My message today focuses on the great need that must exist in every believer of their spiritual growth. What I can't do for you is to grow spiritually. This is the responsibility of every Christian.

Spiritual growth begins from the moment we receive Christ as personal savior of our soul. It is the task of Christian leaders to guide their flock through a set of basic steps that allow them to develop and grow spiritually. However, few people can say that the same day they were saved, someone explained the necessary steps for spiritual growth. Unfortunately, some believers never know how they should develop their relationship with the Lord. As none of us matures as a Christian without acting, Peter instructs believers: "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 P 3:18).

How then should we grow? Second Peter 1: 3 promises us that "all things related to life and godliness have been given to us by his divine power." It is God who transforms us into his image, but it is our responsibility to put into practice everything he teaches us. Second Peter 1: 5-7 continues: "You too, putting all diligence for this, add virtue to your faith; to knowledge of virtue, to knowledge, to self-control; to self-control, to patience; to patience, to piety; piety, brotherly affection and brotherly affection, love. "

The Word of God gives us powerful principles to accomplish this.

First, we are responsible for renewing our mind (Ro 12: 2).

Although God saves us and gives us a new spirit, it is our duty to control the thoughts we harbor and focus our mind on what honors the Lord, so that our thinking can be transformed. Therefore, we must meditate on the Word, considering its meaning and applying to our lives the truth we discover, because that is how the Holy Spirit changes us and we have "the mind of Christ" (1 Cor 2:16).

Second, we must be willing to acknowledge our failures and take responsibility for them.

When we deny our sin, we delay our spiritual growth. On the other hand, if we confess our transgressions, the opposite happens and we mature, because we admit our dependence on God. John tells us: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all evil" (1 Jn 1: 9).

The third step naturally follows the second, since confession must be followed by repentance.

This step consists of more than recognizing that we did something wrong or promising that we will try harder in the future. Repentance means that we commit to taking a 180 degree turn and heading in the opposite direction of our sin. Paul taught everyone "to repent and convert to God, doing works worthy of repentance" (Acts 26:20). Instead of improper conduct for a believer, the fruit of the Spirit is produced in us: "love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Galatians 5: 22-23).

God's main goal is that all believers be like Christ. This happens only when, by faith, we obey his commandments and apply his principles to our lives. In this way, in a short time our relationship with Him begins to become deeper and more intense.