A heartfelt cry among sincere Christians is, “How can I grow spiritually?”  It seems axiomatic that communing with God in prayer, walking by the Holy Spirit, and investing time in the Bible will help one grow spiritually.  But are there other ways that God develops a person spiritually?  This post is part one of a four part series in ways that people grow spiritually.   This post will focus on investing time with God and the subsequent posts will examine other ways that God grows a person spiritually.

The Willow Creek Association Reveal study examined the spiritual formation practices of over 1,000 churches with a focus on best-practices.  They discovered that the  primary catalytic event for moving people forward in their journey of faith is biblical engagement.  This implies not simply getting people into the Bible when they’re in church, but helping them engage the Bible on their own outside of church.

Does your life reflect a God-consciousness?  As you face decisions in life do you bring them to God in prayer?  How would you characterize your daily walk – are you walking by the flesh or by the Spirit?  How is your time in God’s word?  In my post entitled How to hear from God – Part 1, I discuss the strategic use of the Navigator’s “Hand” illustration:

The Apostle Paul gives us helpful advice in his epistle to the Romans,

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.  (Romans 12:2)

We see two present tense imperatives in this verse.  The first is a command to stop allowing the world the squeeze you into its mold.  Then positively, we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.  The word transformed literally means to “to change into another form” (meta, implying change, and morphe, form).  The word μεταμορφόω (metamorphoō) only occurs four times in the Greek New Testament.  It conveys the idea of being transformed or transfigured.  This is the word that describes Jesus as he was transfigured before His disciples.

In what ways are you engaging with God’s word on a regular basis?  Be encouraged that God’s word can change you from the inside out.  Paul’s farewell address to the Ephesians reveals the benefits of God’s word,

And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.  (Acts 20:32)

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

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