A few weeks ago, I came across this guide for spiritual growth posted on Rick Warren’s Pastors.com by Tobin Berry. He called the piece an A to Z guide to a purpose-driven life. Berry wrote, “If you are looking to grow deeper spiritually in the coming months, try one of the following next steps!”
- ASK God to help you find purpose. God created each of us with a unique purpose and gave us natural talents and spiritual gifts to help us fulfill that purpose. Saddleback Resources offers several good tools for discovering your unique S.H.A.P.E.
- BREATH Prayers. Just repeat short, heart-felt prayers, such as “You are my God,” “I love you Lord,” and “Thank You, Jesus.”
- COMMIT it all to God. Where do you start? Start with the one part of your life that came to your mind when you were asked to commit it all to God. The area you least want to give up is the area He most wants you to give up.
- DEVOTE your job to serving God. God cares about all areas of our lives. It could be that our jobs are the greatest opportunities we have to build relationships with others who need Christ in their lives.
- EXPRESS your worship by writing your prayer to God. I have discovered that writing gives me an outlet for framing my thoughts and expressing myself. Sometimes writing a prayer helps to clarify exactly what we are asking from the Lord.
- FOCUS on the relationships in your life. In his book, Concentric Circles of Concern: Seven Stages of Making Disciples, Oscar Thompson says that the most important word in the English language, apart from proper nouns, is the word “relationship.”
- GO deeper with a Christian friend. If you have a good Christian friend, you are truly blessed. Many go through life and never really have a close friend who is also a believer.
- HEAL broken relationships. This is often painful and humbling work, but hardly anything feels better than a relationship that has been mended in Christian love.
Part 2 & 3 coming….
