Have you ever felt like you are living in a spiritual rut? Stuck, stagnant and not growing in your faith?

While spiritual growth is something every Christian expects in their life, the reality is that we all go through times where it doesn’t seem to be happening.

I’ve been there before and I suspect that many of you have as well. God seems distant, your prayers seem hollow and your faith seems stuck in routine and predictability. Everything about faith is sitting idle and you aren’t sure what to do. If this is how you feel what do you do? What is God saying and teaching you? How do you break through the barriers of stagnation?

Here are a few thoughts about spiritual growth that I hope will help you break through!

1) Realize growth is God’s plan too

God knows your situation and his plan is for you to grow. God’s goal for each one of us is to “all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13)

God’s desire for us is to grow, increasing in maturity. He wants to take every situation, relationship, and struggle and work it together for good.

2) Check your desire

True desire makes all the difference. In Matthew 5:6 Jesus says: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Spiritual hunger is when nothing in the world fascinates you as much as being near to God. Do you still feel that way about your Lord? [1]

The first step toward serious growth is desiring with all your being for more of God.

Push aside the distractions and activity and honestly ask yourself – how badly do I want to grow in Christ?

3) Make a realistic plan

After affirming your desire, set a goal – make a plan. What can you do today that will help you take steps towards growing in Christ? Be sure to start small, don’t try to conquer the whole Bible in the first week!

Growth often starts with small steps.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” (Luke 16:10)

4) Value the process

Many of us think that growth happens in huge spurts. We read a book, attend a seminar and our life is changed! But that’s not the way life often works. It’s the every day, small steps, tiny decisions we make that produce real growth. And the truth is we often don’t recognize the growth until time passes and we can look back and recognize where we have come. [3]

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18)

5) Don’t let discouragement set in!

We are only human. There will be times that, despite our greatest desire and real life plan, we will fall short. And that’s okay. It’s the only way to really grow.

King Solomon taught us “though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.” (Prov. 24:16) Standing on our feet again is the process through which we can grow and mature. If there are times that we realize that we have not been loyal to our goals, we must not give up. Instead, we gather our strength and try again. [2]

So how about you — are you ready to break through the barriers and grow your faith?

Growth Point:

Your faith doesn’t need to remain stagnant – growth can start today!

Scripture Point:

Reflect on 2 Peter 3:18. What does this verse mean to you?

Action Point:

Make a plan this week to begin the process of growing your faith. Start small with some purposed time of prayer, Bible reading and silence before the Lord.

[1] https://www.victorychurch.nu/articles/replacing_complacency_with_hunger_part_2

[2] http://www.aish.com/h/hh/e/prepare/3-Keys-to-Spiritual-Growth.html

[3] http://livingontheedge.org/read-blog/blog/2015/06/15/how-to-break-through-barriers-of-personal-stagnation

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