“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”
1 Corinthians 13:11
Have you ever paused to consider what childish things you may need to be “putting away”?
In the Scripture above, Paul is saying that he was able to put aside, or lay aside—or throw away—his childish scripts so that God could replace them with adult strategies.
There are some things you need pray away, but most things you need to put away.
A lot of times we hold on to things because we don’t realize there is something better.
But if you hold on to the good, the better will never come—and if you hold on to the better, the best will never come!
Learn how to access God’s best for you at this year’s End Your Year Strong Empowerment Summit!
If you want the best life has to offer, you must learn how to bring the best out of yourself.
You must be willing to invest in yourself as much as you expect others to invest in you.
Learn how you can radically level up your life simply by upgrading your strategies.
This is a season of strategy.
As I’ve begun to consecrate myself for what God is doing in this season, I’m recognizing how many people are not successful because they lack strategy.
This is primarily why I’ve been teaching on the 8 Stages of Spiritual Maturation throughout the last many weeks of our 4 Points Broadcast.
If we are to walk in the realms of power and authority God intended, we must embrace the process of spiritual maturation.
Spiritual maturation is simply the process of upgrading your strategies.
As I travel throughout the world and meet people from all walks of life—from different cultures and traditions—I’ve come to discover that people don’t struggle because they lack talent, opportunity, or resources, but because they lack strategy.
This is a season I profoundly feel that God is wanting His people to upgrade their strategies as a corporate Body and as individuals.
To upgrade your life, you must upgrade your strategies.
I decree that in this season you are going to willingly let go of your childhood scripts.
I decree and declare as you trust God in this process, you are going to be endowed with life-upgrading, history-making strategies!
You’re going to have upgraded health strategies, relationship strategies, financial strategies, marriage strategies, business strategies, and domestic strategies…
I decree and declare you are coming into a season of unprecedented strategy!
When we talk about where we are now in terms of humanity and as the Body of Christ…it is incumbent upon us as God’s people to grow up and mature spiritually.
The world is anxiously waiting for the Church to matriculate through the maturation process.
“For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.”
Romans 8:19 NIV
In other words, all of the earth is standing on its tippy toes waiting for the Church to finally figure out who she is—to come of age and embrace her true identity.
The Church is lacking the adult strategies she needs because she is suffering from an identity crisis!
Let me ask you today: Do you really know who you are and all that you are capable of?
Are you able to put away your childish scripts in order to receive heaven’s world-changing strategies?
Again, there are some things you must pray aside, and others you must put aside.
In our last 4 Points Broadcast, we focused on this critical stage of spiritual maturation: Where you must identify the childish scripts that are holding you back and actively pursue the adult strategies you need to be and experience God’s best.
This is the 5th Stage of the 8 Stages of Spiritual Maturation.
It is represented by the stage of a child’s development who is between the ages of 7 and 12, and who is being disciplined in order to mature.
At this stage parents begin to load in responsibilities:
You’re going to clean your room…
You’re going to read…
You’re not going to talk that way…
This is the stage where discipline is important. Therefore, individuals at this stage will need to be in a position of submission.
This is the stage that will teach you discipline of mind, refinement of temperament, and control over your emotions by doing what you are told without grumbling and complaining.
You cannot do whatever you want to do if you’re going to be used by God. This is why discipline is important.
In this stage you learn the principles of “cause and effect” and “trial and error”—that your actions have consequences.
You cannot jump over this stage. If you try to bypass this critical stage, you will sabotage and abort your greatness!
Submission has nothing to do with an activity; it has to do with an attitude.
Discipline will require you to submit your desires, will, and emotions to authority.
But remember this, submission is attached to succession.
Submission has two expressions:
1) The person in authority to whom an individual is submitted.
2) The person who is submitting to the one who is in authority.
For the one in authority, it is imperative to understand that “to whom much is given, much is required.”
So the person who is in authority has the responsibility to make sure they get before God to deal with their insecurities.
The number one responsibility of a leader is to raise other leaders.
It is possible that someone more talented, more gifted, or more powerful might be called to submit to you.
An insecure leader, however, will oppress, suppress, or even abuse such a person for fear that individual will take their place.
In the realm of the spirit it is impossible for someone to take your place.
That place where you’ve been positioned can only recognize your voice print. Furthermore, the realm of authority has enough room for every single person!
The world is suffering from a tremendous leadership void. There is a scarcity of authentic, mature leaders who are disciplined in the protocols of submission.
You must recognize the role you are playing in relation to those you have been placed in authority over and to those under whose authority you are submitted.
It is a matter of character development.
This kind of character development—that will cause you to not only be positioned in places of great influence and affluence, but sustained there and remembered for generations—will require you to master your emotions.
It’s not about your feelings, it’s about your mindset.
I declare this is the last day you will take things personally. Put away those childish scripts and immature responses and learn to tap into the power God has given you over your mind, will, and emotions.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
If you weren’t able to tune into this particular 4 Points Broadcast, I believe it will create a phenomenal shift in your life.
Click here for the replay and let me know how you are activating these principles and the results you’re seeing in your life!