The moment a newborn child starts lifting their head, it is the beginning of a chronological plan to grow and start walking and eventually running.

In our spiritual lives, what is God’s goal in our lives? Is it only to be born again and just believe in Jesus? Does it stop there?

God’s plan for our lives is to accept Him as our Lord and Savior.

God’s plan is also for us to grow into maturity. (Jeremiah 12:2, Luke 8:15, 1 Peter 2:3, 1 Corinthians 13:11, Matthew 28:19)

What is spiritual growth then?
It is not:
* attendance in church
* getting theological qualification(s)
* the genealogy of our Christian heritage (Luke 3:8)

Spiritual growth and maturity is:
* when there is a process of inner transformation due to a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus that bears fruit, externally manifested for the glory of God
* when we have more of God expressed through less of us
* when we go to church to hear the voice of God
* when we read the Bible to grow
* when we pray and have a dialogue with God

What is the process like?

“but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”
‭‭II Peter‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The growth comes from knowledge that enhances our personal relationship with God. A life lived and not merely a lesson to be learned.

What’s in it for us?

We get to grow in grace.

Mercy is not getting what we deserve.
Grace is getting what we don’t deserve.

Our God is full of grace. When we grow, it is from a place of the knowledge of God and experiencing His supernatural grace; all for His glory.

“Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.””
‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭17:32-36‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.””
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭12:1-3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭17:9-11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

These scripture shows that David had the knowledge, protection and covenant of God. This helped David to fight his battle. This is where knowledge of God helped David.

“Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.”
‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭17:40‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

This pandemic is a challenging time. It is also an opportunity to grow in the knowledge of God and to face these giants in our lives, using what God gives us to grow instead of using Saul’s armor; growing in the grace of God.