Remember when you were a child and you yearned to drive the car. Driving was a symbol of freedom and maturity. Infants and young children were directed to the backseat, while the adults decided where and when to go--they were in control.

And rightly so, what would happen if a 3-year old or even a 10-year old got behind the wheel? More than likely an accident would occur destroying property and lives. To prevent tragedies from happening, only mature adults, who demonstrate ability operating a powerful vehicle, are given the right to drive.

Did you know that even though we are children of God we do not have all of our rights yet?

Romans 8:23
And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us.

Let me clarify. The Bible says,"For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved."(Romans 10:9-10)

Jesus has the authority and power to heal sicknesses and diseases, cast out demons, give sight to the blind and forgive sins, just to name a few. Jesus said that those who believe in Him would do even greater works than these (See John 14:11-13). So why isn't every Christian manifesting these acts of power and authority on a regular basis? The answer is spiritual maturity.

God, in His perfect wisdom, also uses maturity as a determining factor in deciding how much of His power and authority we can handle correctly. The amount of time it takes for us to mature spiritually is entirely up to us. The more intensely we seek God's guidance and correction, the faster we will grow.

The mature in Christ operate with greater power and authority because they have gone through the process of transforming their lives to line up with the Word of God. There is no double-mindedness. Their lives and the words they speak are not contrary to the Word of God. Their mind (will) is in agreement with the (mind) will of God. Their words have power that is not diluted by sin (twisted thoughts and actions) in their lives (See James 1:4-8, New Living Translation). When a Christian who is not fully developed speaks the Word of God in a situation, he or she gets minimal results. When a mature Christian speaks the Word of God in a situation, maximum results manifest.

We know we are mature in Christ when we demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit consistently...

• Faith in spite of setbacks, disappointments and failure
  
• Love in the midst of rejection and oppression
  
• Steadfastness in Christ even when you don't "feel" God's presence or hear His voice
  
• Self-control over your thoughts and actions
  
• Joy regardless of your circumstances
  
• Peace during trials and tribulations
  
• Kindness even when others may not be kind to you
  
• Goodness towards others without expecting anything in return
  
• Gentleness when correcting others
  (Galatians 5:22-23, emphasis mine)

God will allow various circumstances in our lives to train us to possess all of these attributes. The Apostle Paul advises us not to despise this discipline from God.

Hebrews 12:4-11
My dear child, don't shrug off God's discipline, but don't be crushed by it either. It's the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects. God is educating you; that's why you must never drop out. He's treating you as dear children. This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training, the normal experience of children. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's holy best. At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God. (The Message)

Remember, maturity is a process. If we keep going through the process, eventually the words we speak in accordance to the will of God will have the power to take us where we want to go. Then, our words will be driving (directing the course) of our lives.

About the Author: Valerie Morrow was born-again at the tender age of 5, but has been chasing Jesus and the will of God seriously for about 10 years. As a busy (we prefer the word productive) wife, mother, entrepreneur, leader, ministry student and writer, she focuses on being well-balanced, as a necessity in life. Valerie has been a waitress, a secretary, a receptionist, a marketing assistant, an account coordinator, an account manager, a marketing director, a business owner and the "candy lady." She has learned the meaning of being secure in Christ regardless of your position or function in life and loves to share her insights through devotionals, bible studies and "self- improvement" articles from a Biblical perspective. Valerie is the wife of Henry Morrow and the mother of Henry and Charli Kathryn. She is an active member of Without Walls International Church under the leadership of Sr. Pastor Paula White in Tampa, Florida.