Article: Spiritual Matrix

Article: Spiritual Matrix

Article: Spiritual Matrix

The scriptures Exodus 34:19; Numbers 3:12 (KJV), use a word that has become more commonly used today - promoted through television, magazines and other social mediums - as a result of the Hollywood blockbuster movie, of course the word I am referring to is 'Matrix'. A closer look at what this word really means, I believe, will give us insight into a concept that we all need to digest into our spiritual hearts and minds.

The word matrix, according to Webster's Dictionary, has its original definition as being 'something, inside which something else grows'. This definition gives us the root meaning of the word, which is 'a womb', the initial place that we begin our journey of growth and development. It is the place where we begin to take form, the place where we are nourished during the whole gestation period, until we are ready for the birth day. That birth day has a great spiritual significance. It is the first day that the new baby, a new life, is introduced to a new environment, one that it has never experienced before. For that new-born it is coming into a completely new world.

Growth is the Key

Allow me to take the process back a stage in order to gain a deeper spiritual insight into the gestation process. When we carefully consider the baby being carried in the matrix of the mother, we see one major factor that will dictate its birthing. If the baby does not grow then it will never break forth out of the matrix and be born. It is the issue of growth then that brings birth. Under normal circumstances the factor that indicates that it is time for the baby to be born is that it has outgrown its current environment of the womb. So now the baby is forced to change position and be birthed into a new dimension.

Let me take this further. Inside your mother's womb you were developing until you had outgrown that matrix resulting in you exiting and then entering the world. Now even though you as a baby left the initial physical matrix, you then entered a new environmental matrix, that of your parents or guardians. That new matrix consisted of the people who looked after you, protected and covered you while you were maturing. This environmental matrix continued until you outgrew the environmental matrix of your parents and became too mature to solely rely on mum and dad for everything.

After you have outgrown and exited the matrix of parental covering, you will now perhaps enter a new matrix of friends and colleagues at work, who of course will have some influence in how you as an individual grow and develop. Please understand also the fact that premature births can be dangerous. A baby that breaks forth early from its mother's matrix and enters this new matrix of the world is underdeveloped, sometimes not having fully developed lungs to cope with the air in this atmosphere. In the same way, if you try and break forth and deal with a new dimension of life, before you have properly outgrown where you currently are or have not developed, then there is a danger of failing. We must exit matrix number one through growth and development, before we can enter matrix number two and so on.

Storms of Life
There begins then a series of entering and exiting of each matrix that the journey of life brings. On this point I would state that this is often why we find some of our friendships becoming lifeless, often resulting in friends drifting apart. Do not be confused, as this is part of what we can call the relational matrix; this happens oftentimes to those who are trying to develop in their spiritual walk and therefore they begin to outgrow those past relationships. There are times also when life brings various kinds of storms, each storm and each trial becomes a matrix; you overcoming that particular storm is dependent on whether or not you outgrow your situation and break forth from it. Alternatively you can stay in the situation allowing it to shroud and envelope you forming a matrix that holds you back and stops you from moving on. Only you can stop yourself exiting each matrix by not outgrowing where you are.

As in the natural matrix, in the spiritual matrix of life we are currently living in a series of wombs; every situation life brings presents itself as something inside which we must further grow and develop, before we can break forth and move on.

Grow Up

In order for us to break forth and exit each matrix that life presents to us, as people of God we must be in constant pursuit of growth and development. The theme of personal growth is vitally important for the church to digest. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus and told them to grow (Ephesians 4:15); Apostle Peter wrote and told the church that through the pure spiritual milk of God's Word they would grow (I Peter 2:2). These men of God understood this important principle of the personal growth of the people. If the church is to grow corporately then it must begin with some degree of individual personal growth.

Let us now consider the kind of growth we are talking about, because to break out of a physical matrix, just like the newborn baby, there must be growth externally. However, most importantly as life brings with it each spiritual matrix, we must begin to grow internally if we are to exit each one and move to a different dimension.

When we read Luke 2:52 (NIV), through the example of The Lord Jesus, we are presented with the foundation principles to being able to break forth of every matrix that life brings to us. The scripture in Luke lays down for us what it was that saw Jesus through his life from the age of 12 (Luke 2:42), until at least the age of 30, which is when we next see Jesus being baptised by John in the Jordan River (Luke 3:21-23). This 18-year period from 12 to 30 begins with the writer telling us that Jesus grew in 'wisdom', 'stature' and in 'favour'.

Change Your Mind

The first two areas of growth mentioned, wisdom and stature, confirm the fact that Jesus grew and developed internally. It was this internal growth that brought with it the favour of God. This is the favour that enables us to break out of every matrix of life that we find ourselves in. Analysing the areas of wisdom and stature even more closely shows us that 'wisdom' and 'stature' point to the realm of one's mind. Therefore, the internal area that we really need to focus on growing and developing is the mind. Apostle Paul tells us that our spiritual transformation from where we are to where God wants us to be, comes through the renewing of the mind (Romans 12:2). Therefore each environmental matrix or spiritual matrix of life can only trap you and keep you back if you do not develop internally in your mind.

Many people today find themselves seemingly without progression, stuck inside the same matrix of life. You too may even feel that your gestation period for your situation should have been completed a long time ago. Well, whether it be the matrix of debt or the relational matrix of never finding right relationships, whatever it may be, if you are honest with yourself you may realise that the main reason for the stagnation, is that you are not yet grown or developed in your thinking. Therefore, your mind has not yet outgrown the situation you are in. For example, if a person is in debt they need to start growing and developing their mind by thinking carefully about how, why, where and what they spend their money on. Until they begin to think right they will remain trapped in that financial matrix called debt.

Inside Out
The mind of course is the seat of our thoughts; therefore we must grow and develop internally in the mind enabling us to think correctly, thereby outgrowing and exiting each situational matrix. The Word of God has already said a person's thinking will dictate what that person becomes (Proverbs 23:7). Storms and trials all come with life; each of those can be looked at as a matrix. However, when these storms occur, in our humanity we often begin to look at and focus on what is happening to us - external, as opposed to the more important point of focus, which is, what is happening in us - internal. Therefore, each trial then must be looked at as an opportunity for us to develop and to break forth to go to the next dimension. Each matrix is preparing us for the next. As we outgrow one and find ourselves in the next we are being developed for destiny.

The One
You and I, through God, have a destiny of success and prosperity, which is brought through his favour. However we must now begin to grow and develop internally in order to see this fulfilled. Remember that God is waiting to see who will outgrow each matrix that life brings. The question is, are you 'The One', or should he look for another?