How to Grow Spiritually

Make time to be with God.  Christianity is all about a relationship—Our relationship with God.  We must make sure that this relationship is the most important relationship we have.  In order to keep this relationship thriving, we must spend time with God learning about him, connecting, and growing closer. 

1. Read and reflect on the Bible:

The Bible is God’s word where we learn about God and Jesus.  But not only do we learn about God, God speaks to us through the words and the stories.  Reading and reflecting on the Bible is a conversation with God. It may seem like a foreign language at first.  The more you read, the more you will understand.  If you have a questions, check out some of the other resources.  

2. Pray:

Prayer is simply talking to God. You don’t have to use big fancy words. There are no right and wrong words. Just be yourself. Thank God for the good stuff. Pray for others in need. Pray for direction. Pray for your own concerns. There is no limit to prayer. You can pray with your eyes closed or open, while sitting or standing, kneeling or lying on your bed, anywhere, anytime. So make prayer a part of your life.

3. Find other ways you can connect with God and do them:

We are all made different.  Journaling may help one to process life and see how the Bible fits into life.  Through the beauty of God’s creation, another person may feel closer to God.  Other times, one might play praise music because the music and words combined help one cry out to God.  Others may draw a prayer or paint a picture as an offering to God.  Sharing your testimony with someone may connect us and them to God.  What else can you do in your time with God in order to draw closer to God?

We often think that our relationship with God is the only relationship we need to get close to Jesus.  However, God created us to live in community with other Christians.    God did not create us to walk through life alone, but with the help of other believers.  Growth does not happen outside of relationships.  Think of times in your life when you experienced great emotional or spiritual growth.  Most times we think of a person who helped us achieve this growth.  Her are some ways to connect

1. Attend Wesley Gatherings. The Bible encourages us to meet together regularly with other believers (Hebrews 10:25). This is also fundamental to spiritual growth. He uses other people to help us through a struggle or give us encouragement.  And he also uses us to speak and minister to others.  

2. Get a Spiritual Mentor.  A mentor is someone who will help you grow in life and your relationship with God.  This concept in the Bible is called discipleship. 

3. Be part of a Life Group. Life groups are our small groups which allow us to connect with other believers for encouragement and accountability.  The Bible tells us to “carry one another’s burdens.” Small groups are that place. 

Our relationship with God is not just about doing.  It is also about letting God change us and allowing God to be a part of every part of our lives.  Our finances, our relationships, our work…  So part of Christianity is listening to what God says in the prayer and Bible studies and obeying.  What part of you life do you need to allow God to be a part of?  Is it your finances and you need to start tithing?  Is it your relationship with someone?  I.e. living with someone but not married.  Is it your anger that needs to be directed in healthier ways?  What area of your life do you need God?  God often uses the difficult life circumstances to mold us into a new creations and give us the life He intended.  God does not necessarily cause the difficult life circumstances but he works with us to change our habits, thought processes so we can be healed from the hurt and freed from the bondage of sin.  Are you going through a difficult life circumstance that God needs to help you with?

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