Spiritual Growth - IVA

Spiritual Growth
Habits For Spiritual Growth – Part One

In our previous lesson we talked about goals for spiritual growth....
Behavioral goals - in which we seek to become like Jesus, emulating His character. Functional goals - in which we aim to determine and develop our abilities and functions
in the body of Christ.
Congregational goals - in which brethren unite in our aspirations to grow as a congregation as well as individual Christians.
To meet our goals requires the development of good habits.... Habits are stepping stones which ensure that we eventually meet our goals. Habits are things done on a frequent basis (daily, weekly, etc.) that slowly produce a certain effect -- Unless we establish good habits, bad habits will set in that hinder our spiritual growth!

What are some good habits that will help us meet our spiritual goals? Let's first consider a few that will help us meet our behavioral goals, what we might describe as behavioral habits. Bible reading: not just reading alone, but studying and making personal application. The Word of God is crucial to growing spiritually - 1 Pe 2:2 “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation”. David described the value of God's Word - Psa 19:7-11 “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” He also illustrated the blessedness and fortitude of one who meditated daily on the Word of God - Psa 1:1-3 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” The Christian who wants to grow spiritually must therefore develop the habit of daily
Bible reading, study and application. Such as reading through the Bible each year (about 3 chapters a day). Or perhaps the New Testament one year, the Old Testament the next -- By feeding upon God's Word daily, we receive the spiritual nourishment necessary to grow; have you developed the habit of daily Bible reading?

Praying: the practice of prayer is also required for spiritual growth. Through prayer we find mercy and grace to help - He 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Through prayer we find peace to guard our hearts - Ph 4:6-7 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The Christian must therefore continue steadfastly in prayer - Ro 12:12 “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Perhaps emulating the example of David - Psa 55:17 “Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.” And the custom of Daniel, who prayed three times daily - Dan 6:10 “When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” -- Just as we must listen to God daily through His Word, so we must talk to Him daily if we are to grow; have you developed the habit of praying regularly?

Singing: praising God in song is also conducive to spiritual growth. David, the man after God's own heart, developed the practice of praising God daily - Psa 104:33 “I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.”; 119:164 “Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules.” If we teach one another through songs, do we not also teach ourselves when we sing? - Co 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” The Christian should make singing a habit that is second nature to him or her. When happy, we should sing - Ja 5:13 “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.” In times of trial, we should sing - Ac 16:25 “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,” -- As we develop the habits of daily Bible reading and prayer, let us also develop the habit of singing praises to God daily if we seek to grow!

Assembling: assembling together with other Christians is very important - He 10:24-25 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” It is a means of stimulating one another to love and good works. We exhort one another in our service to Christ. Therefore Christians should make a strong habit of attending church. Attending as often as possible, for worship, Bible study, etc. The more we attend, the stronger the habit becomes; the less we attend, the
weaker the habit becomes. -- Christians who make it a habit to skip the assemblies struggle in their efforts to grow spiritually; no Christian has become stronger by neglecting the assembly!

The formation and exercise of such behavioral habits builds the foundation for solid spiritual growth that leads to maturity in Christ. Bible study, prayer, and singing bring us closer to God which can transform our character (cf. 2 Co 3:18). Assembling together brings us closer to one another, and provides the opportunity to develop our functional goals in the body of Christ. That leads us to our next point, in which we consider what I call functional habits. We will look into this in the next part of this lesson to follow.