Christianity 101: How To Grow Spiritually

It Starts With A Vision

What Do You Want?

Proverbs 29:18 says, Where there is no vision, the people perish. This, like many other Biblical truths, has been proven many times throughout the course of history. Yet, developing and pursuing a vision is practiced in so few of the lives of God’s people. If you have no spiritual vision or goal it is difficult to grow spiritually.

Even as Christians, many tend to live in the ‘here and now’ and do not think about the future until it happens upon them. The problem with this should be easy to recognize.

Let me say this as simply as I know how:

If you do not know where you want to go, then you do not have a very high chance of getting there.

If you had started the vacation with the destination in mind, not only could you go there, but you could spend some time there before you had to leave! 

Start With The End In Mind

This is why I feel it is so important to develop a vision and work hard to grow spiritually. You play a vital role in converting your vision into reality. Therefore, you need to first identify what your vision is.

Then you need to repeat it over and over again, share it with others, and pray daily for it to come to pass.

Let me say this from my heart: I believe you have the opportunity, potential, ability, and favor of God to reach beyond being a good Christian and become a great Christian.

I believe that God has put His hand upon you and brought you this far. You would not have come this far if God had not opened doors. God sends the people, resources, talent, and anointing that leads to success.

I have no doubt that God will be with you as you continue in your calling to love people and lift up the name of Jesus.

Will I begin a good thing and then not raise it up? 
Your time is near saith the Lord, rejoice and be glad. 
Leap for joy, for the Lord your God will do a new 
thing in your midst that will cause men to wonder 
and stand in awe at the moving of God.

My heart rejoices every time I think of such a great promise. I receive this word in the name of Jesus and say, “Do it, Lord!”

Forget The Hype, Let’s Go Deep!

How Far Do You Want To Go?

What if you could go further than the goosebumps, trembling knees, and chills running up and down your spine every time you are in the presence of the Holy Spirit?

What if you, personally, could press through the veil, enter into the throne room of heaven, and come face to face with the Almighty God?

Imagine what would happen if you did not stop worshiping when God revealed Himself to you and, instead, entered deep into the unfathomable power of the Holy Spirit.

What if you were so close to God that you did not have to wait for Him to speak to you, but He was always there, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week?

So many people believe that when the Holy Ghost sends a cold chill down their spine they can stop worshiping and praising God and just sit and bask in His glory.

Well, you can, but there is so much more than that. Why do we stop when we are only ankle deep when God is longing for us to jump head first into the deep end? Stopping short of God’s glory is not how you grow spiritually!

Spiritual Evaluation

First of all, let’s take a brief self-evaluation:

1. How much of your thinking revolves around you?
2. How do you handle conflict?
3. Can you withstand the temptations that once made you fall?
4. Are you quick to repent, forgive, and apologize?
5. Do you wrestle with assurance?

None of these come naturally. You must have a premeditated response to each conflict or temptation that could reveal itself to you.

If you have to stop and think about whether to succumb to the temptation or not, you will probably fall.

The best way to overcome these things is to have the answers set in your mind beforehand.

“No! I will not do these things. I will not think these things. Instead, I will live my life for the glory of God!”

The Journey Toward Spiritual Growth

Spiritual Growth: What Is It?

You’re here because you desire to grow spiritually. Not physical growth, but spiritual growth. To say you have grown spiritually does not mean you are a good singer, preacher, worshiper, or even that you speak in tongues.

In fact, spiritual growth is more about what is inside the person rather than an outward appearance or show.

Spiritual growth demands time. Time brings experience, and experience brings understanding.

Time + Experience + Understanding = Spiritual Growth

From a purely physical standpoint, maturity is the natural change that occurs in the body with age.

Aside from physical changes, maturity also has a psychological aspect which indicates that a person responds to a circumstance or environment in an appropriate way.

To be mature is to be aware of one’s surroundings and know how to act appropriately, according to the situation. Maturity demands the ability to respect the situation or environment more than one’s own self.

To grow spiritually is to move from chasing the world and selfish motives, to a fully surrendered, holy walk with God. It is moving from self-centered actions to God-centered actions.

Experiencing Spiritual Growth

We experience spiritual maturity as we choose to feed the spirit more and deny the flesh of its desires.

In the natural world, we accompany the growth of the body with the development of the mind. In the spiritual, time must be accompanied by instruction and training as well.

Here, we will learn how to put all of our faith in God and plunge ourselves deeper into His marvelous and wondrous power.

The way we achieve this awe-inspiring walk with God is by becoming spiritually mature. Becoming spiritually mature is growing up in Christ.

Much like we grow up physically, we must grow spiritually. The way we do this is by putting off worldly things and beginning to seek the things which are above. “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above…” (Colossians 3:1)

It is not always easy. Seeking spiritual growth is not natural. Our flesh does not like to be told no. Discipline, or lack thereof, is what causes most Christians today to remain spiritual babes. 

Making The Shift

How do we shift our thinking to spiritual things? Only through daily exposure to the Word, the Spirit, prayer, and worship.

You have to learn how to sanctify the secular.

Everyone lives in the world. We have to go to school, work, grocery stores, etc. You’re bound to see or hear something that is not of God. The only way to combat this is by putting God into those things.

Carry your bible around with you, talk to God constantly, and do whatever you have to do so that you’re not overwhelmed by this world.

To grow up spiritually is to become more righteous and upright before God. You must sin less, obey what God tells you, and become able to recognize sin and temptation before falling to it.

To be spiritually mature is to have the ability to handle every situation in a mature, Godly manner. You have to have the boldness and pride of a lion and the soft, humble spirit of a lamb.

But more importantly, have the wisdom to know which to be in your present situation. 

Spiritually mature people have the Fruits of the Spirit operating in their lives.

Fruit Salad For The Soul: Read More About The Importance of Spiritual Fruit

They do not just think they do. They actually do have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control actively working in their lives. You can see them operating in their lives.

Be Real With Yourself

How are you doing on that?

After we start breaking this down, you might find that you are not quite as mature as you originally thought. This is no joke. Spiritual growth is the real deal.

This kind of behavior is not easy to accomplish, and it certainly is not natural. 

Contrary to what you may believe, spiritual growth is not a measure of talent. It is purely a measure of your closeness to God and how you handle yourself daily.

It is not related to how well you can play music, sing, or preach. Your bible knowledge does not make you more, or less, spiritually mature.

You have probably met someone who can quote hundreds of different scriptures, but knowing them does not necessarily mean understanding them.

You may be the most talented person on earth, or maybe the least talented, but that does not mean a thing. Both can still become mature in the spirit. 

Becoming spiritually mature is a life-altering journey that can not be completed overnight. It takes time, but time alone is not enough. You must surrender yourself daily unto God for days, weeks, months, and even years- for the rest of your life.

The greatest part of growing spiritually is that there is no end. You will never wake up one morning and think, “Hey! I am completely spiritually mature now.”

It is an ongoing process in which you will grow closer and closer to God with each passing day. There is no limit to God’s power, mercy, and love. God is everlasting. 

The Enemy Of Growth

Unfortunately, there is an enemy to all of this growth we are talking about.

This is an enemy that you have run into before, and will most certainly run into again. In all probability, you will make contact with this enemy before you finish this book. Maybe even before you get into bed tonight.

This enemy is conflict.

However, this enemy can and must be defeated time and time again.

When you have to rely on someone else to help you make it through the tough times, there is an attachment made that is stronger than any other relationship.

It is the same with God. When we put our lives in His hands and allow Him to lead us through conflict, we create a bond that is stronger than any relationship under the sun. 

Moving Toward Spiritual Growth

Moving Means Changing

You can not grow in God without changing. God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to leave you the way you are.

How much change is taking place in your life? How much change is taking place in your home life? What about your bible reading, prayer time, and faith?

Christians all over the place are dying out. Why is that? Because they are not changing!  We can not remain the way we are.

Even if you have been saved and living for God for years, you should still be changing. You should still be growing in God. If you are not growing, you are dying! 

You can not consistently talk about spiritual growth and still allow the world to dictate how you act. You have got to understand that this is more than just talk. When you go out and live certain ways or act certain ways that are not in accordance with what God wants for your life, then walk around talking about spiritual maturity, it’s a joke!

You have got to live it. Moving means change, and change demands discipline. You have to grow up. In order to grow up you have to continually bring your bodies under subjection to the Lord, Jesus Christ. 

Spiritual Growth In 3 Simple Steps

The easiest way to explain how to become mature spiritually is by breaking it down into three simple steps.

1. Worship
2. Fellowship
3. Stewardship.

Although the steps may be simple, no one ever said they will be easy.

The effects of implementing these into your daily routine will be life-altering. If they do not completely change your speech, actions, and thoughts, you are not completely surrendering your life to God. 

Worship

The first step in spiritual growth is worship.

Worship is a personal relationship between you and God.

You can not have a relationship with someone until you know them personally, and you will never know God unless you talk with Him daily.

How would your relationship be with your husband or wife if you never saw or talked to them? It would be pretty shallow. There would be a lack of trust because you would not genuinely know him or her.

The same is true with God. It is all about worship. That is how you spend time with Him. He longs for you to walk with Him. It is the very reason you were put on the earth. 

Communicating with God is not showing up at church on Sundays or bringing Him your laundry list of needs, but it is talking and listening to what He has to say.

What Does The Bible Say About Love?

When I pray, I use the A.C.T.S System.

A.C.T.S stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplications.

Begin your prayers by expressing your devotion and adoration for God.

Next, confess your sins unto Him. Repent for everything that you have done wrong, and ask Him to wipe your slate clean.

Thirdly, come to God with thanksgiving. Praise Him for all that He has done and all that He has given you. I even praise God for all the things He is going to do in the future.

Conclusively, bring your supplications before the Lord. Tell Him about your needs and desires and He will hear you.

hen, I usually make it a habit to end up with another ‘A’ on the end, just because I love the adoration part, and so does He!

Fellowship

In short, fellowship is spending time with like-minded people and staying in constant communication with God.

It is vital that you attend worship services at your church. I understand that some people’s jobs do not allow them to attend every service, but there is no excuse for laying out for recreational purposes.

We wake up early to go to work, take off to go fishing and rearrange our schedules to attend ball games, but we can not find the time to go to church.

Jesus spoke about that kind of attitude. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21).

Make spending time with God and His people your treasure. We always seem to make time for the things we like to do.

God sees your sacrifices to make time for Him, and you will be rewarded. 

We all work together for the Kingdom. All Christians are part of the same body of Christ. 

When you fellowship, or spend time with God, you begin to appreciate Him.

How many lost people appreciate God? Not one- at least not really. They may say they do, but they can not fully appreciate Him because they are still lost.

Accepting His gift of salvation is the first sign of appreciating God. When we are first saved, we are plunged into appreciation mode. It is all we know. We were lost, God saved us, and we appreciate it!

We can fully appreciate what and who He is because now we understand exactly what we were saved from. 

Stewardship

Lastly, stewardship is the most substantial way to show your commitment.

I know what you are thinking, “Here’s the part where you tell me to dig deep into my wallet…” But you are wrong.

Although paying tithes and offerings are very important and required of God, it is not the most important part of stewardship.

No, the most paramount part of stewardship is serving in some capacity.

Serving God is an outward expression, to both God and other people, of where your heart is. Whether it be preaching God’s Word behind the pulpit, teaching a class, playing an instrument, or working behind the scenes, no work is more important than the other.

“For the body is not one member, but many” (1 Corinthians 12:14). Each member has an equally important job to ensure that the body functions properly. No matter what the job, no matter how significant it may seem. Remember, “…whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). 

Stewardship should not be a duty or a job. It should be a willing act. When we communicate with God, we fall in love with Him. When we fall in love with Him, we do not mind serving Him. In fact, we really want to do it! 

You Can Grow Spiritually

Let’s Get Real

Spiritual maturity is not unattainable.

Nor is it this idea to convince others to believe we are better than them, or have a closer relationship with God than they do.

We are just normal people. We endure trials and tribulations just like everyone else. We are Real People, with Real Love, who expect Real Change.

Let those words sink in for a moment… Real People, Real Love, Real Change. I challenge you to keep this in your thoughts for the rest of your life. This is how we influence other people. 

Real People

Be real. Nobody has any respect for false advertisement of character. Others can connect with you when they see that you are, in fact, a genuine human being who wants nothing more than to be pleasing unto God.

That is deep.

Clean out the facade, and show who you actually are in Christ. God knows your thoughts, actions, and desires. There is no point in trying to hide things from Him.

Dig down deep into the darkest part of your soul and pull out all the junk and secret sins. Present yourself, and stand humbly before God. Be real. 

Real Love

The definition of love is to have an intense feeling of deep affection for another. This is how you reach people!

How can you sincerely serve or support anyone if you do not have a bona fide adoration for God?

It is impossible to love someone completely until you have known the love of God. His love is unconditional; it is perfect.

Until you know God’s love, your love will always fall short. 

Real Change

Change: the desired result of our endeavor.

If you have been washed in the Blood of the Lamb then you realize that you must change how you live in order to please God. Our lives must be transformed so we can live in love, joy, and peace.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

We have been chosen to step out from the world, turn our backs on sin, and become new creatures in Christ Jesus.

How To Stop Sinning

Closing Thoughts

By now, you have undoubtedly found that there is much work to be done in striving to become spiritually mature.

It is a narrow road indeed, but the rewards outweigh the sacrifices by far.

Sacrificing yourself to God is not above and beyond the call of duty. In fact, the bible says to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

Is it too much for God to ask you to lay aside your worldly affairs and follow Him? I should think not.

Matthew 16:24 says to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus Christ.

He did, after all, send His one and only son, Jesus, to die on the cross for your sins. It was a substitutionary death. You and I were sinners. The Bible says that where sin is committed, something has to die.

“For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

It should have been you and me. Jesus died in our place. He saved our souls from an awful, burning hell. No, I do not think it is too much for God to ask us to live our lives for Him.