Spiritual growth is not a destination you arrive at — it is a direction you commit to. There is always more of God to know. There is always more love to give. There is always more of the old self to release and more of the new to inhabit.
Growth Is Not Linear
Anyone who has followed Jesus for more than a few years knows that spiritual growth does not follow a steady upward curve. It involves seasons of rapid breakthrough and seasons of seeming stagnation. It involves dark nights, dry spells, and the humbling discovery that a character flaw you thought was conquered is still alive and well.
These seasons are not failures. They are laboratories. The desert fathers and mothers of early Christianity understood that spiritual desolation often precedes the deepest growth — that what feels like abandonment is frequently a pruning (John 15:2) that prepares for greater fruitfulness later.
The Spiritual Disciplines
Spiritual disciplines are not ways of earning God's favor — they are ways of positioning yourself to receive the transformation that only God can produce. Dallas Willard described them as training, not trying: "We do not make ourselves more righteous by performing the disciplines. We place ourselves before God so that He can make us righteous."
Scripture
Reading, studying, meditating on, and memorizing Scripture is the single most documented practice among Christians who sustain genuine growth over decades. It does not require a theology degree. It requires consistency and honesty — bringing what you read into conversation with your real life.
Prayer
We discuss prayer extensively in our prayer resource, but here we simply note: prayer is not just a tool; it is the relational heart of the Christian life. No discipline substitutes for direct, unhurried communication with God.
Solitude and Silence
In an age of constant noise and stimulation, intentional quiet is countercultural and essential. Jesus regularly withdrew from crowds to be alone with the Father (Luke 5:16). Solitude is not escapism; it is the practice of prioritizing God's voice above all the others competing for your attention.
Fasting
Fasting — intentionally abstaining from food or other pleasures for a set period — trains the body's appetites and creates space for heightened spiritual awareness. Jesus assumed His followers would fast (Matthew 6:16 begins "When you fast," not "If you fast"). Like all disciplines, it is not magic; it is discipline.
Service
We grow when we give. Serving others — especially those who cannot repay us — breaks the self-centered patterns that spiritual pride loves to hide. It also puts us in proximity to suffering, which tends to accelerate empathy and deepen our dependence on God.
Growing Together
Spiritual growth is personal but never purely private. We are formed in community, in the friction and grace of real relationships. Accountability — having someone in your life who asks the hard questions and tells you the truth — is one of the most powerful accelerants of spiritual growth available.
Resources like the Navigators spiritual disciplines library provide structured frameworks for pursuing growth through classical Christian disciplines with community support.
Measuring Growth
The fruit of spiritual growth, according to Galatians 5:22-23, is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are not academic achievements; they are character transformations visible in daily life. The best measure of your spiritual growth is not how many chapters of the Bible you have read; it is how you treat difficult people on your worst days.
Press on. The journey is worth every step.
Continue reading: Prayer | Scripture Study | Discipleship