Why Momentum Requires Maturity

It recently became clearer to me how maturity affects momentum.  As I read over some notes taken during a recent teaching shared by my good friend William Johnson, I began to reconsider various unmet personal goals from years gone by.  And as I pondered them, the Set Apart (Holy) Spirit began showing me how the maturity I lacked back then killed my momentum.  I lacked the necessary force to drive through the obstacles blocking my path.  Therefore, unable to plow through what stood in my way, I made no further progress towards reaching those goals.

Lately, my thoughts and energy have been consumed with what's next for me.  One of the pivotal statements William made that evening was, "Momentum is necessary for the assignment that lies ahead, because you can't be slowed down in the coming season."  Obstacles will indeed be faced in meeting the demands of assignments to come.  But this time, things must be different!  Immaturity cannot be given the opportunity to zap the zeal that comes with the excitement of starting something fresh.  I have, therefore, committed myself to ensuring that the momentum I start out with is not only sustained but intensifies according to the maturity by which I operate in my work.  In doing so, I am also committed to changing because that's ultimately what maturity requires.

When pursuing a different outcome, staying the same is no longer an option.  Change must occur, and it must be intentional.  And in order to possess the degree of momentum that drives through obstacles, there must be an intentional pursuit of holistic development.  This process of maturation requires personal change, which means I must be held accountable for building my own momentum.  After all, maturity is essentially the willingness to accept responsibility for your own success.  The mantra of maturity pretty much says, "I will not put the responsibility for MY change on someone else."

Building momentum starts with being burdened for change.  The slow down you may be experiencing is most likely due to you not changing.  And the reason why you're NOT changing is because you don't care enough.  The burden for change has yet to weigh heavily enough upon you to make something happen.  Yes, please understand that it's burdened people who make things happen.  They don't just watch stuff happen and talk about what they see.  They feel the weight of what they see and are inspired to change.  They're inspired to mature.  And like a seed fighting its way through the soil to the light above the surface, their momentum increases to bring the transformational development that makes seemingly impossible goals reachable.

Eliminating the Separation

In a moment of prayer a week or so ago, I heard my spirit man say, "May Heaven be brought to our attention.  Awaken in us the passion to make where we are a Heaven to go to Heaven from..." 

If you don't mind me asking, doesn't it seem like during the last few months of the year that unexpected deaths occur more frequently than usual?  Whether or not this is true, I have no idea what the numbers reveal.  But I do know that the fall/winter holiday season tends to make the emotional scarring of death more pronounced. 

As I was talking with Father in that aforementioned moment, it became more apparent to me that the key to overcoming the sting of death is the elimination of separation between the earthly realm and the heavenly realm.  What makes Heaven so near to us in our earthly state is the manifestation of Heaven's culture on Earth.  It's no different than if I lived in Tokyo, Japan.  Although I would physically be thousands of miles away from home, the separation is instantly eliminated when I hear American music, watch American films, and enjoy the aromas and tastes of American food.  In that moment, it doesn't matter that I'm way over in Tokyo because I am experiencing the culture of my home country right where I'm located.

Sadly, many of us experience a religion that EMPHASIZES the separation between the physical and spiritual realms as opposed to ELIMINATING it.  Believers are "longing for their heavenly home" instead of actively manifesting the heavenly culture where they are geographically located.  Death of our physical bodies should not be seen as a way of  escape from a life that is too often described as "hell on earth."  The cessation of life here should be viewed as a seamless transition from this realm to the next.

Therefore, be encouraged to make your existence here a Heaven to go to Heaven from.  Eliminate the separation between the physical and spiritual realm by experiencing Heaven's culture here as much as you can.  And no, that doesn't mean being at a church service every day of the week or even multiple times on Sundays.  It means you intentionally live in such a way that the activity of Heaven is welcomed into your life and free to manifest its distinguishable characteristics in your environment.  The fruit of the Spirit should be evident, and the gifts of the Spirit should flow freely.  Father's presence should be felt, and people should be able to discern that what they're experiencing (as they encounter you) MUST be what it's like to be in Heaven.  Once the separation is eliminated, then death loses its sting.