It takes not only time and effort but also skills to have healthy, growing relationships between any two individuals or among a group of people. It is no different with your relationship with God.
There are several things you need to know and practice to enjoy an intimate and dynamic relationship with God. Ten building blocks for spiritual maturity are keys to a vibrant fellowship with God.
Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.
– Matthew 7:24
It is important that you practice what you learn. You must develop new habits that are in line with the Kingdom culture. The Kingdom culture is the King’s way of life. Being disciples of Jesus means that you become more like Jesus, imitating His way of life.
Seeing Your Life from God’s Perspective
First, you must have cultivated a new perspective on life. When you place your faith in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you are born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. You are a new creation with new spiritual positions. Even though you still live on the same planet, a lot of things about you are so completely different that you need to learn to see your life from an entirely different perspective – God’s perspective.
Growing Closer to God
There are practical things you need both to know and to practice in order to grow closer to God in your relationship. You will be learning more about who God is and his love. There are habits that foster your intimacy with him and barriers that hinder it.
Becoming the New You
In Christ, you are born again as a new creation. But unless and until you begin to understand and embrace what that really means and start living it out, you will continue to live in the old way you did before Jesus touched and changed you. The failure to embrace their true identity in Christ is one big reason why so many Christians live a defeated and frustrated life.
Walking by the Spirit
What makes Christians unique and different? It’s the indwelling Holy Spirit in them. It is simply impossible for you to live a supernatural, abundant Christian life without the Holy Spirit. This is another major reason why so many Christians live an unfulfilled life.
Receiving Insights from God
God regularly communicates with you. But He is spirit and invisible. How do you hear from God? Learning to hear him is an essential aspect of your relationship with him.
Obeying God Faithfully
In the Bible, hearing God means obeying Him. A growing relationship with God in love and trust is always expressed in obedience to Him. We learn obedience to God for different reasons (by different motivations). The purpose of obedience is to know God better and deepen our relationships with Him.
Living as God’s Family
You are created as a relational creature. You are never meant to live alone. You need other believers. They also need you. Learning to love one another and do life on life in a community is critical in getting to know who God really is and how he does things in this world.
Reaching the World
Jesus is the head of the church. We are the body of Christ strategically placed in this world. Why? You are the light of the world and the salt of the earth in your community, your tribe, your city, and your country. You are God’s change agents for His good and righteous kingdom.
Resisting the Enemy
The moment you start to actively engage in God’s work to bring his kingdom to your spheres of influence, you will encounter the enemy of God. Our enemies are never other human beings created in the image of God regardless of racial, political, philosophical, educational, economic, cultural, or any other differences. Our enemies are spiritual. They are the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. To grow in our relationship with God, you must understand this dynamic.
Pursuing God’s Master Plan
When God redeemed you with the blood of Jesus, he saved you not only from sin and death but for himself and his kingdom. His kingdom, that is, the absolute rule and reign of God over all creation (including humankind) is his ultimate goal. We and all of creation will be the most fulfilled and perfectly happy when we can flourish under his rule according to his good designs.