Dear Partner,
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
I apologise for the delay in this month’s letter. I was so occupied with Discovering Treasures, our annual Word Conference and I didn’t want to just mechanically churn out this letter without giving you my full attention.
I believe you are enjoying maturity, building momentum and receiving manifestations!
This issue of maturity is sometimes vague and we erroneously equate it to age or experience. If your age or experience does not guarantee your path to maturity, what signposts can you then look out for that will help you check how far you are on the road to the destination, – ‘Maturity’?
There are at least five practical signposts that show how far someone is on their way to spiritual maturity.
A. Body Control
27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:27 NKJV
To discipline or to keep under means to beat black and blue, to strike so as to cause bruises and livid spots, like a boxer one buffets his body to handle it roughly, to discipline by hardships, (metaphorically) to give one intolerable annoyance.
This describes Paul’s suppressive treatment of his body in order to keep himself spiritually fit and win the prize of his Lord and Master.
You should learn to rule your body and not your body rule you – as you grow spiritually. Your ability to control your body should be seen manifest all round in areas such as your weight, your appetite for sex and other desires and addictions, fashion, and your propensity to have “flesh attacks” where you fly off the handle at the slightest provocation.
The same expression “keep under” is used in Luke 18:5 – the implication in our context is that you keep at buffeting and bruising your body until it gives up the fight for control.
B. Tongue Control
5 Even so, the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.
James 3:5 NKJV
The tongue is small but mighty. We need to gain control of our tongues in two dimensions.
First, discipline it away from negative use, gossip, lies, flattery, etc.
Job 6:24 – you can get into trouble with wrong use. You can err, go astray, or stray from your destiny because of wrong use often caused by immaturity.
Second, discipline it into positive use., confessions in line with the Word that will turn you into another man.
Job 13: 19 – you can stay out of trouble with the right use of your tongue. Your tongue should have value: high purchasing power. Make sure you aim to maintain control of it and use it to purchase life.
C. Commitment to the Things of God
Commitment is a state of being dedicated or devoted to something. I want to concentrate on the commitment of time, talents, thoughts, ideas…….
2 “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.”
3 Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?”
5 Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways!
6 “You have sown much, and bring in little;
You eat, but do not have enough;
You drink, but you are not filled with drink;
You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm;
And he who earns wages,
Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”
7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways!
8 Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord.
9 “You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house.
10 Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit.
11 For I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”
Haggai 1:2-11 NKJV
Two things will enable you to have a growing level of commitment to the things of God. First is right prioritizing and second is a decision to make sacrifices.
The more spiritually mature you are the more it will be seen in your commitment to the things of God.
D. Respect / Regard for the things of God
When you respect something/someone, you hold it in high esteem and high regard. You look up to certain qualities of that thing/person.
159 Consider how I love Your precepts;
Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness.
160 The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.
161 Princes persecute me without a cause,
But my heart stands in awe of Your word.
162 I rejoice at Your word
As one who finds great treasure.
163 I hate and abhor lying,
But I love Your law.
Psalms 119:159-163 NKJV
Notice that this is not necessarily talking about having a vast knowledge of God’s Word. The Word you do know, however little it is, do you treat it as precious?
Saints in persecution prone countries may know less of God’s Word than we in Gospel free countries. However, they value God’s Word much more than we do because it is scarce to them. As a result of this, a lot of them are more spiritually mature than we and have a greater depth of Christianity than we do. This shows when they are faced with life and death situations and trials and they have to trust God absolutely.
Your respect for something/someone shows when you are ready to do anything that thing/person asks you to do. You will also willingly submit to authority constituted by that thing/person.
E. Attitude to Material Things
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matt 6:21 NKJV
Are you able to give and receive? This is one of the acid tests for spiritual maturity.
Do you have a “go for the best approach” for yourself in excellence but then a “that’s good enough” approach in mediocrity for God, for the work of God?
Does money become your primary consideration when you are to make life-changing decisions in areas like marriage and location of your vision?
Matthew 19:19 – 21 As a result of the man’s confident statement [like most of us would make] in verse 20, Jesus made a vital link between the ability to give and being a spiritually “full-grown” man [perfect..].
Luke 14:33 This can’t mean physically give up all because that will only trigger a cycle of seed time and harvest according to God’s Word and you will keep losing your “disciple” identity each time you get a harvest! No, this refers to the root. It refers to being able to separate yourself from your possessions, being able to withdraw from your possessions in your heart, being able to put off your possessions as your source of worth so that if and when God asks you to give them out you can do it with ease. That is the sign of discipleship, someone on the road to spiritual maturity.
Partner, I hope these five signposts have helped you locate yourself on this journey and set you and keep you on the road to spiritual maturity.
More Good News! Good News!! Good News!!
Freshdew not only airs live on Facebook at 12 noon [WAT] from Monday to Friday but Freshdew is now on Periscope [Twitter] live at 4:00 pm [WAT] from Monday to Friday!
Can you take more? We now have a Spotify daily podcast from Monday to Friday so anyone with a Spotify subscription can listen to Freshdew audio daily.
Thank you Partner for making this milestone possible. God has told us to “take the media” and we are doing just that. Thank you for your continued and increased financial commitment. We know our God is not unrighteous to forget your labour of love and He is indeed a Rewarder. Please, click here to enjoy my free gift for this month. It is a message by Pastor Soska Forbes titled Spiritual Maturity – Are You Ready? from Day 1 of Discovering Treasures 2020.
Please remember to continue to visit our website and engage, explore and be enriched by all we have on there at freshdew.tv and spread the Word! Tell your friends and family about Freshdew. Have you told someone this week? We also need more activity this month on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. You can also subscribe to our own YouTube channel where you can watch Freshdew episodes freely from anywhere in the world.
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Much love,
Pastor Nkechi Ene (Mrs)
