“And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”
Luke 2:40
One of the most powerful words in the English language is the word grow.
It is often spoken of as a living thing that undergoes development by changing physically so that it progresses toward the ultimate point of maturity.
You cannot reach maturity and stay the same.
Something has to be changing in your life.
The proof that you are growing and maturing is that you are changing—every single day something about you should be changing in some way for the better.
And you should be maturing in all different areas of your life.
You should be growing and changing and maturing spiritually, emotionally, physiologically, economically, and socially.
All areas of your life should be reaching a point of maturation.
The word grow is so powerful.
It’s not just about you developing and changing physically, it has to do with the process of germination and complete transformation.
You must take responsibility for your growth. The apostle Paul made clear what we must do as believers and how:
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Romans 12:2
In other words, grow up into full maturity by paying attention to what God is doing…and focusing your mind on Christ.
When you do, you will be transformed into His very image! (See 2 Cor. 3:18.)
You have to cultivate the Christ in you—the divine seed (or the seed of the divine) planted in your soul.
Why?
Because everything God gives comes in seed form.
If God has planted a seed of revelation or information or instruction in your spirit, or in your mind, or within your heart—that particular seed has to grow.
And for a seed to grow, it has to germinate and then it has to develop.
A seed has to be nurtured until it has taken root, and then cultivated until it reaches full maturity.
Unless it’s reaching toward maturity it’s not growing.
The word grow has the connotation of something that’s being produced because it’s being cultivated.
Think of your life like a field you’ve been given to plant.
You can grow whatever you want, for God has given you the seeds to create a harvest of abundance in the form of divine potential.
But as long as those seeds remain in your pocket, they will remain uncultivated.
They will never germinate and grow.
If you have ideas that God has given you, and He dropped these ideas in your mind, you have to cultivate them—you must continually renew your mind to what is possible in Christ.
You must have a vision for how you want your influence to grow, your ministry to grow, your family to grow, your finances to grow, and your health and fitness levels to grow.
God is going to give you everything you need to fulfill every desire of your heart in seed form—but it has to be cultivated.
Cultivation takes time and it takes energy.
The question is: “How much time and energy are you putting into the cultivation of those dreams and visions and ideas that God has given you?”
They’re going to stay in seed form unless you put in the time and energy and roll up your sleeves to cultivate them!
The word grow is powerful.
It connotes that something abstract has come into existence and is made to increase…like an idea that never existed before and all of a sudden it grows and expands and is brought into manifestation.
We see this happen when the grace of God comes upon you to pursue a revelatory idea or launch a Kingdom endeavor, but then God calls you to grow in that area…to continue growing in His grace.
God is in the business of increase—and He desires for you to increase!
“May the Lord give you increase more and more, you and your children.”
Psalm 115:14
The concept of growth has always been associated with blessing. Yet it can mean more than to become large or great over multiple generations.
It can mean to multiply exponentially over a short period of time.
That word multiply is exciting.
It’s the word grow, but it’s growing exponentially.
You can increase through “additional growth” (1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1), or “exponential growth” by multiplying 10 x 10.
God wants to multiply you!
That means He’s shortening the time. He wants to accelerate your increase. But for Him to do that, you must grow by becoming strong in spirit and filled with wisdom! (See Luke 2:40.)
As I mentioned last week, the time of year traditionally set aside on the Church calendar to sanctify our lives and mindfully pursue spiritual growth is the season of Lent.
Today, around the world, people are celebrating Mardi Gras—or Fat Tuesday—which marks the last day of worldly indulgence before embarking on 40 days of spiritual consecration beginning tomorrow.
How will you take responsibility for your spiritual growth over the next 40 days?
One resource I believe you will find invaluable is The 40 Day Soul Fast. This is the ideal companion to guide you day by day on a 40-day journey into the fullness of who you are called to be in Christ.
And then, if you haven’t already, mark your calendar to join me this Thursday evening for our live small group study as we continue to explore the 8 Stages of Spiritual Maturation.
Don’t miss the 4 Points Broadcast this Thursday at 5pm ET.
I will be teaching you powerful keys to maturing spiritually and growing into all that God has prepared for you.
Don’t wait to start growing into your destiny!
Take responsibility by pressing into all that God has made available.
“God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply.'”
Genesis 1:22