Heart Freedom: Four Key Elements of Growing Up in Christ

After discussing the concepts of: defensive behaviors, a call to a life of love, our love switch and our two-story house in Heart Freedom 1, we move on in Heart Freedom 2 to discuss what maturity in Christ can look like.

Heart Freedom 2 covers the process of “Growing up in Christ” in a way that God has designed for us.  Spiritual maturity comes from allowing ourselves to be mentored by the Holy Spirit through our daily experiences.  We grow up emotionally as we allow ourselves to be mentored by mature members of our community.  Spiritual maturity isn’t possible without emotional maturity, since immaturity keeps us from fully loving God, ourselves and others.

We discuss four keys to that process:

1. The process of maturity – God has designed us to grow spiritually and emotionally but often we remain stuck in a stage that we have not been able to complete successfully. (I.E. From 0-3 years old all a baby needs to learn is how to receive from others. If she never receives love from those around her – parents, caregivers, etc. – it will be difficult to ever know how to receive love from others, or give love to others as an adult until she has experienced that unconditional love for herself.)
2. The dynamics of identity formation – We all relate everything to our own self and we all have a unique history that wires us to perceive life in particular ways. Our childhood interpretations lead to our earliest ideas about God and others.
3. The role of suffering – Living in a fallen world we all encounter hardships, challenges and suffering, but that does not have to lead to bitterness, resentment and death. James 1:2-3 says that we should consider it pure joy when we face trials – but how? How we can take advantage of the opportunities suffering offers us so we grow better, not bitter?
4. The implications of spiritual warfare – Paul states clearly that we have a choice in this world who we will serve (Romans 6:16-23). We remind ourselves of the Truths about the Enemy and the Armor of God, and take quality time to reflect with the Lord how the Enemy is waging war against us.

As we cover these topics, we begin learning how to listen to the Lord in practical ways so that He can reveal Himself, His love and His will in our lives more clearly.