Without a doubt, probably the number one cause of problems in the world is immaturity.

The number one marriage problem is people just need to grow up. They are acting immature. We get ourselves into all kinds of problems by saying immature things, making immature decisions, acting in immature ways. We just need to grow up.

God's will for every person is that they grow. In Hebrews 6:1, "Let us go on to maturity." God says grow up.

WHAT MATURITY IS NOT:

Maturity is not age. It has nothing to do with how long you've lived or how long you've been a Christian. You can be a Christian for fifty years and not be mature. Bumper sticker: "I may be getting older, but I refuse to grow up." I've seen some 50 and 60 year old kids. Maturity has nothing to do with your age. Granted, God's ideal is that as we grow older we get more mature, but that's not always the case.  Maturity is not appearance. Some people just look mature. Some people just look more spiritual than the rest of us. They look kind of dignified, they look like they're holy. For the rest of us it's just tough luck. The fact is, you can look real spiritual and not be spiritual at all. It has nothing to do with your appearance.

Maturity has nothing to do with achievement, what you accomplish. You can accomplish a lot and still be very immature. You don't have to be mature to make millions.  Maturity has nothing to do with academics, how many degrees you've gotten, how much education you've gotten. When I graduated from high school I thought I knew it all, then I went to college. I thought, “I don't know so much any more”.  You can have so many degrees they call you Dr. Fahrenheit but that does not make you mature.

God says maturity is attitude. Attitude is what makes the difference. It's your character. D. L. Moody said, "Character is what you are in the dark." Recognition is what people say about you, character is what God says about you. God says it's your attitude that determines whether you're mature or not. God wants you to grow up and have Christlike attitudes.

How do you measure spiritual maturity? Not by comparing yourself to other people but by comparing yourself to the word of God. The word "mature" in Greek is the word "teleaos" -- it's translated mature, complete, perfect. James uses this word five times in five chapters. James is a manual on how to be mature. James gives us five marks of maturity:

A MATURE PERSON IS POSITIVE UNDER PRESSURE

James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance and perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything."

How do you handle trials? The first test of maturity is how do you react to problems? Do they blow you away? Do you get nervous, uptight, negative? Do you grumble and gripe? How do you handle problems?

Christianity is a life. It's not a religion, it's a life. Jesus said, "I've come that you might have life." Life means problems, and part of life means solving problems and facing them with the right attitude.

What is your natural attitude, your natural bent when things don't go right and you're irritated? Are you negative or are you positive? Are you basically a supportive person or are you a skeptical person? Is your life filled with gratitude or grumbling? Are you affirmative or are you angry most of the time?

James says, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him." You can be great in the knowledge of the Bible and be cantankerous as all get out! Are you positive under pressure?

A MATURE PERSON IS SENSITIVE TO PEOPLE

"If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, `Love your neighbor as yourself' you are doing right." James 2:8

A mature person is sensitive to people. He doesn't just see his own needs, he sees other people's needs. He understands their hurts. He's not just interested in himself. My children, when they're immature, only see themselves, "I want that, I want this, I don't care about anybody else." God says that love, being interested in others, is a mark of maturity.

James gets very specific. James 2:1-6: Don't show favoritism, don't be a snob, don't look down on people, don't judge by appearance, don't insult people, don't exploit people. The second test of maturity is love: how do you treat other people? Paul said, “I may win all kinds of people to the Lord, I may build great church buildings, I may be on television, I may give my money to the poor, but if I have not love, I'm as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal; it just doesn't amount to much”.

Matthew 25, Jesus says, "At that judgment they will stand before the Lord and they'll say, `I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and in prison and you visited me.' We'll say, `When, Lord, when did we do that? When were you sick and we visited you? When were you in prison and when were you thirsty and we gave you drink?'

Jesus said, `Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these, my brethren, you have done it unto Me.'" It's interesting to me that in the Matthew 25 judgment the one thing we'll be judged for is how we treated other people. Not how many Bible verses we knew, how many times we were in church, not how great a reputation we had as Christian leaders, but how we treated other people.

A MATURE PERSON HAS MASTERED HIS MOUTH

James 3:2 "We all stumble in many ways. (This is an understatement! Nobody's perfect.) If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check."

The first thing a doctor will say when you go for a check up is "Stick out your tongue." He uses your tongue to check your health. God does that spiritually, too.

In World War II there was a saying, "Loose lips, sink ships." Loose lips destroy lives. They hurt! Definition of gossip: hearing something you like about somebody you don't. It is mouth-to- mouth recitation.

Self-control comes from tongue control. We get ourselves into so much trouble at what we say and what we think and what we speak. James 3 gives several illustrations. He says our tongue is like a rudder, a bit in a horse's mouth, a spark, a snake, a spring. He says that you put a little bit in a horse's mouth and that little bit can control the direction of the horse. A little rudder on a boat can control the direction of the boat. Your tongue, which, by size is very insignificant, controls your life. What you say directs your life, what you say can destroy your life. It can delight people's lives, it can discourage people's lives. Your tongue is a powerful force for good or for evil.

Have you ever heard anyone say, "I just say what's on my mind." They're kind of proud of it. Being frank, up front, they say what's on their mind. Maybe there's not a whole lot on their mind. Maybe what's on their mind shouldn't be said. The Bible says, that that's not frankness, that's immaturity. A lot of people just need a large dose of tactfulness.

Ephesians 4:29 "Do not let any negative talk come out of your mouth but only what is helpful for building up others according to their needs..." Circle the word "any". Watch what you say. When you talk you don't just say things to build yourself up. You say things to build other people up. If it doesn't build somebody else up, don't say it. Even if it's the truth. If it doesn't build up, don't say it.  That's a mark of maturity. A mature person manages his mouth. It doesn't matter how long you've been a Christian, if you can't master your mouth, you've missed the point.

James 1:26 "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless." If I've memorized a hundred thousand verses and been through every Bible study in the book and go to church and never miss a service, but if I'm a gossip, my religion is worthless. If I spread rumors, it's worthless. If I'm always saying things that are not always accurate or exaggerate or speak impulsively, it's worthless. The test of maturity is to manage your mouth so that no corrupt communication, no negative talk comes out of your mouth.

"Speak the truth in love" means the right attitude, the right timing, the right place, the right location, the right motive. The Bible is very practical. It doesn't matter how much you know about the Bible, if your attitude isn't like Christ's you're missing the point.

A MATURE PERSON IS A PEACEMAKER NOT A TROUBLEMAKER

James 4:1 "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?" He's talking about conflict. He says there are inner quarrels and fights and they come from our own inner desires. You want something and you don't get it. You kill and covet but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight and you do not have because you do not ask God.

Am I a peacemaker? Am I a troublemaker? Do I like to argue? Am I a contentious person? Do I get my feelings hurt? Do I get defensive easily? Do I hurt other people's feelings? Am I a peacemaker? Or am I a troublemaker?

The mark of a mature person is the lack of conflict in his own life. Paul told the Corinthian church, “You guys are a bunch of babies”. They argued about everything. They argued about the Lord's Supper, gifts, leadership, everything. That's a mark of immaturity.

Why is there so much conflict in the world? Why is there conflict in my marriage? Why is there conflict where I work? Why is there conflict between me and a former friend? Why is there conflict between me and another Christian? Why is there conflict between me and God? Why is there conflict?

James says there are two reasons for conflict. James 4:3 "When you ask you do not receive. But you ask with the wrong motives that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." The first cause of conflict is selfishness. When I want what I want then I'm going to have conflict with somebody.

The issue is pride. How do you know if a person is immature? Look at their prayers. If their prayers are always self-centered -- bless me, prosper me, protect me, use me, help me... if this is the only kind of prayer you pray, that's immature. Do you pray for other people? Bless me -- all I see is me. An "I" problem. Selfishness.

The very first verse my wife Kay and I memorized when we got married was Proverbs 13:10 "Only by pride comes contention." All conflict is ego, pride. When my wife and I have a conflict it's because I'm proud and I don't want to admit I was wrong or she was proud and she doesn't want to admit she was wrong or we're both proud and we both don't want to admit it. Pride guarantees conflict at work, church, home, school, wherever. Selfishness -- we want things for ourselves.

4:11-12 "Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it... There is only one lawgiver and judge, one who is able to save and destroy. But you, who are you to judge your neighbor?" The other source of conflict is judging others -- judgementalism. All of us are guilty of judgementalism. God says, “Don't judge people”. If you do this you're asking for a fight. You're always finding fault, always stirring up strife, always spreading rumors. Don't judge!

Why? Why should I not judge?

1. I'm not God. When you judge somebody it's playing God. There is only one judge, only one lawgiver -- God.

2. Only God has all the facts, you don't and neither do I. When I judge you, I don't have all the facts.

3. I don't know the motives, and you don't either. You can't tell what's in somebody's heart. You don't know. Only God does.  So only God has the right to judge. He has all the facts, He knows everything, He knows all the motives, He sees into our heart. He's got the truth so He can judge. But we are limited in our insight.  We don't have any right to judge. God says selfishness and judgementalism causes conflict. The fourth characteristic of a mature person is whether that person is a peacemaker or a troublemaker. God says judgmental people are immature.

A MATURE PERSON IS PATIENT AND PRAYERFUL

5:7,11 "Be patient then, brothers, until the Lord's coming... As you know, we consider blessed those who persevere." v. 16 "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." Circle "patient" and "prayer". God says the mark of a mature person is, he is patient and prayerful. Those are the two keywords in chapter five. "Patient" is used four times. "Prayer" is used seven times. The mark of a mature person is they are patient and they are prayerful. Those two go together. They express an attitude of dependence upon God.

5:7 "Be patient then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, how patient he is for the fall and spring rain. You too be patient. Stand firm because the Lord's coming is near. Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged." He's saying, “Be patient.” He gives the illustration of the farmer. If anybody has to have patience it's a farmer. He does a lot of waiting. He plants a seed, waits, prays, hopes, expects ... he waits. There are no overnight crops. Just like a farmer has to wait, sometimes we have to wait. We have to wait on God in answer to prayer. We have to wait on God for a miracle. We have to wait on God to work in our lives. We have to wait. Patience is a mark of maturity. The only way you learn patience is by waiting.

My children had to learn the difference between "No" and "Not yet". For a long time they thought that "not yet" meant "we're not going to get to do it". They thought it meant “No”-- it just meant “Not yet”.

Many times God will say to you, "Not yet." He doesn't mean "No". He doesn't mean He's not going to answer your prayer. He just saying, “You've got to wait, I want you to develop, to grow”.

5:16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain and it didn't rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed and the heavens gave rain and the earth produced its crop." If anybody was patient it was Elijah. Elijah was patient and prayerful. That's a mark of maturity.

 

Decide what you want from God and then find the scripture that promises you that.

Know the will (Word) of God for that particular need or challenge.

Get scriptures to support your request.  Your foundation for prayer is the clearly revealed word of God.

Be specific.  God was very specific when He created man, animals, plants, the universe and the earth.

Ask God for the things you want, then believe you have them

You must ask.  There is no such thing as a silent or unspoken request. Life and death are in the power of the tongue.  God’s answer produces life in your situation.  The Bible states that God said, “let there be”, and behold there was.  It did not say, God thought.

Read Philippians 4:6.

Let every thought and desire affirm that you have what you ask

Be prepared to stand 10,000 years if it takes that long for the manifestation of your answer.

Thoughts are governed by or controlled by observation, association and teaching

You cannot listen to everything.  That means you might have to stay away from some churches, and from some Christian television and radio.  Allow the Holy Spirit to be your guide.

Be discerning about what you read and who you associate with.

Never bring God’s word down to the level of human experience.  Every experience must come up to God’s word.

Think constantly on the promises on which you have based the answer to your prayer (Proverbs 4:20)

Do not think on or talk about the problem.  Think and talk about God’s solution.

See yourself out of the problem.

In your waking moments, think on the love, mercy, goodness and blessings of God, and it will boost your faith.

Read Isaiah 26:3 – The word “mind” is imagination in the Hebrew translation.

Think about how good God is.

Read Psalms 150 – Praise Him constantly for what He is doing in your life.

Make every statement a confession of faith, not a confession of doubt.

You can have strong confidence in the fact that when God tells you to do something, you can count on His word.

Come before God expecting to talk to the Father and expecting that He will hear you and grant you the request that you ask Him when you make that request based on His word.

When God gets ready to change things, the first thing he changes is the atmosphere.  The atmosphere is already beginning to change.  The right atmosphere is important for God’s work.  Without the proper atmosphere, God cannot work.

Matthew 13:58:  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Jesus could not perform any miracles, healing, deliverance, salvation, etc. because the atmosphere was thick with unbelief.  He was rejected in his own hometown.  The same is the case today.  Many people have rejected Jesus and as a result, he cannot do any mighty works in their lives because of their unbelief.  The atmosphere for God’s mighty works is not right and needs to be changed.

Exodus 5:1.  When Moses showed up in Egypt to tell Pharaoh to let God’s people go, the atmosphere changed. 

Acts 2:1:    When the Holy Spirit came to the Upper Room, the atmosphere changed.

Exodus 25:8.  Let them make me a sanctuary wherein I may dwell among them.  Worship builds the atmosphere for God to inhabit the praises of his people. It is important to create the right atmosphere of worship in order to receive anything from God.

The second thing God changes is the message.  When God gets ready to change things, he sends a new revelation of his Word.  In Acts 2, after the visitation by the Holy Spirit changed the atmosphere, Peter preached a message with a deeper revelation which caused thousands of people to come to Christ.

The third thing God changes is the circumstances.  Once the atmosphere changes and the message changes, a change in circumstances follow. 

Real change is only possible when the hearts of men change.  Free men believe that if you change the heart of a man, you change that man’s surroundings.  Communism believes that if you change the man’s surroundings, you will change the man.  That is why communism is a failure and freedom and liberty works.  True change comes when the hearts of men change.

The fourth thing God changes is the way you see Him.  You will come face to face with God and His true divine nature.  You develop a more intimate relationship with God.  God changes the way you see him, the way you hear from him and they way you interact with him intimately.  Your relationship with God becomes deeper and more meaningful.

The fifth thing that God will change is your location.  It’s time to leave the land of bondage. It’s time to leave the Upper Room and hit the streets proclaiming the Word of God.

The sixth thing God will change is the way you worship him.  You will build a tabernacle to the Most High. 

The seventh thing God changes is your destination.  He will take you to a new place.

It's time for a change!

Lord, I see You transforming me. You are cleansing me from sin. I left the life of darkness to never return again. I have not become all I should be. Of this You are aware. Though I pray to grow stronger each day, Lord, cleanse me should I err. If I do not love as you desire, prick me in my heart. If I drift away from you, rip my boat apart. If I desire anything You do not want for me, Lord please take away my sleep. I want no part in evil. Erase it. Good is all I hope to keep. Cleanse me from my secret faults that no one knows about. If sin has taken residence, Lord, please cast it out. My spirit is always willing, but my flesh is often week. I do not seek things of the world. Lord, Your kingdom I seek. One day, I will be in Heaven. I have many loved ones there. I am trying my best. Lord, please do the rest. Cleanse me should I err.

   In the Beatitudes, Jesus said blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Most of us will mourn the loss of someone we love during this lifetime. Some of us will take longer than others to heal.
   In 2009, my father passed away. I grieved very deeply. I coped by writing poetry. That poetry later became Enduring All: A Collection of Poetic Praise. In this book, I even included a farewell letter to my father. I thought the book was closure for me. I was incorrect. Father's Day came, and I could not call my father nor buy him any gifts. My birthday came, and the man who was instrumental in my conception was not here. Christmas came. the sting was severe.
   In 2010, my mother passed away. It was like a sucker punch. I was devestated. I prayed more than I had ever prayed in my life. I was hurting very deeply inside. I had expectations for both my parents. I had expected for them, at some point to be white-haired with me being thier caretaker. I had expected for them to live to see my child go to high school and college. All of my expectations were now shattered.
   Fortunately, I had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I would ask Him to ease my pain and soothe my soul. He did more than that. He also gave me peace. I had a peace that even surpassed my own understanding. The blessing in mourning is the comfort of Christ. He tenderly takes us into His arms and wipes away every tear. He whispers, "I am with you always. Even until the end of the earth. Come unto Me all that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Cast your cares upon Me, because I care for you."
   Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

After accepting Christ, we cannot reap the full benefits of faith without our minds being renewed. Our minds are ultimately corrupt and wicked. We have to meditate on the Word of God and allow his Word to dominate our lives. Before accepting Christ, a person may feel there is nothing wrong with sex outside of marriage (fornication). A person may feel it is okay to have sex with someone other than thier spouse (adultery). A person may feel that taking small things without permission is acceptable (stealing).

I personally was raised in a very liberal environment. I was free to drink and smoke marijuana at age 16. I was free to have sex as long as it was protected. I was free to run the streets all hours of the night. I was free it seemed, but I ended up in bondage. I ended up being bound by sin. At age 17, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and savior. The first few years, I attended church once weekly. That was not sufficient, I ended up returning to my old ways. I was a pitiful soul.

I soon learned the importance of studying the Bible outside of the church. I soon learned the importance of having an intimate relationship with God. The more we pursue God, the more He will reveal to us. I have been blessed with various spiritual gifts. If I did not make continuous efforts to know God better, I would not be able to recognize my gifts. Everyone has some type of gift that is of use. Through continual study of the Bible, we can learn to recognize things that the natural eye cannot see.

Be not conformed to this world. Do not grasp the concepts of this world. Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Be completely changed by allowing the Spirit of God to dwell within your mind.

How many people over the years have accepted the idea that Jesus came to do away with the law?

Let's get a perspective from the Bible on what God the Father inspired to be said about how His Son would look at the law. In the Old Testament, Isaiah prophesied of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, that "He will exalt the law and make it honorable" (Isaiah 42:21), not abolish it.

During Jesus' time on earth, we see Him taking that obligation seriously, as when He was asked by a calculating group of lawyers, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"

Surprisingly to some, instead of a legal or technical response, Christ held out the opportunity to raise the sights of all present-and all humanity since-by saying: "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment."

Raising the stakes so the lawyers would have to start making changes close to home if they were to agree with Him, He added, "And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Then the Teacher of the law, and of love, in words the lawyers couldn't dispute, ended the issue with: "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:36-40).

Other than the Ten Commandments, condensed by Christ into those two maxims in Matthew 22, where does His "new commandment" to "love one another" (John 13:34) fit in? Doesn't it in some way alter our obligation to keep the Ten Commandments? Isn't love all you need?

In John 13 Christ is simply summarizing what we saw Him explain in Matthew 22: that to love to the degree expected of us, we should have the love He had. His way of life magnified the law, a law of love toward God and toward every human being. This was living the Father's will, to which Jesus, His Son, was totally committed

Faith is the absence of fear. I am still learning faith. Currently, there is a flood risk in the state of Louisiana. Louisiana is my home. the media is sending out messages of fear. I have had to stand on the scripture that states we should be anxious for nothing. I could allow myself to be overcome by fear, but I cannot. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. I live to please God. Therefore, I must learn to reject the spirit of fear.

God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. If we doubt, we should not believe that we will recieve anything from God. I say "we" because I am including myself. I have to regularly study scripture and pray to keep the spirit of fear away. Our minds have to be renewed in order to live a victorious life. We are born in sin and shapen in iniquity. It takes years for us to be corrupted by Satan. It often takes years to become uncorrupt. Operating in faith is not simple. We have to study and pray. The Bible is our textbook. Are you learning faith?

Anyone who is led intellectually can never be all they were made to be. The mind is limited in many ways. That is why it is necessary to pray. What is man that God would be mindful of him? Thank God for Jesus. I love him. Many people believe they can use their minds to find all that they hope to find. They have eyes and cannot see that they are blind. True Light is what they need to find. The love of God is beyond comprehension. He can make a life beyond recognition. He can take a wicked and dark soul, make it pure and make it whole. He can give beauty for ashes and treasure for trash. He can wash away a sinful past. Indeed, his love and power are beyond comprehension.

Heavenly Father, I come to you admitting that I have fallen short of your glory. I ask you to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Yes, even my secret faults. Clothe me in righteousness. I ask you to redeem my soul, for the times are evil. I ask you to restore unto me all that I have lost. I ask you to restore unto me the joy of my salvation. Restore soundness to my body. Restore my mind. Restore everything that the enemy has stolen. I thank you in Jesus name for your love and for the atoning blood of Christ. I now declare that it is well with my soul. Amen.