Personal growth, development and maturity. Each of these elements are part of a process that every parent should want for their children. And if you have children, or if you've been around them very much, you know that more opportunities will be extended to them as they become more responsible and mature.

It's the same in the spiritual realm. God wants to allow His anointing to flow through you in a mighty way, but there is a level of maturity you must reach first. How? By yielding your will to the will of God. And His will is His Word.

I've met many believers who aren't fully convinced that they want to obey God's Word...and that ought not be.

When you hear the Word preached, you should quickly administer a self-study of your life to evaluate how well you're complying to God's will. You can't just sit back and think: "Well, I don't know if I really want to submit." Or, "I don't know if I really want to love my spouse." Or, "I don't know if it's really God's will for me to be debt free."

Honey, if you don't think His will is for you, just move on over because someone else is ready to receive His blessings!

Realize that there's a blessing on the other side of your obedience. And because of your obedience, the lives of others will be touched. Therefore we must obey the Word of God and refuse to stay the same.

If we stay in a place of disobedience, God can't bring us to the level of full maturity He desires. But if we are willing to become more mature, we can be an example to the world of how good and acceptable it is to be in His will. In other words, we will be a reflection of Him.

It's Like Looking in a Mirror
The process of reflecting God's glory begins by submitting to His agenda for your life. It's a process of going from one level of glory to the next. The Bible says it's not allowing the Word of God to fall into ground that doesn't bring forth fruit (see Mark 4), but planting it in the good ground of your heart.

It's not being a forgetful hearer, but being a doer who will allow the Word to change you from the inside out.

Second Corinthians 3:18 says,

And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.
(2 Cor. 3:18 AMP)

The Word says to behold the glory of the Lord is like looking into a mirror. That means every time you look into your Bible, you are beholding the glory of the Lord. It's like a mirror showing a reflection of who you are and what you should be.

Perfect Law of Liberty
As the Word begins to transform you, you'll become a blessing to others. You'll see yourself as someone who can be debt free, submitted to those in authority over you, and complying with and yielding to the Word of God.

Consider what it says in the book of James:

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
(James 1:22-25)

That word "perfect" not only means, "to be flawless," it also means "to develop, to be complete and to mature." So when I say perfect, I'm talking about "the mature" or "the completed" person. In other words, according to God's law, as you learn to live by the Word, it will mature you and allow you to operate in more liberty.

There was a time when I thought serving God would cause me to be in bondage. I thought it would keep me from doing the things I wanted to do. But after I realized the liberty involved with the things of God, I surrendered my will to His will.

I found that I was not binding or restricting myself at all. Instead, I'm walking in more freedom than I ever imagined.

And it will work for you too. As you keep the Word before your eyes, going in your ears and coming out of your mouth, it will develop your true image. The Word of God—the perfect law of liberty—will loose you from fears, insecurities and sin. You'll become more mature and able to walk in God's will.

Walking in Love
It's easy to know when a person is maturing in the things of God and walking in the Word by observing their love walk. Your love walk determines your maturity. It measures the level of your obedience to the Word of God.

Love is not contingent on how we treat each other. Love says, "Regardless of how I'm treated, I'm willing to do what's right." It's a choice that involves your will. When you allow yourself to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, the Word will be your response. In other words, you won't respond in the flesh.

Ephesians chapter four says,

We henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.
(Eph. 4:14-15)

I can't emphasize enough how important it is for you to obey the Word, make it the final authority for your life, and be the example of who it says you should be. Ephesians 5:1 says, "Be imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]" (AMP).

And Jesus said, "You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48 AMP).

Quickly Adjusting
You must be controlled by the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to do His job by convicting you of changes that must be made. And when you hear the Word of God, you must quickly make adjustments to apply it to your life.

That also means you won't be controlled by people by allowing them to determine how you respond to situations or circumstances. If someone cuts you off on the highway, you don't have to respond. Be quick to adjust and adapt to what the Word says, and don't allow situations or other people to control you.

You don't have to get into pride by getting in the flesh. Instead, walk the love walk and be willing to say that what they did doesn't matter.

Psalm 55:19 says, "God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God." You see, when you aren't willing to change or aren't quick to adapt, it's a clear sign that you don't reverence or respect God.

Regardless of what your neighbor, co-worker or anyone else is doing, choose to obey God and quickly make any needed changes. By doing so, you allow God to intervene on your behalf.

Fear Has No Place
But when you fail to deal with areas in your life where there is darkness, fear, disobedience or any other sin, you set up a tent where the devil can camp out and hide.

So let's be honest about it and stop trying to cover it up. The Bible says, "He who covers his transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes his sins will obtain mercy" (Prov. 28:13 AMP). As long as you cover up and make excuses for sin, God can't help you.

He wants to help you. God wants you healed, whole and complete. He doesn't want you bound by anything—especially fear.

I remember when Creflo began to travel and accept invitations to preach, it was a struggle for me to release him to God. I was so afraid that I would lose something. I even feared losing him. But let me tell you, I got fed up with fear. I was tired of allowing it to control me. As I began to make the Word the final authority, a new liberty came into my life.

As a result, I began to see that I wasn't losing anything. By serving God and yielding my will to His will, I was gaining everything.

First John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect [mature, complete] love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." So you have to get rid of all sin, hurt, fear and anything else that hinders you from walking this love walk.

Child of God, the Word is designed to transform you. Romans 12:2 says, "Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." You see, the transformation begins on the inside. Your growth, development and maturity take place as you yield yourself to the Holy Spirit and the Word.

Ask yourself: Am I ready to yield my will to the will of God? Am I set and determined to allow His Word to transform me? If you answered, "Yes," then you can't stay the same any more.

Make a quality decision to grow in the perfect will - the Word - of God. That's maturity. It's what God wants for His children. And it's what He wants for you.

Creflo Dollar Ministries
All rights reserved. Used by permission.