Maybe it is only me that wonders “Why isn't my shadow healing people?” “Why can't I adjust weather systems? “Does God view me like Moses, a friend He doesn’t hide things from?” There comes a point on almost every Christian journey, especially if you have been walking with the Lord for any length of time, where you begin asking yourself questions like:

• Am I growing spiritually?

•  Am I becoming more like Christ?

• Am I going deeper in the things of God?

•  Am I maturing?

• Why am I not walking in the signs and wonders of the Holy Ghost?

I know I have asked myself these questions many times in the last two decades, and I know many of you have as well.

Life in the Kingdom is a journey and not a destination. We are supposed to be going from glory to glory. The fact is no matter how long you have been in the Kingdom, or been serving or attended Bible school, not one of us can truly say, “I have arrived,” at least not until we reach heaven.

This Jesus life is not just about going to church once a week on Saturday or Sunday. It is about becoming increasingly more Christ-like every single day of our lives.
It is about wanting to know Him more deeply. And sharing Him with others. It is a daily, progressive, intentional, consistent journey until God calls us home or Jesus parts the clouds.

Main Scripture Foundation

Colossians 2:6–7 (AMPC)

“As you have therefore received Christ, even Jesus the Lord, so walk (regulate your lives and conduct yourselves) in union with and conformity to Him. Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith…”

Philippians 2:12b (AMP)

“Work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ].”

These verses speak about the fact that spiritual maturity is progressive. As committed followers, we should be ‘built up in Christ’ continually, increasingly established in the faith, increasingly rooted in Him, and increasingly transformed into His image. They remind us that the walk toward spiritual maturity is serious. It requires intentionality, discipline, caution, and critical self-evaluation.

But how do we do this? How do we make sure that we are growing, maturing, and transforming? Every now and then we need to stop and honestly evaluate ourselves spiritually. It is that “critical self-evaluation” that the AMP speaks of. We must ask ourselves: ‘Are we changing? Are we becoming more Christ-like? Or have we become spiritually stagnant?’

Here is what I have learned from keen observation, from formal and informal theological studies, but mostly from my life experience. There are signs that we can look for when checking our spiritual growth. Here are my top seven.

1. Longing for Intimacy and Koinonia

One of the first signs that you are growing spiritually is that you long for intimacy and fellowship with God. When you are growing in the things of God, you actually want to spend time with Him.

Think about natural relationships. Do you know when you are first dating and you want to stay on the phone for hours? I remember my very first boyfriend — I stayed on the phone for four hours! Because when you are getting to know someone and you're all infatuated, you want to spend time.

We should be equally infatuated and passionate about our relationship with God, even more so! For some relationships (like my first boyfriend) are temporary, our relationship with God is eternal!

Now because of the busyness of life and the way life is structured, we may not always be able to sit down and spend four straight hours talking to Jesus or the Holy Spirit because we have work, responsibilities, and commitments. However, we can cultivate intimacy throughout the day by talking to the Holy Spirit throughout the day. We can build fellowship moment by moment. I am always talking to the Holy Spirit. The more we mature spiritually, the more we want that koinonia fellowship.

Even for those who are wired like Martha, always super busy, at some point you must be more Mary-like and find time to sit at the feet of Jesus. Remember, Jesus said Mary chose the better part because she deliberately chose that intimacy. (Luke 10:38–42)

As we grow spiritually, we want that intimacy that comes in the secret place. We want to hear His voice. We want our spiritual senses to sharpen. James 4:8 promises that as we draw near to God, He will draw near to us.

So, one of the signs that you are spiritually maturing is that you are increasingly longing for intimacy with Jesus and fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

2. A Desire for Holiness and an Increasing Aversion to Sin

When we first come out of the world, we are stepping out of darkness and into light. Sometimes there are instant deliverances from certain sins, but often, sanctification is a process. But one thing becomes clear: As we grow closer to Christ, sin becomes more distasteful. We begin wanting to be holy as He is holy, we want to be set apart. We want to be in the world but not of the world.

Personally, I have found that as I have grown spiritually, I repent quicker because I sincerely do not want to grieve the Holy Spirit and I do not want to miss that mark of holiness. It is very much a journey for me, as for all of us.

Things we may have ignored before suddenly begin to trouble our spirits because we realize we are not pleasing God. The conviction of the Holy Spirit becomes stronger and quicker as we mature in the things of God. And conviction is a good thing because it is not condemnation — the Holy Spirit is lovingly correcting us so that we can repent, turn, and walk in holiness.

So, one sign of spiritual maturity is that sin no longer feels comfortable.

3. Submission to God’s Will

As we grow spiritually, we increasingly understand that our lives are not our own. The Bible says that we were purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. Spiritual maturity brings us to a place of surrender and submission. As we mature, we are truly able to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. (Romans 12:1)

At the beginning of our walk with God, we may wrestle heavily with obedience and submission. But as we mature, we realize that God's will is perfect and trustworthy. We start to realize that even delayed obedience is still disobedience.

It has been my personal experience that the Holy Spirit teaches obedience and submission in small things first. I remember working in an organization where every time I went into the bathroom, I would feel prompted to pick up little pieces of paper from the floor. I was like, why Lord? I did not fully understand it, but looking back, the Holy Spirit was training me to hear His voice and to be obedient.

As we mature spiritually, we learn to obey Him even when it is uncomfortable or inconvenient. Even the other day, I said with disdain “Holy Spirit you are going to make me pick up that dead lizard, aren't you? Have mercy!”

But seriously we learn that God sees what we cannot see. He understands circumstances fully and He knows what is best. He knows us better than we know our own selves, so we become increasingly willing to let Him take the wheel. 

Maturity causes us to submit more readily to the leading of the Holy Spirit. And I know that we all want to reach the point where we can sincerely pray what Jesus prayed in the garden: “Nevertheless, not my will, but Yours be done.”

This is a true sign of spiritual maturity.

4. Love for God’s Word and Prayer

Another sign of spiritual maturity is a growing love for God's Word and prayer. As we grow in the Lord, we begin to understand that there is a reason God places His Word above His own name. We realize that the Word reveals who God is, what He wants, how He wants it done. It reveals what He loves and what He hates. 

One of the deepest ways to know Father God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit is through the Word of God. As we mature spiritually, we hunger more for Scripture. We want to read the Word. We want to understand the Word. We want to apply the Word. Just quoting one verse a week is no longer enough.

We begin reading Scripture in context. We begin looking at the Greek and Hebrew meanings. We begin comparing translations. We want to truly understand what God is saying.

As we mature, we also realise that the potency of our prayers is hardly about emotions, fervent and effectual prayers are Word-compliant. We recognise more the vital connection between the Word and prayer. We hold God's promises back up to Him and say: “God, Your Word says ….” Because His Word is living and active.

We also begin to understand the difference between facts and truth. For example, the fact may be that there is sickness in your body. But the truth of God's Word says: ‘By the stripes of Jesus, you were healed.’ As we mature spiritually, we begin demanding that the Word works in our lives.

We become doers of the Word, not readers or hearers only.

5. Your Character Changes

This is one of the greatest signs of spiritual maturity.

Very often in the Body of Christ, people focus heavily on spiritual gifts—prophecy, healing, miracles, words of wisdom, etc. And yes, gifts are important and needed for world transformation, but true maturity is evidenced in our character.

If ten years pass and our character has not changed, then something is wrong. Spiritual maturity should produce character transformation.

As we walk with the Lord, we should become more Christ-like. We should become more of a fruitful Christian. We should see the fruit of the Spirit developing in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control.

Maybe you are more patient now than you were years ago. Maybe now you respond differently to that trigger. Maybe you love people better now. That is spiritual growth and maturity.

Because if we are truly ambassadors for Christ, then our lives should reflect Him.

Very often it is our character that either draws people toward Christ or pushes them away. We are called to be ambassadors of Christ, and our immaturity, when reflected in our character, can push people away from the Kingdom of God.

Here are two ways to Check on our character development:

1. Check the ‘Hebrews6’ Foundations:

Hebrews 6 tells us that there comes a point where we should move beyond the elementary teachings and continue toward maturity. Therefore we can ask ourselves whether we have a solid understanding of the foundational teachings of the faith:

• repentance from dead works,

• faith toward God,

• baptisms,

• laying on of hands,

• resurrection of the dead,

• and eternal judgment.

If we have been walking with the Lord for years, these foundational teachings should no longer be unfamiliar to us. They form part of the foundation upon which spiritual maturity is built.

2. Check the 2 Peter 1’s Growth Virtues:

 We can evaluate ourselves against the 7 virtues outlined in 2 Peter. Peter speaks about adding virtue to faith, knowledge to virtue, self-control to knowledge, and so on. These virtues are built upon each other and give us a practical framework for measuring growth.

So, we can ask ourselves:

• Have I grown in moral excellence?

• Have I grown in knowledge?

• Have I developed self-control?

• Have I developed patience and endurance?

• Have I grown in godliness?

• Am I growing in brotherly kindness?

• Am I growing in Christian love?

These become practical ways to evaluate ourselves.

As we grow in Christ, we should see evidence that we are changing. We should be able to look back and recognise that we are not the same person we were when we first began this journey. We should be becoming increasingly more Christ-like in our attitudes, actions, responses, and character.

That is one of the clearest signs of spiritual maturity.

6. Trusting God More and More

As you mature spiritually, your trust in God deepens. You begin to know His character. You trust the written Word. You trust the rhema word. You trust the promises of God.

You learn to stand on the Word regardless of circumstances, emotions, delays, disappointments, or difficulties. You reach the place where you say: “If God said it, then that settles it.”

A few years ago, I went through a very difficult season emotionally, mentally, financially, relationally and physically. Maybe some of you have experienced seasons where you do not even know what to pray anymore. During that season I heard a prophetic word where the person referenced Hebrews 10:23: “He who promised is faithful.” I grabbed hold of that scripture. I wrote it in my prophetic journal. I wrote it on my wall. I repeated it over and over!

And when I came out of that season, I realized something: That season had matured me spiritually. I wasn’t the Dawn that went into that valley. Because now I truly believe that He who promised is indeed faithful. Revelation 19:11 says that the One riding the white horse is “Faithful and True.”

As we mature spiritually, we stop accepting every contradictory circumstance as ultimate truth. We stand firmly on the faithfulness of God. Like Joseph in the pit and in the prison, we continue believing what God has spoken. That level of trust is a sign of spiritual maturity.

7.  Understanding the Reality of the Christian Walk

One of the most powerful signs of Spiritual Maturity is coming to the realisation that we are here for a purpose far outside of ourselves. We were not promised a perfect life. As we grow in our walk with the Lord, we soon realise that giving our lives to Christ does not mean everything suddenly becomes easy and life comes up smelling of roses.

In fact, our Saviour clearly says in John 16:33 "In the world you will have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer... I have overcome the world.” Trials, tribulations, distress, frustration, and challenges are part of life.

Spiritual maturity recognizes these realities:

• We are and will be in a battle until Jesus parts the clouds.

• We live in a fallen world, which the Bible says that Satan is the prince of this world.

As we mature, we begin to understand that pruning and discipline are part of the growth package. In many instances, God does not send the major issues and tribulations, but maturity understands that God uses difficulties to produce fruit. John 15:2 says every branch that continues to bear fruit, He cleanses and repeatedly prunes, so that it will bear more fruit." And in Hebrews 12:6: "For the Lord disciplines and corrects those whom He loves."

As we mature in Christ, we realize that things will never be perfect on this side of heaven. We mature enough to say like the Apostle Paul (Philippians 1:21) "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." and mean it! That is mature Christianity. I am still working on that one.

Spiritual maturity understands that our purpose is bigger than our comfort. We are here by God and for God. Maturity is realizing that. 

Practical Steps Toward Spiritual Maturity

So if we have done our evaluation and are coming up short in a  few areas, here are a few ways we can intentionally pursue spiritual growth:

1. Renew Your Mind and Make Up Your Mind

Spiritual maturity requires intentionality, discipline, and focus. It requires COMMITMENT! Growth does not happen accidentally. You must decide that you truly want to grow in the things of God.

2. Put God First

God must become first place in our lives, above work, distractions, commitments, and even relationships.

3. Stay in the Word

Even if you begin with one verse a day, stay in the Word. The Word is one of the greatest ways to know who God is. And the more we know God, the more we understand who we are and our purpose here on earth.

4. Stay in Prayer and Communication

Prayers do not always have to be long. Sometimes it is simply maintaining conversation with the Holy Spirit throughout the day. But fervent prayer is essential!

5. Earnestly Desire Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Growth

The Bible says to earnestly desire spiritual gifts. We should pursue everything God has made available to us through covenant and relationship.

6. Have the Right Teaching Priest and Spiritual Tribe

Who teaches you matters. Who surrounds you matters. We need spiritually healthy people around us who can strengthen us, encourage us, pray for us, and hold us accountable.

I know there was a season in my life when I changed churches and sat under a powerful teaching priest, and my spiritual life exponentially grew. Teaching matters. Tribe matters.

7. Build a Relationship with God Intentionally

Think about the five love languages.

1. Spend time with God.

2. Give unto the Lord and His works..

3. Use Words of love - Praise and worship Him.

4. Serve Him in the Kingdom and outside the Kingdom in His name.

5. Touch the lives of others as Christ's ambassador. As you touch His people you touch Him!

These are practical ways we can establish and build our relationship with God.

Final Thoughts

Ephesians 4:14 also teaches us signs of Spiritual Immaturity. 

Immature Saints are: 

o   tossed back and forth like ships on a stormy sea. 

o   carried about by every wind of shifting doctrine. 

o   moved by the cunning and trickery of unscrupulous people

o   moved by deceitful scheming from people willing to do anything for personal profit.

Mature Saints:

• speaks the truth in love in all things.

• Their speech and lives should express God's truth.

Additionally, if we truly want to grow and mature in the Lord, we must start looking for signs and signals. Here are a few:

• we feel no conviction about sin - Years pass and we are still completely comfortable in the same patterns of sin.

• we have no growing desire for intimacy and time with God,

• we obey only when convenient,

• we have no desire for the Word or prayer,

• our character has not changed one iota.

That’s the bad news, but the good news is that God is always calling us upward.

When we think about spiritual maturity, we should not focus only on gifts, power, signs, and demonstrations. The greatest evidence of maturity is Christlikeness. We ask ourselves, are we becoming more loving? patient? obedient? holy and consecrated? More surrendered? More rooted in the Word? Are we more like Jesus?

That is true spiritual maturity. So, I encourage us all to keep going.

One peculiar sign that you are growing is your concern that you are not growing. Hear me out. If you are worried about whether you are growing spiritually, that concern itself is often evidence of spiritual growth.

Spiritually immature people are usually unconcerned about maturity. But spiritually hungry people ask questions.

Philippians 2:12 speaks about working out our salvation with reverence, awe, caution, and careful self-evaluation.

Personally, I sometimes reread the journeys of the prophets and apostles and ask myself: “God, what am I really doing?” Sometimes your own acts of service can feel small and insignificant when compared to the great men and women in Scripture. But that hunger to do more for God, that desire to go deeper, that longing to serve Him more faithfully — that is often evidence of spiritual maturity.

Spiritually hungry people evaluate themselves. Spiritually hungry people want to grow. The Biblical accounts of the lives of the apostles and prophets remind us of what is possible when a life is surrendered fully to God. So, if you find yourself evaluating your spiritual walk and desiring to grow deeper in God, that may itself be evidence that God is already working deeply within you.

WHY WE NEED TO GROW AND MATURE

Remembering that this earthly Christian walk is a journey with the destination of heaven. We are here to build relationship with God, to know Him, to become more like Him, and to make Him known.

And if we can honestly look back and see growth taking place in our lives, then we can thank God because He is continuing the work He started in us.

One of my life verses is John 17:4 where Jesus said: “I have glorified You down here on the earth by completing the work that You gave Me to do." To echo these words at the end of my day, is one of my personal aims in life.

As we grow and mature in the things of the Lord, I believe this should become the vision of every Christian. We are not growing spiritually simply for the sake of growing spiritually. We are growing so that we can fulfill the purpose for which God placed us on the earth. We are growing so that we can complete the work He has assigned to us. We are growing so that our lives bring glory to Him.

Spiritual maturity is important because we cannot effectively complete our assignment if we remain spiritually immature. We cannot become who God called us to be without growing in Christ.

And at the end of our days, we want to stand before the Father knowing that we pursued Him, spiritually matured, fulfilled our assignment, and completed the work He entrusted to us. We all want to hear: "Well done, good and faithful servant."

STUDY SCRIPTURES:

Introduction / Foundational Scriptures

• Colossians 2:6–7 (AMPC)

• Philippians 2:12b (AMP)

• 2 Corinthians 3:18

• Ephesians 4:14–15

• Hebrews 5:12–14

• Hebrews 6

• 1 Peter 2:2

• 2 Peter 1

1. Longing for Intimacy and Koinonia

• Luke 10:38–42

• James 4:8

• John 15:4–5

• Psalm 27:4

2. A Desire for Holiness and an Increasing Aversion to Sin

• 1 Peter 1:15–16

• Romans 12:2

• Philippians 2:12

• Psalm 1:1

3. Submission to God’s Will

• Romans 12:1–2

• Proverbs 3:5–6

• Luke 22:42

• Galatians 2:20

4. Love for God’s Word and Prayer

• Hebrews 4:12

• Joshua 1:8

• James 1:22

• Hebrews 6

• 2 Peter 1

• 1 Peter 2:24

5. Your Character Changes

Scriptures

• Galatians 5:22–23

• 2 Peter 1:5–8

• Ephesians 4:14–15

• Colossians 3:12–14

Signs of Spiritual Immaturity (within Point 5)

• Ephesians 4:14

• Hebrews 6

• 1 Peter 2:2

6. Trusting God More and More

Scriptures

• Hebrews 10:23

• Hebrews 11:6

• Revelation 19:11

• Proverbs 3:5

• Psalm 46:10

Supporting Story References

1. Exodus 17:12 (Moses, Aaron & Hur)

2. Genesis 37–50 (Joseph’s journey)

7.Understanding the Reality of the Christian Walk

• John 16:33

• John 15:2

• Hebrews 12:6

• Philippians 1:21

Practical Steps Toward Spiritual Maturity

Renew Your Mind

• Romans 12:2

Stay in the Word

• Joshua 1:8

• Hebrews 4:12

Prayer and Communication

• James 5:16 (implied through effectual prayer discussion)

Earnestly Desire Spiritual Gifts

• 1 Corinthians 14:1

Teaching Priest and Spiritual Tribe

• Ecclesiastes 4:9–10

• Genesis 2:18

Build Relationship with God

• Matthew 22:37

• James 2:15–17 (service/loving others implication)

Final Thoughts

• Colossians 2:6–7

• Philippians 2:12

• 2 Corinthians 3:18

• Ephesians 4:15

Additional Self-Evaluation Scriptures:

·        Philippians 2:12

·        2 Corinthians 13:5

·        Matthew 5:6

·        Hebrews 5:12-14