How do you hear the voice of the Holy Spirit? How do you strengthen your spiritual gifts? How do you start or grow in ministry? What does one have to do in order to have a more effective prayer life, become a bolder witness, or overcome sin?
The answer to all of these questions really comes down to one thing: spiritual growth. When you grow spiritually, everything about you changes and improves. “A rising tide lifts all boats”, as they say. Now, it’s important that you remember that your growth is a work of the Holy Spirit. But His work requires your participation.
So what are the things one must do in order to grow spiritually? Well, though there are many things which can contribute to your spiritual growth, for the sake of simplicity, I will briefly focus on just three.
Here are three keys to spiritual growth:
#1 - The Word
But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. (Psalm 1:2-3, NLT)
Now, this may seem obvious, but it’s vital that you commit to knowing the Word of God. When you know the Word of God, you have a solid foundation upon which you can build your spiritual life. Now when I tell you that you need the Word, I don’t just mean that you need the verse of the day or a blog that you read online (Not even this blog is a substitute for receiving God’s Word.) I mean that you need to devote yourself to consuming chapters of the Bible at a time - from Genesis to Revelation. Know and live all of it.
Knowing the Word of God brings depth to your spiritual life, protects you from deception, gives power over temptation, clarifies the voice of the Holy Spirit, and strengthens your ability to stand strong in difficult seasons.
#2 - Prayer
Never stop praying. (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NLT)
Again, this may seem like an obvious key to spiritual growth, but you would be amazed at how many believers neglect these simple acts. Looking for quick growth and shortcuts, many leave these spiritual practices undone.
Prayer transforms your very being. It bends you toward the will of God and subjects the desires of the sin nature.
#3 - Fellowship
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. (Hebrews 10:25, NLT)
When you recognize that there is no power in a building but that there is power in our gathering, all excuses to not gather with fellow believers begin to crumble. Think about the fact that many have risked their lives just to gather with the saints. That should tell you how important it is. It’s a Biblical command.
When you connect with other believers, you are given accountability, encouragement, friendship, and so much more. Like embers all coming together, our gathering likewise stirs a fire.
Again, there are many other keys to spiritual growth, but by putting these basic keys into practice, you’ll begin to see growth in your spiritual life.