You made the most important decision of your life when you chose to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. At that moment you were born into God’s family, and you received everything you need to live the abundant Christian life. But that does not mean you are as spiritually mature as someone who has walked with Christ for many years. The Christian life is a process that begins with an act of faith and is lived by faith. What do you suppose would happen to a child who doesn’t grow properly in his physical body? In his emotional life? In his spiritual maturity? Just as physical life requires air, food, rest, and exercise, so does spiritual life require certain things for growth and development. This lesson deals with five principles of Christian growth. The first two, We must study God’s Word and We must pray, help us deepen our relationship with God. This could be called our vertical relationship. Through the Bible, God communicates to us; through prayer, we communicate with him. The next two principles, We must fellowship with other Christians and We must witness for Christ, help us reach out to others. This could be called our horizontal relationship. In fellowship, we communicate with other Christians about our Savior and the bond He gives us with one another. In witnessing, we communicate with non-Christians. We tell them about Jesus, what he has done for us, and what he desires to do for them. Principle five, We must obey God, is the core of the growth. As we obey him, we experience increasing joy, peace, and fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ and fellow believers. We also become increasingly more mature in our Christian walk. If you follow these principles, you can be sure that you will grow toward spiritual maturity in Christ.