The Farmer's Patience; Planting, Nurturing, and Harvesting Divine Life | Jun 28, 2025 | PHB

Preparing His Bride | Jun 28, 2025 The Divine Life Within: Understanding Your True Spiritual Identity and Growth You must begin to look inward and recognize a fundamental truth: you are carrying something extraordinary within yourself. When you received Christ, you experienced a spiritual birth that was entirely different from your natural birth. You were not born of blood, flesh, or human will, but directly by God through His word. This means you carry within yourself the actual seed and nature of Christ—the same Word that created all things both visible and invisible. ## The Growth Process: Nature, Nurture, Culture Your spiritual development follows a clear pattern that can be understood as nature, nurture, and culture. First, you must recognize the divine nature that has been placed within you—this is the righteousness and holiness of God Himself. Second, this nature requires deliberate nurturing through consistent feeding on God's word, just as a newborn babe desperately desires milk for growth. Third, as you nurture this nature, it eventually becomes a culture—a way of life that naturally expresses the character of God. ## The Stages of Spiritual Maturity Your growth occurs in distinct stages, much like the progression through the tabernacle from the outer court to the holy place to the most holy place. You begin at a thirty-fold level of fruitfulness, advance to sixty-fold, and ultimately reach one hundred-fold maturity. Each stage requires different types of spiritual nourishment and the release of things that would hold you back from advancing to the next level. At the thirty-fold stage, certain immature behaviors may still linger. When transitioning to sixty-fold, critical things must be eliminated that would prevent further growth. The feeding plan changes at each level—what sustained you as a spiritual infant will not be sufficient for spiritual adulthood. You will inevitably face trials and testing as part of your growth process. These are not meant to destroy you but to refine you like gold in fire. The goldsmith does not remove the gold from the furnace until he can see his own reflection in the purified metal. Similarly, you will remain in the refining process until Christ's image is clearly reflected in your life. During these trials, remember that you are kept by the power of God. This isn't a one-time event but an ongoing process of salvation being worked out in your life. The same power that raised Christ from the dead dwells within you and preserves you through every difficulty. ## The Patience of a Farmer Spiritual maturity requires the patience of a farmer who plants seed, nurtures the crop, and waits for harvest time. Every farmer understands the importance of consistent care and the necessity of waiting for the proper season. You cannot rush this process, but you can be faithful in your part—consistently feeding on God's word and allowing the Holy Spirit to do His transforming work. When you engage with God's word, you must read for life, not merely for information. Many people read the Bible extensively but experience no transformation because they approach it as religious study rather than as spiritual nourishment. The word of God is spirit and life—it has the power to change your very essence when received with faith and hunger. As a newborn babe, you must develop a passionate desire for the pure milk of God's word. This isn't casual reading but desperate hunger for the life-giving substance that enables your growth. You must lay aside malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking that would contaminate your ability to receive nourishment. The goal of your spiritual journey is the complete transformation of your being from corruptible to incorruptible. This includes not just your spirit and soul, but ultimately your physical body as well. The incorruptible life within you is designed to overcome and transform every aspect of your humanity. You