 Bible says this in Psalm 139, 23 and 24. Search me, oh God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. This will be a time of close self-examination. I want you to write this in the comment section whether you're watching live or on the replay, three simple words, search me, God. This is a statement of vulnerability. This is a statement of surrender. This is an acknowledgement that you are opening yourself to the correction of the Holy Spirit. Write it in the comment section right now, search me, God. Make that a public statement, make that a public prayer because that's what we're going to do as we work through the scripture. We're going to glean truths from the word that will help us to examine our hearts, and really indicate to us whether or not we're growing spiritually. These are five signs that prove that you're spiritually mature. Now, these are more than just signs. These are truths to which we aspire. This is a standard from the scripture that we're all working toward. We all want to be more like Jesus. And all of us have something about us that needs to be more like Jesus. All of us can be more like Jesus in one way or another. And so as we go through the scripture, we're going to look at these signs that indicate spiritual growth, indicate spiritual maturity. And if you're looking at these signs as we go through them and you're saying, oh, I don't quite measure up to this. I don't quite look like that. I want you to toss out condemnation and instead receive conviction. Condemnation says you are a mistake. Conviction says you made a mistake. Condemnation pushes you away from God in shame. Conviction draws you closer to him in repentance. So don't be discouraged, don't be offended. Instead take the truths of the word and say, okay, this will give me what I need to examine my own heart, to examine my own spiritual growth, and then to make the necessary changes that will help me to be more like Jesus. One quick portion of scripture, and then I'm going to give you five signs that prove that you're spiritually mature, but we have to lay groundwork. I know sometimes we click on a video and I know it's internet culture to get immediate gratification. You want me to just get right into the five signs. I will, but it's very important that you first have a foundation laid, which will take me a few minutes. And in laying this foundation, it will give you a greater understanding of the source of your transformation so that as we go through these signs, you're not discouraged. By reading this portion of scripture, this is going to inspire you to push for more, to be more like Jesus. So let's go now, John 15, four through six. Jesus said, Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit. For without me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered and they gather them and throw them into the fire and they are burned. Those who are rooted in Christ, those who abide in who he is, they are the ones that experience transformation. What does that mean to abide in him? Well, to abide in him is to obey his word. To abide in him is to surrender to his will. To abide in him is to come to a greater understanding of his ways. When you abide in Christ, fruit is automatically produced. You see, it's not your responsibility to grow the fruit. You can't do that on your own. That comes about as a transformation of your nature. That comes about when God begins to do a work in your heart and your mind and your soul. And as God begins to do the work in you, then fruit is produced. Transformation is produced. Your character, your nature, your mindset, everything about you begins to change as you abide in Christ. So we have one responsibility and that is to abide in Christ. And in abiding in him, we see transformation. In looking to him, in looking at his beautiful countenance, we are changed into his image. As we behold him, as we focus on him, we become like him. To look at him is to become like him. So many times we compile our lists of things that have to change. All of the areas in our own hearts that discourage ourselves where we see that we're not like Jesus. Well, if only I wasn't like this, if only I could change that and maybe you become frustrated with your own behavior, your own impatience, your anger, you're giving into temptation, your inability to be like Jesus in certain areas. And if you're not careful, you become overwhelmed and you begin to create this list of things that you imagine that you have to fix on your own. Yes, there's an aspect of surrender. Yes, there's an aspect of discipline and obedience, but ultimately sanctification and being transformed is a work of the Holy Spirit in you. And so you look at this list and you grow discouraged. And you say, how could I ever acquire that? How could I ever be like Jesus? How could I ever meet that standard? And the good news is you don't have to meet that standard on your own for when we are weak, then he is strong. Grace is the glue that holds together all the broken shattered pieces of who we are and makes us into the image of Jesus. Now this is that list that we compile. I need to fix this, I need to fix that. I need to transform this about my personality, about my nature, about my character, about my mind, about my behavior. And then we have this long list and then we start to work on all of these things, thinking that we're the only ones doing it. But here's the powerful thing about abiding in Christ is when you abide in him, he takes the list. When you abide in him, he begins to do his work. So instead of focusing on 1,000 things that you have to change, 1,000 things that you have to work on, you focus on one thing. As Jesus said about Mary, what she found is the one thing that's worth it. The one thing worthy of her focus, the one thing that truly matters and it will not be taken away from her. That one thing, abide. Remain in him, be planted in him and in doing so, ultimately, he begins to do the work. Now, number one, a sign that you've become spiritually mature, that you're spiritually growing, number one, you can receive correction. Second Timothy chapter three, verses 16 and 17, say this, all scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. Now, here we see that the word of God is the standard against which we measure our beliefs. The word, which is the revelation of God, the word which is ultimate truth, the word which is the highest authority, reveals to us God's ways and God's will, his nature, who he is, what he likes, what he dislikes. And as we begin to compare our lives to the word, we're faced with a decision. Do we correct our lives according to what the word says or do we try to twist the word into approving of the way we live our lives? Do we try to twist the word to accommodate beliefs that were handed down through tradition? You know, some of us are so passionate about teachings and doctrines and ideas that are not just extra biblical, they're anti-biblical against what the scripture actually teaches and someone who is spiritually mature isn't going to approach it like it's a debate, like it's an argument, like it's some fight that they have to win. Rather, they're going to approach it by saying, how do I conform to the word? And this spiritual pride is what blocks spiritual growth. When someone can't admit that they got it wrong, then they can't make it right. One of the greatest ways to experience the genuine power of the Holy Spirit is to admit all of the ways that we've been operating in religion. For only when you first admit religious perspectives, can you begin to have those perspectives corrected? Only when you begin to admit what is wrong can you begin to correct it by the word. So we change our beliefs based on the word. We change the way we live based on the word. We change the way we think about culture, about society, about people, about ourselves, about ministry, about everything based on the word. You live a life based on the word. Otherwise, your growth is stunted. And we receive correction not just from the word, but also from legitimate sources. This includes correction from fellow believers. Proverbs chapter 27, verse six says, wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy. You know what true, godly friend is gonna correct you when you're wrong. And sometimes we become defensive when we're corrected. You know why? Because sometimes it can be a little embarrassing to be corrected. We feel foolish for our behavior. We feel foolish for the fact that maybe we missed something doctrinally. And instead of allowing ourselves to be humbled and take that correction, many of us instead choose to become defensive so that we don't have to admit that we were wrong. Spiritual pride prevents you from receiving correction, but those who are spiritually mature are so confident in who they are in Christ that they're willing to be corrected knowing that that doesn't change who they are in Christ. You see, this is really the root of why people can't receive correction. It's insecurity. They're not confident in who they are in Christ. They're not confident concerning the gifts God gave them. They're not confident concerning the ministry God gave them. And because of this, they have to bolster this facade of strength, this facade of intelligence, if you will, not saying that they're not intelligent, but sometimes believers have to pretend they know more than they actually do. And this goes for all of us. We all fall into these traps. And this is why we need to be able to receive correction from legitimate sources. Look, I understand that you can't take the criticism of everyone around you. I'm talking about legitimate sources, friends who truly love you and who are truly walking with Christ and who truly know the word. That is a good source of correction. Another great source of correction is a spiritual leader. Yes, the Bible talks about spiritual leaders. That's a biblical fact. In Hebrews chapter 13, verse 17, the Bible says this, obey your spiritual leaders and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit. So sometimes a spiritual leader will try to bring correction, but instead of receiving that correction, people leave their church. Now, of course, this isn't the case in every instance because there are certainly good examples. I should say bad examples, but real examples is a more accurate way to put it. There are real examples of abusive leaders who manipulate people and control them. And they're not, they're acting as spiritual guides. They're there acting as spiritual tyrants controlling every aspect of their lives. So I understand there are two sides to this, but I'm talking about legitimately anointed, legitimately humble, legitimately loving spiritual leaders who bring correction and ultimately are trying to help you. Here's a good indicator. It's not 100% foolproof, but a good indicator that you're the problem and not the spiritual leader is if you have a past, a history of constantly turning on your spiritual leaders. The reverse is also true. If a spiritual leader has a history of just one person after another, after another, after another, reporting abusive manipulation, well, then that might be a time for the leader to look at themselves, but this doesn't negate the fact that the Bible clearly teaches that we have been given spiritual leaders to correct us. I thank God. I have friends who can get in my face and tell me when I'm being ridiculous. Me, I'm a perfectionist. Everything has to be just so. So there are times when my pal Steve here or Reuben or many of you know Patrick, they can get in my face and saying, you're being a little difficult. You're being too picky. Steve, one time I believe you said, stop acting like a diva and it kind of snapped me out of it real quick. He said, he said, he told me this, you stop acting like a diva or no one's gonna wanna work with you anymore. I thank God for a good friend who not only has the love but the boldness to address me in that way. Now, not everyone can do that. I'm not gonna receive correction from everyone, but from legitimate sources that God has placed in my life, I will. I thank God for my spiritual fathers. There have been times when I've said things on camera just because maybe I was being a little too controversial. Maybe I was being a little too apathetic toward the way I was communicating something. Maybe I joked in a certain way that came across the wrong way. And maybe actually absolutely, there have been times where doctrinally I was just kind of off on the extreme on one end. And I've had spiritual leaders who love me, who support me, who care for me, that will get on the phone and call me and say, hey, why did you say this? What did you mean by that? Why was it so unclear? And it can help to correct things, not just in what I teach, but in the way I live, in the way I am for my day to day life. I have people who can watch that and correct that. Do you have the same? Because those who are spiritually mature can receive correction without becoming defensive. Be humble, be teachable. They have the ability to admit when they are wrong. I've seen it often where believers, they just don't wanna admit that they can learn anything. And so they'll hear a sermon and they'll say something like, that was a great message. I knew that already though, but it was good. I'm glad you said it. And what they're really saying is you can't teach me anything or I can't really learn anything. And instead of admitting that they learned something, they pretend as if they've known it all along. And this is not the case in every instance, but that's just an example of how this plays out. The Bible says this in Hebrews 12, 11. For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant. Yeah, I've been there. But later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Look, I've been rebuked before. Okay, I know what that feels like and your ego sometimes is like a balloon. And when someone rebukes you, it just deflates the whole thing. And it doesn't feel good to get rebuked. It doesn't feel pleasant to be confronted by a friend who can correct things. But those who are spiritually mature, instead of becoming defensive, instead of trying to twist the scripture to prove why they're right, instead of saying, well, I'm offended, that's it, I'm leaving, I'm going to the next church. They say, okay, maybe there's some legitimacy to this. Now, if I can balance this for a second, this doesn't mean that everyone who corrects you even has the right to do so. Like I can't tell you, probably every week, there's a new pastor or preacher on the internet who thinks God has anointed them to bring correction to my life. And I'm thinking, I don't even know who you are. And we just can agree to disagree on certain doctrinal things. And that's not being facetious. I'm not saying that to be mean-spirited anyway. But if I were to pay attention to every criticism from every angle, from every person, I would never have any peace. I would just be a mess in my mind and my emotions. This is why I trust God to position people in my life, spiritual leaders, spiritual friends, family members who love me, who can correct me. And of course, as I mentioned earlier, we also have the scripture, Proverbs 12.1. One more verse I'll read in this section. To learn, you must love discipline. Now, this is the Bible saying this, not me. It is stupid to hate correction. It's a very strong way of putting it, but that's what the scripture says. And you receive this correction. This means you could admit when you're wrong, correct that mistake. And this also means that you can apologize. Spiritual people who are spiritually mature have the ability to apologize. So that's number one. Number two, on the other side of the coin, you can forgive without receiving an apology. Now, many times when someone is offended, here's how it plays out. They offended you, so here's what you try to do. A, you try to get everybody else around you to be offended with them too. B, you constantly talk about the offense. Do you realize that in talking about the offense, in constantly replaying it in conversation, constantly making little jokes about it, constantly bringing it up, you're actually agitating the bitterness in your heart. And so what ends up happening is we hold this position of ego and we say, well, I'm not gonna let it go until they apologize, or I'm not gonna let it go until they realize what they've done. And look, I understand that in some instances, there's some legitimacy to that kind of thinking, but for the most part, what does the scripture teach? Let's look at Luke 23. I'm gonna read verses 33 and 34. Watch this. When they came to a place called the Skull, Golgotha, they nailed him to the cross and the criminals were also crucified, one on his right and one on his left. Jesus said, Father, forgive them for they don't know what they're doing. I mean, here he has been crucified. He's the God of the universe, the God of eternity and time. And he's been crucified. Not only, if I was in that situation, my pride probably would have got the better of me. How dare they treat me this way? Do they know who I am? That would have been my response, but not Jesus. He's in the middle of being crucified. He's being treated poorly. He's being dishonored. He's being spat upon. It wasn't just the pain. It was the dishonor that they had toward him. I think that probably was difficult. I mean, if you know you can retaliate immediately by calling down a legion or an army of angels, you know you can do that. And then to not do that, that takes some very strong spiritual character. Jesus said, Father, forgive them for they don't know what they are doing. Wow. And the soldiers, now watch this. Jesus says this. He forgives them as difficult as that is. He forgives them and then they go on gambling for his clothes by throwing dice. So that's like a slap in the face. Have you ever wanted an apology from someone and they don't give it to you? And not only do they not give it to you, they actually dig the wound in deeper by dismissing the fact that maybe they even did anything to offend you. Or you forgive them, you let it go and they still mistreat you. They continue with it. I'm not talking about letting people take advantage of you or abuse you. I'm talking about learning to let things go. Yes, you can disconnect from people who've hurt you if they continue with that pattern. But here we see that Jesus did not wait for an apology before he would release his forgiveness. Hebrews chapter 12 verse 15 says, look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. So here we see in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 15 that bitterness is a root. And a root produces something. So bitterness is not in and of itself the only problem with unforgiveness. Bitterness is a root that grows other fruit, fruit like anger, impatience, defensiveness. And there are so many things that come out of bitterness and it actually begins to destroy your life. I mean, someone who's been hurt and has not dealt with it, they're more easily hurt by the next person. I've seen that pattern play out more times than I'd like to have seen it, where someone will be hurt, they're offended, they carry that hurt and that offense and the next person that comes along hurts them. It's much more easy to be offended. Offended people are easy to offend. Bitter people more easily become bitter. And so they never really deal with those issues deep within their heart. And because of that, they compound that bitterness and they become more and more offended and everyone has to walk around them like they're on eggshells and make sure they don't say the wrong joke or hint at the wrong thing or maybe trouble them in some way and there's this tension, there's this anger, there's this impatience and you're real snappy with people and real moody and people quite, you're passive aggressive, they can't really tell whether or not you're joking but you're making these backwards mean comments and that's what happens with bitter people. I wrote this, bitterness seeks revenge, forgiveness seeks reconciliation. Bitterness lives in the past, forgiveness frees you to dream about the future. Bitterness says because they owe me. Forgiveness says because I owe God. Bitterness pushes guilt, forgiveness lifts burdens. Bitterness seeks to prove a point, forgiveness lets it go. Bitterness accuses forgiveness covers. It's amazing to me how many believers get this wrong. I mean, you wanna talk about sins that are tolerated in the church. I think the number one most tolerated sin in the church is unforgiveness. You don't know what they did to me or there's just this sense of, and it really is pride and it's so hard to pin down and I think that's why it's so difficult. I think that's why so many people struggle with this because they just can't see it because they feel so justified in their gossip. They feel so justified. They feel like they're moving in righteousness by being offended and mistreating people and holding that grudge because they did wrong and I'm standing in the right and you know that's not it. You know it's just your pride and this is why unforgiveness is really probably the most tolerated sin in the church today. Ephesians 432, instead be kind to each other, tender hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. I mean, people are so bent on proving a point. No, they need to understand why they were wrong or they need to admit that they were wrong and maybe you just see the situation differently than they do and instead of trying to win, why don't you just forgive? And it's amazing to me that this right here, this simple truth of forgiveness, though it's basic is probably one of the most neglected practices in the Christian world. And not just to forgive but to forgive as Christ forgave me, to forgive like God forgave me, like as in separating it from my mind as far as the east is from the west, not keeping that record, covering it instead of demanding that you pay for it. That's true forgiveness. Society won't teach you that. Ego won't teach you that. The word teaches you that. Letting it go. Forgive faster than they can apologize. Father, forgive them. Forgiving faster than they can apologize. Matthew chapter 18 verses 21 and 22 say this, then Peter came to him and asked Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me seven times? No, not seven times, Jesus replied, but 70 times seven. Look, I understand in culture today we really celebrate revenge and I think that's pretty sad. And while I understand that there are actual abuses, while I understand that there is actual wrongdoing, I understand that people do gossip, people do mistreat you, people do hurt your feelings. I understand there are some legitimate reasons for being hurt, I get that. But I think we've gone way too extreme on this idea of demanding that apology, demanding that they be punished for it. That's really not the Christian way. It's society's way, but that's not the Christian way. And so we as believers, while I'm not talking about abuse, so please don't hear what I'm not saying, we as believers so often imagine that they need to understand what they did. They need to really realize they need, they need to, and that's the problem. We want them to admit you did this wrong. And until you do, I'm not releasing you from this unforgiveness. Well, maybe that never happens. Maybe they don't see the situation like you see it. Again, I'm not talking about abuse. I'm talking about just everyday offenses. Things that pile up. Maybe they legitimately did do you wrong and they apologized for it, but you're still mad. You're still upset. This is why Jesus said to forgive them 70 times seven. So if you're multiplying this, it means that you're forgiving them several times for the same offense. Why is this? Why does Jesus say 70 times seven? It's because sometimes it's not the event that offends you, but it's the memory of the event. Sometimes you have to forgive them again and again just because of the simple fact that you remember it again and again. Maybe you have to choose to forgive them every time it comes to your mind. Maybe you've forgiven someone, you moved on, things become good, and they don't even realize it, but you start going back to remembering that time they offended you, that time they said something ill of you, that time they should have had your back, but they didn't, that time you felt abandoned by them, that time that they didn't handle a situation the way you thought it should be handled and then it starts to build up again. Unforgiveness is the sin most often justified in the church and those who are spiritually mature, they can forgive without receiving an apology. And as I said, I can balance this because there's some real manipulation and abuse going on in the church world. I understand that, but I would say this. I think biblically speaking, we've gone way to the other extreme on the other side of what the scripture teaches, trying to make up for the way maybe some extremism has entered the other way. What I mean by that is, I think more times than not, you should just let it go. I think society teaches the opposite. Now they teach more times than not, you should hold onto that grudge, hold onto that anger. And the church has kind of accepted that, but that's really not the Christian way. The Christian way is I forgive you and let it go. The Bible says God does not deal with us according to our sins. Should we deal with others according to their sins? Well again, I am aware that in certain cases, yes you should, but in most cases, let it go. And that's number two, you can forgive without receiving an apology. Now this one, you'll find challenging here. I mean, these are all challenging, but this one I think is especially challenging. Number three, you don't become frustrated with God's timing. That one's difficult. I wrote this, frustration with God's timing is a symptom of the deeply hidden belief that you know better than God. Let me read that again. Frustration with God's timing is a symptom of the deeply hidden belief that you know better than God. Proverbs 16, nine says, we can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. People who are spiritual don't have to fight with God and they don't have to try to force him. They just flow. Some believers live in the posture of fighting, constantly trying to get God to back off on his plans. Lord, I don't want to do that. And we find ourselves in the sins of omission, not wanting to do God's will, resisting it. And then some try to find that place of forcing him that's the opposite problem. Now they're doing things he doesn't want them to do and they're trying to force his hand. God, you're taking too long. God, you didn't do it the way I wanted to do it. God, you didn't choose the right people for it. God, I don't trust you in the timing. I don't trust you with who, I don't trust you with the circumstances. And so we become frustrated in God's timing. And I found that those who are spiritually mature just kind of have this peace. Now I'm not saying to lack spiritual ambition, especially those of you in ministry, you should have some ambition for the kingdom of God. You should work to expand and to grow and to make things happen by way of good stewardship. I'm talking about those seasons when you know God is not in something and you still try to make it happen. That's the difference. See, some fight him, some force him, others go by faith in the flow. And when God speaks to you to do something, you need to be like a bulldog and do it. Don't let go. But if God is not in it, don't try to force it. If God is in it, don't try to fight it. And those who are spiritually mature just kind of have this peace on them even in the midst of seemingly impossible circumstances. Things may not seem to be working out but there's this peace. There's this inner knowing, this inner witness that they're right where they need to be. They're attentive to his voice, living just like Jesus did, mirroring the moves of the heavenly Father, John 519. So Jesus explained, I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. So Jesus was mirroring the movements of the heavenly Father while here upon the earth. He wasn't just in God's timing on a monthly or weekly or daily schedule. Jesus was mirroring the movements of the Father down to the very millisecond. Right in sync, right in step, right where he needed to be in every instance, he was right there where God wanted him. As you study the scripture, you'll see that Jesus fled, Jesus walked, Jesus ate, Jesus sat, Jesus taught. But you won't read in the scripture that Jesus ran. And Jesus never ran because Jesus was never late. And Jesus was never late because he lived in the consistent will of God, aligning himself with heaven's plans. And in doing this, he became synchronized with the Father to where it was like a mirror image. It wasn't off by even a millisecond his movement. He began to move as the Father moved and he would slow when the Father wanted him to slow. He did nothing without his Father's permission. This is how those who are spiritually mature live. You're not frustrated with God's timing. I mean, think about how people become worried about so many things. You realize worry is just how you worship your fear. Worry is simply your flesh is attempt at prayer. Worry is how your flesh prays. But when you trust in the timing of God, there's this flow to your life. There's this ease to it. Not saying there's no trials, not saying there's no circumstances that you'd rather not deal with. I'm not saying that you're not gonna face heartache. You will face all these things. That's a part of the Christian life. What I am saying is even when hardships arise, even when you get into a situation where you don't know how God is going to do it, there's this peace on you because there's an ease of flow. You're moving with the Holy Spirit. You're allowing him to do what he wants to do. I mean, I think of all the different times the Lord's come through for me in ministry and by his grace, not anything in my doing, by his grace, he's allowed me to have peace. He's helped me to have peace. He calms me when my nerves try to get the better of me where I can just buy the Holy Spirit, not in my own power, just relax. As much pressure as there is in the ministry and many projects as we have going, as many goals as we have that seem impossible to those on the outside looking in. I'm not worried about it. Why? Because it's the flow of the Holy Spirit and this is how the spiritually mature live. I'm not trying to brag on myself. This is the Holy Spirit's doing just to be clear. It's his help that does it. Now, I'm gonna talk about number four in just a second and this one is a very misunderstood truth. I think people abuse this. There's a lot of truths that people abuse and it's probably one of the most commonly dealt with issues for believers and especially those in ministry. But before I mention that, I do wanna encourage you. You're watching this live or on replay. Make sure you leave a like on the video right now. Click that like button so that you can help us spread our reach. Numbers matter to me and numbers matter to me because numbers represent people. People represent souls. So numbers matter to us. Numbers will matter to me as long as there's a sinner that needs saving. As long as there's a sinner that needs saving, numbers matter to me. So help us reach more. Click that like. And if you're enjoying this content and you like content that's Bible based, spirit filled and Jesus centered, make sure you subscribe to EncounterTV and do click that notification bell so that you can receive notices whenever we release new content. Now, number four. Number four is you are more concerned with God's opinion than man's opinion. First Thessalonians chapter five verse one says this. Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God as we have taught you. You live this way already and we encourage you to do so even more. Now a caveat here because sometimes people say things and this is why I said it's misunderstood. So yes, we understand that we're to live for God's pleasure but have you ever seen someone say, I don't care what anyone thinks of me, I'm gonna do what I want? That's not the maturity I'm talking about. In fact, that's immaturity. When somebody just doesn't care what anybody thinks, that's selfishness. And I always find it ironic that people would post that online. I don't care what anybody thinks of me. I think that's funny because you care that they think that obviously because you posted it. And so I'm not talking about this immature high school mentality. I don't care what anyone thinks of me. I'm gonna be myself, live my own way, do what I want, live by my desires and whatever the consequences are, I'll bear those and I'm not gonna care. No, that's selfishness, okay? It's not what I'm talking about. Rather, I'm talking about prioritizing God's opinion above the opinion of man. And when you do this, it sets things correct in your life because now you are concerned about others. You don't want to be selfish. I do care what my wife thinks of me. I do care what my daughter thinks of me. I do care what my team thinks of me. I care what my friend Steve thinks of me. I care what my pastor thinks of me. I care what you think of me to an extent. But I'm not controlled by those thoughts. I'm not controlled by those opinions. Everything about me works to please God. I want to please him first. And if I'm pleasing God first, then that establishes me in confidence. And when I'm confident that I'm pleasing God, I can say if God be for me, who can be against me? Now I care what you think in the sense that I wanna make sure I'm teaching you the proper way of scripture. I wanna make sure that you know I love you. I want you to make sure that you know I care about you. I wanna make sure that you know that I'm here to pray with you. Those are things I want you to know. I care about that. But I care more about what God thinks. I'm not trying to offend anyone, but if I have to offend someone in order to please God, I'm going to do it and I'm not going to apologize for that. And you should live that same way too. I used to be very afraid of people's opinions. Like they would drive me. Like I could have a great service. And if somebody said, well, you know, I didn't like it because this isn't this. My heart would just sink. And my adrenaline would rush through me. And I'd feel, oh my goodness, everything's falling apart. The ministry's falling apart. No one's gonna support me. Everything's gonna go downhill from here. And I would catastrophize because of people's opinions. And I've learned, though I'm not perfect at it, I've learned to care more about what God thinks. And if I know that what I'm doing is pleasing to God, that establishes me in confidence so that I'm not overwhelmed by criticism. Sometimes you're gonna have to side with God's word and people will call you a bigot for it. Sometimes you're gonna have to stand to your ground and declare things that are true and that are necessary to say and you're just gonna have to allow people to think that you're mean-spirited. I've had people ask me, why are you so narrow-minded? I said, because Jesus said, narrow is the way. Truth is narrow. Truth is not broad. Truth is not wide. Truth is definite. It's narrow. It's specific. And there is only one truth. So as we live in this world, we're gonna have to make decisions on a day-to-day basis. Am I gonna care more about what they think of me or am I gonna care what God thinks of me? And again, this is not to embrace a selfish lifestyle and to just say, I don't care. Whatever the consequences, I'm just gonna be me and sometimes being you is not the best thing. You shouldn't be you. You should be like Jesus. And in being like him, you please God. Forget the fear of man. Don't live by other people's opinions. Live for God's opinion. So that's number four. You care more or you're more concerned with God's opinion than man's opinion. So so far we have, one, you can receive correction. Two, you can forgive without receiving an apology. Three, you don't become frustrated with God's timing. Four, you are more concerned with God's opinion than man's opinion. These are signs that you're becoming spiritually mature. And number five, you serve. Matthew 2311 says, the greatest among you must be a servant. Nobody is above serving. Now we all serve in different ways, but those who are spiritually mature recognize service. Look, here's my perspective when I go preach somewhere. Obviously first, as I said, I wanna please God. I wanna make sure I'm rightly dividing the word. We who teach will receive stricter judgments. I wanna make sure that when I present a message like this or a teaching on any topic, I wanna make sure that I'm aligning with the truth of the word of God, with his standards, of course, that's first and foremost. But whenever I minister to God's people like this, like as I'm ministering to you, I don't view it like I'm entertaining you. It's not my job to entertain you, though sometimes the services have very exciting moments that are quite entertaining. Sometimes the topics we cover are very entertaining. Sometimes the stories that we share together are very entertaining, but that's not the purpose of why I'm doing this. When I'm more concerned about imparting than I am with impressing. And so when I share with you, I wanna make sure I'm serving it to you like a good meal. This is how I view preaching. Like I'm serving a good meal. Sometimes the meal is something you wanna eat slowly. Sometimes it's a quick meal. Sometimes it's a snack. Like when I do quick five, 10 minute teachings. Other times it's like a three course, four course, five course meal where I'm bringing lots of material very slowly. Sometimes I teach where I'm explaining verse by verse, like I'm doing now. Sometimes I preach where it's just a passionate, inspired revelation that God gave me. So there's preaching, there's teaching, there's sharing, which is more personal. But every time I do serve you the word, I'm looking at it like I'm delivering a fine meal. But I'm your server. I'm your waiter if you will. Serving you a spiritual meal. I view it, not as me entertaining you. I don't view you like a fan who watches, like oh, there's my hero. That's not how this is. Rather, I view it as you sitting at a table and I'm here to serve you now. I'm your servant. Do you realize I'm serving you right now? I am serving you. We all serve in different ways. But the moment you shift your perspective from this elitism, that's when you begin to suffer the consequences of an immature spiritual life. Really, those who are spiritually mature can prophesy as they serve. They recognize that prophecy is serving. They recognize that ministering healing to the sick is serving. They recognize that casting out demons is serving. They recognize that preaching and teaching is serving. They recognize that leading and worship is serving. We're serving God, but we're also serving God's people to edify them, to encourage them to build them up. I'm serving you. I'm your servant. Then I want you to see me that way. I don't want you to see me as a hero. I don't want to be seen as a public figure. I don't want to be seen as a popular YouTuber. I'm your servant. I'm your brother. We are family. And that's the perspective we need to keep. Now look, I understand people have a wrong perspective on this because people get mad. Well, I didn't see the pastor at the car wash, so he doesn't have a servant's heart. Well, your pastor was preparing Sunday's message, which is why he wasn't there on Saturday at the car wash. That's not for anyone specific, nor is that a word of knowledge. That's just an example. I'll show it to you in the book of Acts, Acts 6, 2-4. So the 12 called a meeting of all the believers. They said, we apostles should spend our time teaching the Word of God, not running a food program. Man, can you imagine if a pastor said that today? People would say, oh, that's toxic. The pastor living like a behind the scenes life where they're treated like some special leader. Well, everyone else does the work. All the volunteers help. Well, that's what volunteers do. They help. We all serve in different ways. And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the Word. But see, they didn't have this elitist mentality. They just recognized where they were more effective. So on the other side of this, this doesn't mean that if the bishop doesn't clean toilets that he doesn't have a servant's heart, that's one way to serve. Doing children's ministry is another way to serve. Working the church nursery, that's another way to serve. Cleaning up the church, another way to serve. Reaching out to the community. Feeding the homeless, clothing the naked, sheltering those who have nowhere to go. These are ways to serve. But this is more about mentality than it is about task. This is more about perspective than it is about projects. When you begin to see yourself as a servant, that's where that maturity flows. This doesn't mean that you can get mad at your pastor because he wasn't there the day they were distributing food. Maybe he was on a mission strip. Maybe he was counseling someone. Maybe he was praying with someone in the hospital. You don't know. And so, we have to get rid of that perspective. It's really ego, which demands things like that. I demand you do what I do. That's ego. And I think society has a real problem with that, especially in my generation. But recognize it's all service. And again, it's about perspective, not projects. So when you have this servant's heart, you view everything that you do as service. So one, you can receive correction. Two, you can forgive without receiving an apology. Three, you don't become frustrated with God's timing. Four, and I have a couple of bonus points for you. Four, you are more concerned with God's opinion than man's opinion. Five, you serve, and I'll just give you these as lists. These are bonus points. You ready? Next, you are kind and compassionate. And Galatians 5, 22 through 23 are gonna be what I use for this point and the next two points. Next, you are full of joy, even in unideal and challenging circumstances. You are patient with people. Yes, even the difficult ones. Now Jesus became frustrated with people too, yes, but he's still patient with them. He recognized their shortcomings. Here's a big one, 2 Timothy 2, 23. You avoid pointless quarrels and drama. But if people keep having to say, you know I never get into drama, but you know I avoid drama, but you know I never argue, but they have to say that because obviously they're always in drama. That doesn't mean everyone who says that is, but it's a good indicator that they may be trying to compensate for something. You know, namely that they're always in drama. Next, you avoid gossip. James 1, 26, Proverbs 11, 13, Proverbs 16, 28, Proverbs 17, 9, and Proverbs 20, 19. You ever hear someone say this is public, so it isn't gossip? Yes, it is still gossip. It really grieves me when say for example, a minister falls into sin or is perceived to have fallen into sin. You can't believe everything. How many people jump on that and they wanna do documentaries and videos and podcasts and oh well it's public so it's not gossip? Like are you kidding me? Have you no fear of God? You know, it's common cliche to say, well you know when the scripture says that to touch not God's anointed, it's not talking about pastors and leaders. Well, in some sense we still see the spiritual principle of honor. You can't talk about men and women of God like that. You can't talk about fellow brothers and sisters in Christ like that and to excuse it by saying, well it's public so it's not gossip, that's where does the Bible say that? It's still slander, it's still harmful words, it's still conversation that's tearing somebody down. So the spiritually mature avoid gossip even if they feel they have an excuse for it. So Father I pray you would help us to apply these, give us the spiritual insight to see where they might apply in our lives. And I pray Father that you would give us the grace to meet these standards. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray and I want you to say it because you believe it. Say amen. Now, this is the part in the stream. If you're watching this live or on replay, this is the part where people usually click away. By the way I can see the comments coming in on the screen right now. Let me know what you thought of the message in the comment section. So as I was saying, this is the part of the stream where people go, okay lessons done, I receive my prayer, I'm gonna go. But I wanna challenge you, stick with me, I wanna read a couple of verses to you. And I wanna challenge you to do something for the ministry. You receive from this ministry, I want you to do something for this ministry. Here's what the Bible says, Proverbs 21, 26. Some people are always greedy for more but the godly love to give. Matthew 6, 21 says wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will be also. What do these two verses communicate to us? Well, first of all, this actually could possibly count as a bonus sign. Another sign that you're spiritually mature is you're generous. You know what immature Christians sound like? Why are you talking about money? That's an immature Christian. An immature Christian says, well you shouldn't take offerings, you should just let God speak to the people. Well the Bible says you have not because you ask not and Paul the apostle took offerings many times in the New Testament. So that's a spiritually immature perspective too. And again, rather than become defensive and offended by that, really think about it. Why do you think the enemy fights you so hard in that area? Why do you think the heart is so hard when it comes to finance? As soon as a preacher mentions money, oh see, that's all they wanted. That's all they're doing this for. Wait a minute. We take offerings so that we can continue to do what we're doing. We don't continue doing what we're doing just so that we can take offerings. It's all a matter of the heart. But we will find in Scripture that money is a test of the heart. And I would say it's a test that many believers have a big challenge with. Because of fear, because of greed, because of uncertainty. Some people won't give because they're afraid that if they give they will lack. Others don't give because they just want to pile up their wealth. Others don't give because they're uncertain about their future. We can spiritualize, we can excuse, we can rationalize all we want. When it comes down to it, the Bible says that money is a test of the heart. And I say this to you because I love you. I want you to live not just in God's provision, but in biblical prosperity. Where God meets your needs, yes, that's wonderful. But also where there's enough left over to help those around you. So here's what you gotta do. You have to fight the flesh. Right now your flesh is fighting you so hard. Click off the video. Your flesh is telling you remember what you have in your account and right now in your mind you're seeing your bank balance. You're saying there's no way I can give out of this. Or maybe you're a wealthy person and the flesh is saying no, no, no, don't release it. There's so much you can do with that and the flesh is fighting you. The flesh is saying don't give to the ministry and the enemy's agreeing yes, keep that ministry from receiving those resources. And there's this battle internally. Do I give, do I not? Do I give, do I not? And it's easy to say well no one will know. I can just click out and again that still happened to click on it so I'm not involved in any way. But how do you know? I'm not saying definitely he did but how do you know God didn't draw you to this moment to help this ministry? And why not support soul winning work? Why not support kingdom expanding work? So I'm gonna challenge you to do right now. That link should have been up Mr. Lay. I'm gonna challenge you to do that right now. Go to davidhernandezministries.com slash donate. Right now and give a one time gift of any amount. Look, thousands will see this. There's several watching right now. Ultimately thousands will hear what I'm saying. I wanna challenge you to give a one time gift of any amount. Give out of what you have. Some can do much, some can do little, some can do some. But all of us can do something. All of us can give based on where we are. Don't be afraid for your future. Don't believe the lies of the enemy that say if you give you'll lack or if you give you won't have enough or if you give somehow you're gonna suffer for it in the future. No, no, no, no, fight the flesh, fight the fear. Resist the urge to withhold. That's the battle going on inside of many right now. I challenge you, give to the ministry. It'll be put to good use and it's absolutely biblical that we do this. So a one time amount, give that now. davidhernandezministries.com slash donate. And if you haven't done so already, become a monthly partner too. Sign up for a monthly automatic gift of $30, $15, $20. Do something monthly for the ministry as well. You can do all that by going to davidhernandezministries.com slash donate. One time or monthly, large or small, everything counts. I'm challenging you to give, live or on replay, fight the flesh. And if you enjoyed this teaching, you will love five signs that prove you have the Holy Spirit in that teaching. I take you through the scripture to show you some of the manifestations of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in your life that will indicate to you that truly you have the Holy Spirit.