Many sincere believers spend their entire lives earnestly searching for an experience, a conference, a revival, a book, a CD, or a single truth that will bring about instant change — the search for the right “key.”
There is no key and there are no shortcuts. Maturity is a slow process. Spiritual maturity is a journey that will last a lifetime. In fact, a key New Testament word is grow, or growing (see Ephesians 4:16; Colossians 1:6, 10; II Thessalonians 1:3). Peter writes in II Peter 3:18: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ…” II Peter 3:18
According to the apostle Paul, we’re to train ourselves to be godly (I Timothy 4:7). Neither Peter nor Paul are saying — or even implying — that we have to be a mystic, a monk, a nun, or a “super-saint” to grow in Christ.
Some Christian biographers gloss over the humanity of godly people and imply that if you don’t pray for 10 hours a day, move to the jungle, and plan to die as a martyr you can forget spiritual maturity. This is discouraging for the average believer.
The truth is, spiritual growth is very practical! Any believer can grow to maturity if they will develop the habits necessary for growth. The process begins with 1) Full-on dedication to God’s will as revealed in His Word (implication: daily, systematic reading/study!) and 2) The worship of God via unreserved consecration to Him and His will (Romans 12:1-2).