Lk.2v40, 52: And the child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

If anything is growing, it will be obvious and revealing for all to see. In the same vein, if you are growing spiritually, it will be quite obvious. If you look at the life of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ from our text scripture in (Lk.2v40, 52), it’s evident that he made spiritual progress in his walk with God. The scriptures say ‘He grew and waxed strong in spirit’, meaning he grew spiritually. But the good thing is that certain evidence followed His growth. God is no respecter of persons; what He has done for one, He can do for another if you will obey and work His principles.

So how can you discern spiritual growth? How can you tell if someone is growing or not? You can tell by the following:

INDICATORS OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH:

1. ABILITY TO HEAR GOD. Your ability to hear God is an indicator of your spiritual growth and development. In actual fact, anyone who is growing spiritually can discern the voice of the Lord. A true son or daughter can surely discern the voice of his father (Heb.5v14). My dear reader, how would you rate yourself when it comes to hearing from God? Can you hear God for yourself? Not everyone seems to be able to do this. Can you discern his voice? The truth of the matter is that there are many voices in the World (Isa.30v21). Do you know how to hear from God? Your answers to these questions will tell you where you are when it comes to hearing from God. A clear example of this truth is Samuel as a young boy; he could not discern God’s voice because of his level of Spiritual Growth. It took the help of Eli for him to discern this. I strongly believe that God is more than willing to help you in this regard if you are willing to cooperate with him. May today usher you into a new season of change.

2. STABILITY. Those who are making spiritual progress in life are usually rooted and grounded in him. They are stable and not easily moved or tossed to and fro. Anyone growing spiritually will have stamina, stability, and strength. This, however, does not mean that the storms of life won’t come their way but they simply know how to deal with these storms. When you are stable, you cannot be easily blown away by the storms of life. So to what extent are you stable? My dear reader, a plant that moves from place to place cannot grow properly. So it’s time to abide and be truly rooted in Christ. Be planted in his house. Be planted in him. Don’t allow anything or anyone to move you away from your place. You will bring forth many fruits as you abide in Christ Jesus (Ps.92v12-13). Now is the time to take root downwards to begin to bear fruit upwards. Real spiritual progress helps you to remain stable and strong. Are you stable or easily moved or tossed to and fro?

Other Scriptural References: (Col.2v6-7; Eph.4v14; Matt.7v28-29; 1Sam.3v1-7, 21; Ps.32v8-9; Pro.20v12; Jn.10v27).

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, thank you for enlarging my capacity to hear you clearly and for also granting me stability all the days of my life in Jesus name, amen.

CONFESSION: No more dryness and staleness in my life. I am vibrant and energetic. I flourish like the palm tree and I grow like a cedar in Lebanon. I am evergreen and lovely—no more stagnation and redundancy. I flourish in the courts of my God and everywhere I go. I am becoming more like Christ in character and conduct. Glory be to God, for I am making greater spiritual progress in my life and work in Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Yemi Adeoti

Yemi Adeoti is a pastor, teacher, life coach and mentor & also a prolific writer.