Awareness precedes maturity, and maturity is a process. Before we are able to mature in an area, we must be made aware that our current state is insufficient. We have to know better before we can do better, and even when we know better it takes time to act on what we have learned.
We have to be intentional to grow and change the way we’ve always done things. In order to change, we have to make an intentional decision that we are no longer going to do things the way we’ve been doing them. This in itself is tough. It takes humility to say: I can do better. It’s humbling to admit that I’ve been going at this all wrong.
No doubt, change is difficult. But what’s the alternative? If we never change, things never change.
Awareness precedes maturity.
Regardless of what our lives look like or where we are in our journey, we all need to mature. Philippians 1:6 tells us:
“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a God work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”
If God will be working on us until Jesus Christ returns, we certainly have some maturing to do! That’s a lot of working! While God does what only He can do, we most definitely have to do our part.
3 things to do in order to mature and change:
- Get focused.
- Be intentional.
- Slow down.
Get focused.
There are so many messages coming at us each day. We must learn to get focused on the lessons that God is teaching us, while ignoring the distractions. It is difficult to mature in a given area if we’re attempting to tend to everything that comes our way. Maturing requires focus. If we are constantly taking in various messages, moving from this to that, how are we ever going to see any real spiritual growth in our lives? If we are to grow, we must stay focused.
What is God dealing with you about? Stay focused on that.
Be intentional.
We won’t grow without being intentional about growing. We should prioritize our spiritual maturity over everything, because everything will be affected by our maturity or lack of maturity.
Slow down.
Lately, I’ve been journaling throughout the day about the areas that God is dealing with me on. I’m making notes on how I’m doing and where I could have done better. I examine how I felt, why I felt that way, and anything else that will help me to understand why I’m responding the way I’m responding.
Most importantly, I note how I could have responded. I realize that living a well-lived life is like college in that you must prepare and study your materials (The Bible) in order to pass the tests (life’s situations).
I’m realizing that when it comes to certain situations, I will fail every time if I don’t prepare. I have to slow down and deal with myself.
What tests do you constantly fail?
We all must take the time to deal with us. We must get focused, be intentional, and slow down in order to mature.
