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PROGRAM D-8059

How do we make sure that we’re growing up into spiritual maturity? I’ve shared how absolutely necessary it is to read your Bible every day. That’s the indispensable step one on the road to growing up in Christ.

The second thing we must do is to grow in community. Growing up to be a “big girl” for Jesus is not a solo journey. We desperately need each other, and yet we live in a culture that is becoming more and more isolated.

Are you part of some kind of support group which holds you accountable, with which you can be totally yourself, where you are safe, and which inspires and challenges you to keep growing? It could be a small group Bible study; those usually work really well.

I started a small Bible study group in my home years ago when I decided to truly focus on growing in my faith. That was the beginning of this ministry—where, as I grew, God began to put a passion on my heart for this radio program. I began right where I was—in my home, sharing truth with a very few close, dear friends. We were accountable to each other; we encouraged each other; we prayed for each other; as a result, we grew together. That community played a vital role in my spiritual growth and in God’s guidance into the ministry I now have.

Whatever your excuse has been for not yet joining a small group, I would urge you to re-examine that excuse. Is it truly valid? If there is no small group near you or at a time that is convenient, why not start your own? Start with two or three, or whatever number—just start to share life with other believers. This is not just a time to be together, but it’s a time to grow together and to help each other become “big girls” for Jesus.

Do you have a prayer partner? There are two women in my church who were phone prayer partners for years. They were both in difficult jobs and so early each morning they spent time in prayer on the phone, praying for each other and their personal needs. This continued for many years, until one of them now is on the mission field. They would tell you that their daily prayer time was a key reason that their faith grew—that they grew up to be “big girls” for Jesus.

What a great idea! We grow in community, and if you don’t have that kind of community now, set out to make one happen.