“And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”
Luke 2:40

One of the most powerful words in the English language is the word grow.

It is often spoken of as a living thing that undergoes development by changing physically so that it progresses toward the ultimate point of maturity.

You cannot reach maturity and stay the same.

Something has to be changing in your life.

The proof that you are growing and maturing is that you are changing—every single day something about you should be changing in some way for the better.

And you should be maturing in all different areas of your life.

You should be growing and changing and maturing spiritually, emotionally, physiologically, economically, and socially.

All areas of your life should be reaching a point of maturation.

The word grow is so powerful.

It’s not just about you developing and changing physically, it has to do with the process of germination and complete transformation.

You must take responsibility for your growth. The apostle Paul made clear what we must do as believers and how:

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Romans 12:2

In other words, grow up into full maturity by paying attention to what God is doing…and focusing your mind on Christ.

When you do, you will be transformed into His very image! (See 2 Cor. 3:18.)

You have to cultivate the Christ in you—the divine seed (or the seed of the divine) planted in your soul.

Why?

Because everything God gives comes in seed form.

If God has planted a seed of revelation or information or instruction in your spirit, or in your mind, or within your heart—that particular seed has to grow.

And for a seed to grow, it has to germinate and then it has to develop.

A seed has to be nurtured until it has taken root, and then cultivated until it reaches full maturity.

Unless it’s reaching toward maturity it’s not growing.

The word grow has the connotation of something that’s being produced because it’s being cultivated.

Think of your life like a field you’ve been given to plant.

You can grow whatever you want, for God has given you the seeds to create a harvest of abundance in the form of divine potential.

But as long as those seeds remain in your pocket, they will remain uncultivated.

They will never germinate and grow.

If you have ideas that God has given you, and He dropped these ideas in your mind, you have to cultivate them—you must continually renew your mind to what is possible in Christ.

You must have a vision for how you want your influence to grow, your ministry to grow, your family to grow, your finances to grow, and your health and fitness levels to grow.

God is going to give you everything you need to fulfill every desire of your heart in seed form—but it has to be cultivated.

Cultivation takes time and it takes energy.

The question is: “How much time and energy are you putting into the cultivation of those dreams and visions and ideas that God has given you?”

They’re going to stay in seed form unless you put in the time and energy and roll up your sleeves to cultivate them!

The word grow is powerful.

It connotes that something abstract has come into existence and is made to increase…like an idea that never existed before and all of a sudden it grows and expands and is brought into manifestation.

We see this happen when the grace of God comes upon you to pursue a revelatory idea or launch a Kingdom endeavor, but then God calls you to grow in that area…to continue growing in His grace.

God is in the business of increase—and He desires for you to increase!

“May the Lord give you increase more and more, you and your children.”
Psalm 115:14

The concept of growth has always been associated with blessing. Yet it can mean more than to become large or great over multiple generations.

It can mean to multiply exponentially over a short period of time.

That word multiply is exciting. 

It’s the word grow, but it’s growing exponentially.

You can increase through “additional growth” (1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1), or “exponential growth” by multiplying 10 x 10.

God wants to multiply you! 

That means He’s shortening the time. He wants to accelerate your increase. But for Him to do that, you must grow by becoming strong in spirit and filled with wisdom! (See Luke 2:40.)

As I mentioned last week, the time of year traditionally set aside on the Church calendar to sanctify our lives and mindfully pursue spiritual growth is the season of Lent. 

Today, around the world, people are celebrating Mardi Gras—or Fat Tuesday—which marks the last day of worldly indulgence before embarking on 40 days of spiritual consecration beginning tomorrow. 

How will you take responsibility for your spiritual growth over the next 40 days?

One resource I believe you will find invaluable is The 40 Day Soul Fast. This is the ideal companion to guide you day by day on a 40-day journey into the fullness of who you are called to be in Christ.

And then, if you haven’t already, mark your calendar to join me this Thursday evening for our live small group study as we continue to explore the 8 Stages of Spiritual Maturation.

Don’t miss the 4 Points Broadcast this Thursday at 5pm ET.

I will be teaching you powerful keys to maturing spiritually and growing into all that God has prepared for you.

Don’t wait to start growing into your destiny!

Take responsibility by pressing into all that God has made available.

“God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply.'”
Genesis 1:22

“Grow [spiritually mature] in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
2 Peter 3:18 AMP

I am so excited about this brand new teaching series we have just launched through our 4 Points Broadcast!

If you were unable to tune in last week, please click here now and listen to the replay…I know you will be blessed!

I introduced you to the principles of spiritual maturity—and why your spiritual growth is vitally important to not only fulfilling your assignment on the earth, but also to God fulfilling His within your own life.

Over the course of the next several weeks, I will be walking you through the eight stages of spiritual maturity…

And giving you the practical strategies you need to access all that God has prepared for you so that you can accomplish all that God has called you to.

What does it really mean to be an heir in the Kingdom of God—and how can you strategically position yourself to receive all the fullness of that inheritance?

If you are looking to grow in this season and in the year ahead, you won’t want to miss this series.

Don’t sell yourself short…get your heart and mind in alignment with God’s prophetic word and perfect will for you.

“He has made it so you could share the good things given to those who belong to Christ who are in the light.”
Colossians 1:12 NLT

God is inviting you—right here and now—to grow into new realms of power and spiritual understanding. He is shining new light on the path He has set before you.

I decree the wait is over and you are more than qualified—and you are going to see yourself in the days to come as able and mature enough to handle the inheritance that God has stored up for you.

I decree that you will not be like Esau, who despised his birthright trading it for the instant gratification of a bowl of stew! (See Genesis 25:29-34.)

Whatever is worth having is worth fighting for, but it’s also worth qualifying for and worth waiting for.

God is delivering you from the realm of ignorance.

The more light you have, the more revelation you are going to have concerning what God has prepared for you.

Let there be light that illuminates your spirit—let that light reveal what Heaven has already qualified you to do and to receive.

Light is the presence of God, goodness, information, and revelation.

The light of truth will cause you to grow up into all things (see Ephesians 4:15) so you will have the capacity necessary to maximize your extraordinary potential.

Potential and capacity are two very different concepts. We all have inherited incredible potential, but we don’t all have the capacity to access it—let alone maximize it!

Your potential is only limited by your capacity to harness it.

Doing the work of building your capacity will enable you to make the most of your potential. Capacity is also what God requires for you to come into your inheritance—it is the process of spiritual maturation.

You need to have the necessary spiritual maturity to faithfully handle your inheritance. You need to be able to locate where you are and cooperate with what God is doing in your life spiritually.

The more spiritually mature you are, the more capacity you will have.

To build capacity, you must have a strong sense of identity, purpose, and vision.

You must surround yourself with the necessary tutors who will show you who you are and what you are capable of, while also being accountable to governors who will mature and establish you in integrity, morality, and righteousness.

These are the guardians and stewards spoken of in Galatians 4:1-3:

“Now I say that the heir…though he is master of all…is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.” 

Who are your tutors and governors?

In what areas do you need to shine the light of truth and do the work of building capacity and growing spiritually?

If you’re not growing, you’re stagnating. If you’re not maturing, your backsliding.

One of the most significant seasons of the Church calendar is the time of year dedicated to maturing spiritually.

From the time of the early church, the season of Lent has traditionally been set aside as a time of pressing into the deeper things of God—a time of fasting and prayer. 

Many in what is considered the “evangelical church” either don’t recognize or observe this powerful liturgical season.

The 40 days of Lent is the perfect time to focus on your spiritual growth.

Lent begins next Wednesday, March 1st—the day before our next 4 Points Broadcast!

And The 40 Day Soul Fast book and devotional are the perfect tools to guide you in a 40-day discipline of growing spiritually.

Each day you will explore one of the forty attributes of living more authentically—of becoming more true to your perfect, divine self.

If you want to build your capacity to make the most of your potential, start by ordering The 40 Day Soul Fast—and then make the most of Lent 2017 by using this powerful resource to guide you on a transformational 40-day journey. 

Your life will never be the same.

I look forward to seeing you on the 4 Points Broadcast next Thursday, March 2nd at 5pm! Don’t miss it!

“Therefore let us get past the elementary stage in the teachings about the Christ, advancing on to maturity and perfection and spiritual completeness.”
Hebrews 6:1 AMP

“So come on, let’s leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ…turning your back on “salvation by self-help” and turning in trust toward God…there’s so much more. Let’s get on with it!”
Hebrews 6:1-3 MSG

“Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends.”
John 15:12-13 MSG

Many don’t realize that Valentine’s Day was originally celebrated as a Christian Feast Day commemorating the martyrdom of St. Valentine.

Interestingly, it is disputed which St. Valentine, as there were no less than three who were martyred around the same period in the 3rd century—all on February 14th!

However, most scholars attribute the holiday to a priest who secretly performed Christian marriage ceremonies against the dictates of Roman emperor Claudius II.

He was imprisoned, and refusing to denounce his faith, he was sentenced to death—yet before he was executed, he healed the jailer’s daughter of blindness.

St. Valentine exemplified not so much eros—or romantic—love, but true agape—or Christian—love.

Today, with the commercialization of Valentine’s Day, the focus has turned to celebrating sentimental gestures of romantic love.

I want to challenge you, instead, this Valentine’s Day, to celebrate the kind of love Jesus came to demonstrate: the love that lays down its life—that gives selflessly—and that never fails.

The kind of love St. Valentine demonstrated and was remembered and celebrated for centuries after his death.

Let’s celebrate this international day of love by keeping this one thing in mind:

“If we love one another, God abides in us.”
1 John 4:12

In his love letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul was unequivocally clear in his instruction that above all else we do in this world, we should love one another with the love of God.

In fact, when we do, we are made perfect…

“Above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”
Colossians 3:14

How do we know when we have strayed from God’s perfect love?

When we find ourselves afraid or anxious or uncertain or doubting or any of those responses the Bible warns is contrary to our faith.

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…
The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
1 John 4:18

The Bible also warns that whatever is not rooted in God’s perfect love renders us powerless; it depletes, weakens, and impoverishes us.

“So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.”
1 Corinthians 13:3 MSG

So yes, let’s celebrate love today…God’s perfect love at work in us!

Let’s stir up that love (it’s a gift!) and share it with everyone we encounter! Let’s remember today that love is the primary thing…it’s what causes everything else to work, including our faith.

“…faith which worketh by love.”
Galatians 5:6 KJV

More than any other evidence of the Spirit of God working in our lives—beyond the incredible force of hope or the redeeming power of faith, or God’s amazing grace, sustaining joy, or transcendent peace—is God’s love at work in us.

“The greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13

Again, “what is important,” wrote Paul to the Galatians, “is faith expressing itself in love” (Gal. 5:6 NLT).

As we celebrate the transformational power of love—the love that compelled God to give His only begotten son to redeem humanity (see John 3:16)—let’s think about those around us most in need of it. 

“Love never fails.”
1 Corinthians 13:8

With so much talk of strife and dissension in the news—fueled by uncertainty and fear—we must not lose sight of Whose Kingdom we live in!

As the culture around us seems to be in upheaval, let’s remember the basic tenets of the culture we have been called into—a culture defined by peace:

“My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
John 14:27

A Kingdom characterized by “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

A Kingdom of light fueled by unfailing love.

We His people, “who live in the light” (Col. 1:12), are called to be bearers of that light (see Matt. 5:14), makers of peace (see Matt. 5:9), and vessels of honor (2 Tim. 2:21).

“For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.”
Colossians 1:12-13

Let’s not underestimate the power of God’s love to change the culture we have been seeded into.

It was love that motivated the greatest history makers—from Mahatma Gandhi to Mother Theresa to Nelson Mandela to Martin Luther King to the King of all kings, Jesus Christ.

Take a stand for love.

No matter what friction might be swirling around you in your workplace or in your community or in the media, remember…

“You are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”
1 Peter 2:9 NLT

I just want to encourage you today that God has you right where you are, right at this time in history, for a tremendous purpose—to point others towards His goodness, grace, mercy, and love.

The world needs one thing and one thing only: God’s love.

In fact, without love, all wisdom and knowledge and faith and good works amount to absolutely nothing! (See 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.)

Yes, speak the truth—speak light—but speak it in love! (See Ephesians 4:15.)

Because sometimes we need to be reminded about the importance of love, Paul made it abundantly clear in a letter he wrote to the church at Corinth:

“If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.”
 1 Corinthians 13:1 MSG

And then, just to make sure he didn’t leave any loose ends, he gave specific instructions for how to walk it out: 

1 Corinthians 13:13 MSG

Let me ask you: How are you standing for love in today’s culture?

And then let me remind you: “Love never fails!” (1 Cor. 13:8).

“But as for me, I will sing each morning about your power and mercy.”
Psalm 59:16 TLB

We closed out 2016 at the End Your Year Strong Empowerment Summit with the theme “RESET”—as we prepared to reset the year and our lives with the dawn of 2017.

2017 is the year of New Beginnings—because this is what “17” in numerology represents: 1 plus 7 equals 8, and 8 is the number of “all things made new”…all things “reset” for a new beginning!

Today I want to talk to you about how to reset your day—each and every day.

Jumpstarting your personal empowerment begins with jumpstarting your day—it begins with you taking charge of your life by taking charge of your morning.

The most successful people have one thing in common—they maximize their mornings.

History makers, legacy builders, trendsetters, and wave makers front load their day with practices that yield the highest return spirit, soul, and body.

Only after they’ve invested in their being…
do the most successful people go out into the world and begin doing. 



Jesus set an example by rising early to recharge: “Before the sun was up, Jesus went to a place where He could be alone” (Mark 1:35 NlV).

I challenge you to start your year strong by starting your day strong!

Create a special place where you can pull away and open your ears to receive instruction from God as Isaiah did:

“He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.” 
Isaiah 50:4 NIV

This week, find a quiet spot free of distractions, clutter, or disorder—and then set your alarm just 15-30 minutes earlier than usual.

Plan and prepare the night before by turning off the TV (and computer), setting the timer on your coffee machine (or whatever helps you wake up), and then power down so you can power up early!

For the next week, see what happens as a result of “seeking first the Kingdom” (see Matt. 6:33) as you use the following steps as your guide:

• Invite the Lord to empower your day: Ask the Holy Spirit to help you set your intention for the day and prioritize your efforts—ask Him to draw your attention to the things that matter most.

• Begin with the end in mind: Think about where you want to be one week, one month, or one year from now. What small steps can you take today that will move you toward those goals?

• Check your gauges: A healthy lifestyle includes time for work, rest, relationships, and exercise. Have you set aside time for each element in your day? If not, look ahead to work each of these key components into your schedule.

You could say that commanding your life starts with commanding your morning—it’s that first crucial step to taking charge of your day!

If you want specific direction for how to press into heaven and infuse God’s Word into your daily life, get ahold of the Commanding Your Morning Daily Devotional.

And, if you haven’t already read the original book, Commanding Your Morning, I know you will find it helpful as you learn to power up your day!

Make every morning your opportunity to reboot your destiny! 

Just as His mercies are new every morning, so is your future—grab hold of that new beginning with gusto!

If you need support in crafting a vision for your life, setting transformational goals, or simply taking your life and leadership potential to the next level, register now for Executive Life Coaching. 

This month we’re beginning an all new 52-week journey through the 12 key areas of personal growth and professional development.

Don’t wait to get on board! 

Register now at www.TrimmCoaching.com!

And don’t miss our next 4 Points Broadcast…mark your calendar for every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month! This is my opportunity to speak with you directly every other week via LiveStreaming!

In fact, the replay is always available—so click here now to learn how you can begin crafting a powerful vision for your life.

I look forward to doing life with you in the weeks and months ahead! Here’s to you powering up your year by powering up your day…every single day!

A new chapter of your life begins now.

Every morning you can close the door to the past, open the door to the future, and start a new chapter in your life.

You can rewrite your life story with the dawn of each new day!

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
    His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
    his mercies begin afresh each morning!”
                              —Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT