the glory of God!
Continue the Pursuit,
Denise
