| Written by Andrew and Jamie Wommack |
Everyone loves babies. They are cute and so much fun. But they grow up. How weird would it
be for a forty-year-old man with a beard to still be sucking his thumb? It’s precious when a child
first crawls, but something would be wrong if they never learned to walk.
Growth is normal in the natural world and should be in our spiritual lives also. But there is a
pandemic of spiritual immaturity in the body of Christ today.
Unlike our physical bodies which grow naturally, we must pursue spiritual maturity. It doesn’t
happen automatically. As it says in 1 Peter 2:2, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the
word, that ye may grow thereby.”
I have a new teaching that gives four essentials for spiritual maturity. They are total surrender,
renewing of the mind, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and discovering our new identity in Christ.
Just as a forty-year-old who can’t walk, talk, or take care of himself would still be a baby, so any
believer who is lacking in these four areas has not reached Christian maturity.
Romans 12:1 says that being a living sacrifice is only our reasonable service. That’s saying being
totally committed to the Lord isn’t just for the clergy or the “super saints.” It just makes sense for
each one of us to give all we have and are to Him in gratitude for all He has done for us. That’s
the first step toward maturity.
Then Romans 12:2 gives us the second step toward spiritual maturity: we are to renew our minds
through the Word of God. The Bible contains everything essential for us to grow up in Him. The
truth of God’s Word will make us free (John 8:32), but it’s only the truth we know that makes a
difference. What we don’t know is killing us! That is literally true (Hos. 4:6).
Some believers know there must be more than what they are experiencing, but they don’t know
how to find it. They are trying hard to grow through their own effort. They don’t realize that
Christian maturity isn’t just difficult, it’s impossible on our own. That brings me to the third
element of Christian maturity. You must have the power of God’s Holy Spirit working in you
to mature.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is one of the greatest gifts the Lord has given us. It is so important
to receive the Holy Spirit that Jesus even said it was to our advantage for Him to leave because
then the Holy Spirit would come (John 16:7). That’s amazing!
I’d never take anything away from the impact of Jesus’ earthly ministry. It was totally
supernatural. But Jesus said having the Holy Spirit in us is better than having Him with us. Wow!
That’s saying a lot. It is impossible to mature without the help of the Holy Spirit. He’s our
teacher, but we have to show up for class.
Then, and only then, will we begin to get a revelation of our true identity in Christ. One of the
most mature believers in Scripture was the Apostle Paul. He wrote half of the books in the New
Testament. What was his secret? It was Christ living through him by the power of the Holy
Spirit.
Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in
me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me,
and gave himself for me.”
An identity crisis is a huge hinderance to Christian maturity. It’s not who we are on the outside
that counts. It’s who we have become in Christ that is the new creation spoken of in 2
Corinthians 5:17.
I hope this teaching has blessed you. If you’re hungry for truth, I encourage you to visit
awmi.net for resources and countless hours of teaching available for free. Also, if you’re in need
of prayer, just call our Helpline at 719-635-1111 to speak to one of our trained prayer ministers.
They will stand in agreement with you for God’s perfect will in your life.
We love you,
Andrew and Jamie Wommack
He stated there were four essentials … what is the fourth?