Spiritual Growth

By: Jenifer Metzger

Recently while listening to the Candace Cameron Bure Podcast, Candace and her co-host, Priscilla Shirer, were talking and something Priscilla said struck me.

Years ago Priscilla and her family were at the mall and headed up to the next level by way of the escalator. Her son, around five or six, was being mischievous and got on the down escalator and tried walking up. Of course, as a mom she was likely frustrated and maybe even a little worried about her son getting farther from her. He wasn't make much headway to getting up to where he needed to be, so finally she told him to ride it down and come up the correct side, the up side of the escalator. Finally, he just stopped. Stopped trying to go up. Which meant, he automatically went down.

The lesson Priscilla shared in this story, and the lesson that struck me is in this life if we don’t make effort to go up, we will go down. 

If we want to go up, if it is our desire to grow spiritually but yet we don't put some effort in and take some steps, we are automatically going to be declining in our spiritual growth because we are standing on something -a sinful world with an enemy after us- that's going down.

It is easy to show up at church on Sunday, maybe serve in a ministry, sing worship, say "amen" during the sermon, and shake the pastor's hand on the way out the door. It is easy to say a quick prayer before our meal. It's easy to "like" that image with a Scripture verse on social media. It is easy to do all the good things. But if we are not making effort to actually grow, we won't grow.

So how can we grow spiritually? What intentional steps can we take?

This book of instruction must not depart

from your mouth; you are to meditate on it

day and night so that you may carefully

observe everything written in it. For then you

will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.

Joshua1:8 CSB

Be in the Bible. The Bible isn't just an accessory for your church outfit. It isn't just a nice coffee table book. It is the very Word of God. It's His heart, His character, His plan for your life, His instruction, and His communication. We can't call ourselves a Christian if we aren't in the Word of God. We need to be reading it regularly and we need to be studying it regularly. We will never grow spiritually if we are not in the Bible.

Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks

in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 CSB

Pray. Prayer is our communication with the Creator. It doesn't have to be eloquent and we don't have to use big words. I can't tell you how many times my prayers are me sobbing to God so hard I wonder if He can understand my words -He can. Martin Luther even said, "To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing." That is how important prayer is to our spiritual life and growth. If we aren't praying, we will never grow spiritually.

And let us consider one another in order to

provoke love and good works, not neglecting

to gather together, as some are in the habit of

doing, but encouraging each other, and all

the more as you see the day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24-25 CSB

Go to church. Regularly attending church is important. We hear a word that God has given to our pastors, we worship corporately with other believers, we can be encouraged by others, and we have the opportunity to serve. Our souls long for the fellowship with other believers. Church attendance is something we should make a priority.

Therefore repent and turn back,

so that your sins may be wiped out,

Acts 3:19 CSB

Repent. We all sin. No one is perfect except Jesus Himself. Daily we fall short and we sin. The difference between unbelievers and believers is repentance. We need to repent of our sin and regularly ask God to bring to our mind any unrepented sin. Repenting isn't just saying "I'm sorry" and it certainly isn't a get-out-of-jail-free card to go back to the sin later on. It's being sorry, but it's also making a full turn away from the sin and striving to never do it again.

Like walking the wrong way on an escalator, sometimes our efforts to grow spiritually can seem to take far too long to reach where we want to be. But if we keep pressing in, we will make progress in our journey. But if we just stop working to growing spiritually, we will stay stagnant and eventually risk being pulled down with the sin of the world. Sister, don't let that happen. Be purposeful in growing spiritually.

Discussion:
1. Think over the last few months. Which of these areas do you need to work on right now?
2. Have you felt stagnant, like you aren't growing at all but desire to grow?