Keys for Spiritual Growth

This past Sunday two messages were preached at my church about spiritual growth, one by me and the other by our head pastor (at another campus). In my message I specifically covered the power of the Bible and promises for God’s people. In my head pastor’s message he covered how each person is unique and so our spiritual makeup is going to be unique. His message covered a very important point that not every person’s relationship with God is going to look the same. Some people experience deep connection through art, others through music, others through books, others through nature, etc. Some people like structure, while others prefer spontaneity.

My wife and I are great examples of this. I’m more of a structured person, whereas she likes to be free. When we first did our quiet times together, it was a bit messy. We were two different instruments used to two different melodies and couldn’t harmonize at all. I wrote a blog post about this: Making Music (Power of Marriages/Unity).

What it comes down to is that God wants a relationship with us. A lot of people struggle in reading the Bible because they read it like a textbook and not like words spoken by God directly to them. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, the Bible can seem like distant writings of the past along with self help instructions in how to live. But when we ask God to speak to us before we begin reading, and genuinely look for something to stand out to us, God will respond! Many days there will be simple revelations that will strengthen us, and then for some days there will be deep and powerful revelations that will cut us to the core. It’s just like having a relationship with your spouse. I talk with Sky everyday. Many days it’s normal communication: sweet and necessary. But for some days there is a really deep and powerful moment between us. Everyday is necessary and special. We want to connect everyday, even when we are really busy and our time together has to be short.

The same goes for prayer. God wants to connect with us. Sky would be annoyed if I tried to woo her like some guy I watched and studied on TV. She doesn’t want me to be someone else, she wants me to be me. She loves me for who I am. So I connect with her in my own way. And the same goes for God. Some of us connect better with him during specific times of the day. Some of us connect better through music, through journaling/writing poetry, through meditation, through fiery prayer/intercession, etc. Just like Sky doesn’t want me to be someone else, God doesn’t want us to be someone we aren’t. He made us uniquely, and He wants us to approach Him in our own unique, special way.

Here are a few sermons that will really help with your spiritual growth…

The first is: Give Me Jesus. I preached this at a campus ministry last month. I cover basic teaching on how to grow in prayer and in the Word and also share how the most important thing in life is a relationship with Jesus. He is what truly satisfies!

Next is my pastor’s sermon from this past Sunday: Expanding the Path to Spiritual Formation. He really covers how more important it is to assess our walk with God by how we are connecting with Him rather than the usual question, “How much do you pray/do your QT?” Prayer and QT are super important, but it’s our relationship with God that is more important that our spiritual disciplines. If we ever determine our maturity by our discipline rather than our relationship, we have fallen into religion.

Last, here is the sermon I preached from last Sunday: Promises for God’s People. Sorry there is no video! =)

For me, accountability really helped me grow with God (being challenged to read the Word and being held accountable for it). Don’t ever let the lie, “I’m not disciplined, so I’m not going to try” touch you. Philippians 4:13 is clear in saying we can do all things through Him who gives us strength. My wife is very spontaneous, but she keeps consistent with the Bible. One of the ways she does so is not looking at the internet until she has read the Bible that day. If you struggle with hunger or feel apathetic, then be honest with God about it! He wants a relationship with you! And as you talk with Him, make sure to ask Him for a greater hunger and thirst for Him. As you ask for hunger, He will give it you! He wants you to be hungry for Him, so He will be sure to respond.

God has so much in store for you! Blessings in your journey!