Have you been around Christians who spend a lot of time trying to convince you how mature they are, how much they love God, or how much they have repented from "the stuff" in their lives? Our Lord Jesus Christ said...
True maturity, true love, true repentance is birthed from time with the Father.
John 7:28 ESV So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, "You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know.
John 8:28-29 ESV So Jesus said to them, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. (29) And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him."
In these Scriptures our Lord Jesus Christ revealed both His deity and that He was taught from the heavenly Father. He was also showing the importance of us having quality time with the Father, and that the Father is the source of our identity. “He spoke what the Father taught Him.” We learn through teaching or observation.
This type of learning requires interaction or quality fellowship. Quality fellowship is more than shaking someone's hand on Sunday morning in a quick greeting. Men, if you have been married for any amount of time you may have heard your wife share that she needed not just time in the living room where everyone was staring at a TV, but she desires face-to-face quality time. The same is true with the Father. He wants more than a group of Christians in a room together staring at whoever is on the platform. True quality fellowship takes face-to-face quality time.
FELLOWSHIP WITH THE FATHER:
When a believer takes time to fellowship with his heavenly Father, he will find his identity confirmed and endorsed in the Father. There will be a new confidence and boldness.
A Christian in deep fellowship with God will never stay the same. There will always be a change towards Christ-likeness in word, deed, and thought. When we change, we don't need to go about telling people we have changed - People will notice that themselves.
Though change may mean different things to different people, when embraced, it will always give glory to God. True change will never be a change until we change.