Made to Grow | January 30th, 2022

A sweet friend of mine knows how much I love plants and gave me a little flower pot with the word GROW etched on it. I didn’t waste any time filling it with dirt and a mini succulent to decorate my windowsill. With plenty of sunshine, water regularly added to its fertilized soil, and a bit of time, I had no doubt my plant would soon flourish and grow.

In life, it is necessary to take intentional steps to grow and not remain stagnant. We do this by taking up an interesting hobby, learning a new skill, reading to improve our vocabulary and knowledge, and connecting with different people so we can truly thrive. Like plants, we are made to grow simply because we are alive.

The same is true for our spiritual life. Once we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are given a desire to grow in our personal relationship with Him so we can be more like Him. When we become a new creation in Christ, we don’t stay stagnant or stuck in the way we used to live when we had no regard for Him. We grow to be more in the image of the One to whom we have given our heart. We take on His characteristics such as being more loving, kind, compassionate, forgiving, joyful, and self-controlled.

What steps can we take to GROW in our spiritual life?

G – Get on our knees. Prayer is one of the most important steps we can take to grow spiritually. As we share our deepest feelings, triumphs, struggles, and gratefulness with God while also listening for Him to speak to our heart, it brings us closer to Him and our relationship becomes more intimate over time.

The Hebrew word for worship is shachah meaning “to bow down” which is done from the kneeling position. Kneeling is a way to worship God which we can do while in prayer. When we kneel, we are displaying reverence, submission, and our deep awe of Him. He is the only One worthy of our worship. As holy and awesome as He is, He is not some far away Being in another galaxy. He is right there with us, acquainted with all of our ways, longing for a close, personal relationship because He created us and loves us beyond our comprehension! The more intimate our relationship becomes, the more natural it feels to kneel while communicating with Him in prayer.

Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. Psalm 95:6

R – Read our Bible. God’s Word provides everything we need for living out our purpose to bring Him glory. He fully equips us! There will always be hurdles to overcome, especially with an enemy who does not want us to succeed in fulfilling our God-given mission. That’s why it is important to grow in biblical knowledge and wisdom so we can have all the tools needed to fight on this battlefield where we are surrounded by continuous lies and confusion. Satan’s greatest weapon is our ignorance of God’s Word, so we take a giant step in our spiritual growth when we make time to read and study it every day.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

O – Obey God. Being a follower of Christ requires obedience. Our prideful self does not like to be told to obey, even when we know it’s for our own benefit. But obedience is one of the greatest actions we can take to grow spiritually. As we get to know God, it becomes easier to obey Him because we grow to love Him. And if we truly love Him, we can completely trust Him, a major step forward in our spiritual growth process.

God gives us perfect guidelines for living a life that is pleasing to Him which results in abundant blessing. We don’t have to guess how to live holy before Him. It’s all in His Word and we have the Holy Spirit to help us.

As Jesus said, if we love Him, we will obey Him by keeping His commands: “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” John 14:21

W – Wait on the Lord. The little succulent I planted is not going to grow instantly. It takes time. The same is true for our spiritual growth. It’s not immediate. God allows us to wait through different seasons of life which may include raging storms where we feel totally helpless in the midst of them. It is through those times that we must rely on God to teach us something we will be able to use in the future as we grow spiritually and become radiantly repurposed.

I love to write and often dreamed of being an author. But before I could write my first book, God was preparing me as I went through my greatest heartache to give me the words I’d need that would fill my book to help others. It took time to go through all the painful emotions I felt, but He got me to the other side of the storm where I could finally see the sun peak through again. Spiritual growth comes from the wait and we must learn to be patient as we seek His will if we want God’s perfect timing in our life.

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. Lamentations 3:25

Don’t let your spiritual life become stagnant. Take steps to grow by soaking up the sunshine through the warmth of an intimate relationship with Christ. Quench your thirst for knowledge through the wisdom of God’s Word. Fertilize your path of God’s leading with obedience for His greatest blessing. And wait on the Lord to experience a spiritual life that will beautifully flourish and grow in His perfect timing.

Kimberly Moore is a blogger, speaker, and author of Beauty in a Life Repurposed and Kingdom Sparkle. To learn more, visit her website at kingdomsparkle.com.

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