growth |grəʊθ| noun 1 [ mass noun ] the process of increasing in size: She made a plan to grow spiritually.
We had such an incredible time at Equipped by Faith recently with the beautifully authentic, Pastor Becky Hennesy (if you missed it, check out the link here!). As she was speaking, I was reminded of all of the spiritual mentors in my life, and how much I look up to each of them for their great faith while walking through hardships in life. Each of these mentors has a close relationship with God, and a strong spiritual foundation–but they were not always that way. Spiritual growth doesn’t just happen. You have to invest time and effort into it, and that takes intentionality on our part!
I grew up in a Christian home, but I began growing the most, spiritually, when I started reading and studying the Word of God for myself. I made a plan to read a certain portion of scripture in the morning, and then some another portion in the evening. I would plan out certain times in the day to pray, and even schedule alarms to remind myself to this day! Our lives get so busy and we have so much going on these days, we need to prioritize what is important to us.
Just like we plan our work week, our sleeping schedules and our eating habits–we should be planning and preparing for our spiritual growth! Joyce Meyer often speaks in her messages about how much time we spend getting ready each morning on our outward appearances, and how often we forget to get ready “spiritually”. I love this thought and how true it is to our lives! We would never leave the house without shoes or clothing–so why do we leave so often, spiritually unclothed?
“But grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ to Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity.” 2 Peter 3:18
As believers, we cannot just assume that spiritual growth will happen on its own. We need to take ownership of our own growth, and prepare to increase our spiritual capacity by feeding ourselves the nourishment we need to expand. The best ways to grow are by surrounding yourselves with spiritual friends and mentors, reading good books, getting into Bible studies, listening to worship music and podcasts, attending conferences and of course–reading the Bible for yourself!
If you don’t have yourself on a daily Bible reading plan, there are so many available for you. I have the YouVersion Bible App on my iPhone, and that has several reading plans available and sends me a “verse of the day” each afternoon. Don’t stress yourself out by thinking you need to read the whole Bible in a year. Just read a chapter or two each day, and try to stick with a plan that works for you! Pray about what book of the Bible would be good for you right now, and start there! There is no pressure when you’re growing spiritually. It’s all about your own personal walk with the Lord and spending time getting to know His character!
“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16
A lot of Christians will start reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and they’ll get lost and give up somewhere between Leviticus and Numbers (only 2-3 books in). I often suggest that new believers start by reading the New Testament first, and then going back to the Old Testament to see how God sets up our salvation through Christ. It really is a beautiful thing to see how intricately God’s plan plays out from the Old to the New–and His loving character never changes throughout it all!
I believe so strongly in the power of prayer and the influence of the Word of God on our lives. The Word of God is true and necessary for our spiritual growth. We can’t expect to grow and become mature believers if we are only being “fed” once a week! We need nourishment each and every day to become and stay strong!
“You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.” Hebrews 5:12
It is my prayer that every believer would read through the Bible at least once in their lifetime, and that we would know it in the very depths of our hearts. There is power in this truth, and it will bring you wisdom when you need it most!
“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you.” James 1:5
Let us grow in wisdom today by making a plan for our spiritual growth! Can’t wait to see and hear all that God is going to do in your hearts and lives!
XO-
Sabrina