7 Habits to Develop Spiritual Growth

rejoicing-with-purpose-7-habits-to-develop-spiritual-growth

Do you want to grow in your relationship with God? Well, in this article, I’m sharing 7 habits to develop spiritual growth.

But did you know that the first step to spiritual growth is having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ?

God wants to have a close relationship with us as human beings and that was definitely His intention when He created the first humans, Adam and Eve.

He placed them in the Garden of Eden and commanded them to eat of every tree except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He further explained that they would die if they ate of the forbidden tree.

But Adam and Eve disobeyed God and they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

This disobedience led to spiritual death and they were separated from God.

The Bible tells us in Romans 5, that sin and death entered the world after Adam disobeyed God. So every human being that came after Adam is spiritually dead and separated from God.

If you’re spiritually dead then you can’t grow.

So if you really want to grow spiritually then you have to become spiritually alive.

How Do You Become Spiritually Alive?

You become spiritually alive by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit helps you to realize that you are a sinner who needs a Savior. And that Savior is Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He took your penalty by dying for your sins. And He freely gives eternal life to all those who believe that He died for their sins.

So the first step to spiritual growth is believing that Jesus Christ died for your sins and then accepting the free gift of eternal life.

When you believe this, the Holy Spirit comes to live in you and you become spiritually alive.

Would you like to be forgiven of your sins and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

If you said yes, say this prayer:

Dear Jesus,

I admit that I am a sinner. I believe that You died for my sins and that God raised You from the dead. Forgive me of all my sins; come into my heart today and live forever. Give me a home in Heaven when I die. Help me to obey you. Amen.

Now that you’re spiritually alive, let’s talk about spiritual growth.

What is Spiritual Growth?

Before we talk about the 7 habits to develop spiritual growth, let’s define “spiritual growth”.

It is the process of becoming more like Jesus. Remember it is a process so it will take time. It involves the development of your character so you can become more like God.

The fruit of the Spirit shows what the character of God is like and you can read more about it in Galatians 5:22-23. So if you want to know if you’re growing spiritually then your life should be marked by the fruit which includes:

Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-Control

When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you become a new creation. It’s like you’re a baby. So you need to develop and grow.

Spiritual habits help you to grow and become mature by taking incremental steps so you’re less likely to feel overwhelmed.

If you want to develop spiritually, the best way is to take small steps daily or weekly consistently, which will help you grow and become more like Jesus.

Here are 7 habits to develop spiritual growth that you can practise daily or weekly.

1) Praise and Worship God

Praise and worship help you to focus your mind on God instead of yourself or the cares of this world.

It involves the expression of gratitude, reverence and adoration of God. It helps you to remember who He is.

Praise usually involves thanksgiving and joyful declarations of God’s character. It may look like thanking Him for His provision and protection.

Or it may just be declarations like:

God is good all the time
God never fails
There is none like God
God is faithful
You wear the Victor’s crown

On the other hand, worship is an expression of reverence and adoration of God. And this usually flows from the acknowledgement or recognition of the holiness of God.

Worship may involve praise but it can take different forms such as:

Bowing down
Obeying God
Surrendering your plans to God
Allowing Him to be Lord of your life

Recommended Article: How to Have Quiet Time with God

2) Pray

The next habit is to pray which means that you talk with God. This will help you to develop a close relationship with Him.

Have you noticed that when you talk to your friends regularly, you develop a closer relationship with them?

Well, it’s the same thing with your relationship with God. Daily communication will help you to grow closer and to be more familiar with Him.

Here are some things you can include in your prayers:

Give thanks for God’s provision and protection
Confess your sins
Talk to the Lord about anything that makes you feel depressed or anxious
Ask the Lord for help to overcome sinful habits and addictions
Pray for your friends, family and coworkers
Ask Him to help you achieve your goals. Be specific.
Ask Him for the fruit of the Spirit

If you want to grow spiritually, ask the Lord to help you. He told us in James 4:2, that we don’t have the things we want because we did not ask for them. So remember to pray about your desire for spiritual growth.

3) Listen to God

Praying or talking with God is very important. But it is also important to listen to God.

As I grew in my walk with the Lord, I learnt that it’s a good practice to sit in silence and listen to what God is revealing to me.

So that’s my advice to you. Whenever you can, try to sit in silence after you have prayed. Sometimes the Lord will give you insight or revelation that will guide or help you.

You can also ask the Lord specific questions and then record the answers you receive in a journal.

4) Study the Word

The Bible is the written Word of God and it is sometimes referred to as “The Word”.

If you want to know what God is like, take some time to read the Bible and you will know His character, will and mind.

Remember spiritual growth is about becoming more like Jesus. So you have to know what He is like so you can emulate Him. And you learn what He is like by reading the Word.

You can even take it a step further by studying the Word. This will help you to have a deeper understanding of God and His will.

When you truly understand the Word, you will be more likely to apply it which will help you to grow spiritually.

The good thing is that there are simple ways to study the Bible so you can start right now in the comfort of your home.

You can begin by using the SOAP Method. SOAP is an acronym and each letter stands for the steps involved in the study method.

rejoicing-with-purpose-soap-Bible-study-method

The SOAP method of Bible study is a simple way to study the Bible. It helps you to move beyond merely reading the Word to pondering and meditating upon it.

As you ruminate on the Word, you will get a deeper understanding and you will realize that it is applicable.

One of the advantages of using this method is that you don’t need to know Greek or Hebrew.

The main items you need are:

A Bible
Notebook/Paper
Pens/Pencils

You can learn more about the SOAP Method by clicking here to watch this video.

Recommended Video: SOAP Method Bible Study

5) Apply the Word

Studying the Word will help you to have a deeper understanding of God and His will for you. You will get a clearer picture of what Jesus is like so you can emulate Him.

But it’s not enough to know what Jesus is like. If you want to be like Him then you have to apply the Word.

And you apply the Word by taking action.

James 1:22 tells us that we should not just merely listen to the word but we should do what it says.

Whenever you read a passage of the Bible, prayerfully ask God how you can apply His Word to your life.

Applying the Word also involves self-introspection. So take some time to evaluate your life to determine if you’re living according to the Word of God.

Check to see if you have sinned. And if you have, take some time to confess and ask the Lord to help you to turn away from sin and to walk according to His ways.

6) Fellowship with Other Believers

If you want to grow spiritually, it is important that you spend time with other Christians.

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 27:17 that “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

This helps us to understand why being around other believers is so important. The fellowship will help to strengthen and encourage you as you take this faith journey.

You will be surrounded by Christians who can help you to make wise decisions and encourage you to keep your eyes focused on Jesus.

The reality is that as human beings we are influenced by the persons who regularly associate with. In 1 Corinthians 15:33, the Bible tells us that “bad company corrupts good character”.

That’s why it’s important that you meet regularly with Christians so you can uplift, teach and strengthen each other. It’s also important that we meet and encourage each other. That’s what it says in Hebrews 10:24-25:

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Fellowshipping with other believers will also help to provide accountability. You may think that you are strong and that you can walk this faith journey alone. But there is strength in unity.

You’re more likely to give in to temptation when you’re alone. That’s why it’s important to be a part of a church and to have Christian friends who will check up on you regularly. They will encourage you and remind you why it’s important to keep trusting and obeying God.

7) Serve Regularly

The final habit on this list is to serve regularly.

Remember spiritual growth is about being more like Jesus. While Jesus was on earth, He served others which means He helped people.

As humans, we are naturally selfish but serving will help you to focus less on self and more on meeting the needs of others.

The good thing is that you already have gifts and abilities that you can use to help others. Here is a short list of gifts and abilities. Which ones can you use to help those around you?

Reading
Writing
Singing
Cooking
Baking
Hairstyling
Teaching
Dressmaking
Encouraging
Cleaning
Driving
Organizing

Here are a few ways you can use your abilities and talents to help others

Read the Bible to those who can’t read
Teach a child how to read
Encourage someone who is feeling sad or hopeless
Run errands for the elderly or sick
Comb someone’s hair
Bake or cook a meal for the elderly or sick
Help to clean your church
Help to organize at your church
Drive someone to church
Sing a song for someone who feels sad

Who can you help this week and how can you help him/her?

Takeaway

Salvation is a gift from God. There is nothing you can do to earn salvation. But if you want to develop spiritually and become mature in Christ, then you have to be intentional about your growth.

There are several habits that will help to accelerate your spiritual growth. Here is a reminder of 7 habits that will help you to grow in Christ.

1) Praise and Worship