This word is submitted by Teresa Seputis (ts@godspeak.org)

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                             Maturity


Child, I am calling you to grow into maturity. Some things that were 
acceptable for you in the early days will not continue to be okay for 
you.  I have given you life through My Son, and every living thing must 
grow.  I expect you to grow in Me, to mature, to be transformed and to 
become more like My Son.  You must put off the things of the flesh and 
embrace My nature.  

All things grow and mature.  Look at it in the natural.  An infant, when 
he is hungry, cries and screams for his food, and that is perfectly 
acceptable.  But by the time the child is 4 or 5, you expect him to speak 
politely to tell you when he is hungry.  And it certainly would not be
acceptable for a grown man to cry and scream for his dinner.  Even in 
the natural, acceptable behavior changes as a person matures. What is 
acceptable for a young child is not acceptable for a mature adult.  

This is true in the spirit as well. I do not expect you to stay babes, 
I expect you to grow and mature in Me.  When you are first saved, you 
have many childish and worldly things -- some of you fight or squabble 
or complain or criticize.  Some of you are ruled by fear or anxiety or 
anger or worry. Some of you try to promote yourself above others or 
focus only on your material needs. Some of you struggle with sin and 
engage in unholy behaviors and activities.  In short, you are not ruled 
by My love when you first enter into My kingdom.  And that is okay for 
babes.  

But you cannot remain that way.  You cannot remain a babe. All living 
things either grow and mature, or they die.  I have put My life in you 
by sending My Spirit to dwell within you, So you must grow. You must 
mature.  I expect this from you.  I expect you to learn to receive My 
love, to live in it, and to express it to others. I expect your desires 
and motivations to change over time, to better line up with Mine.  I 
expect your behavior to change, that you walk in holiness and purity, 
living a life that is above reproach, for you are My witness.  People 
look at your life to see what I am like, and I expect you to reflect My 
nature as you grow and mature in Me.

I also expect your heart and emotions to mature, to become strong and 
confident and at peace.  Many of you struggle with issues and hurts of 
the past.  As you grow in Me, you must put those behind you and receive 
healing at My hand.  I desire for you to be secure in My love, and I 
desire for your joy to be full. Your joy cannot be full when you struggle 
with rejection or fear or condemnation.  These are things that you have 
when you first come to Me. But I do not want you to hang on to them with 
a tightly clenched hand. I want to remove them from you, to heal the hurts 
and fears of the past. I want to expose and dispel the lies of the enemy 
that wreak havoc in your heart.  I want to encompass you in My reality, 
and to make you secure in the great love that I have for you. I want to 
mold you into My image, that you might be pleased with who I have created 
you to be, that you might enter into the fullness of My destiny for you.  
I want you to be strong and mature.

I want you to know Me and to know My ways, that you will make the right
choices that please and honor Me.  I want you to hear My voice clearly 
and to have a heart that is committed to obey Me.  I want you to be able
to hear and see and sense what I am doing, that you might do it with Me.
I want you to be filled with My Spirit and directed by My Spirit and 
motivated by My love. That is maturity and that is what I expect of you 
as you grow in Me.