Most believers want to grow. We want to be more patient, more loving, more at peace, more like Jesus. But “grow spiritually” can sound vague, or it can turn into a checklist we never quite finish.
Scripture offers something better than a checklist. It shows us who makes us grow, what growth looks like, and how we take part.
Spiritual Growth Starts With God
“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
Philippians 1:6 NLT
Growth is God’s work before it’s ours. He began it, He continues it, and He will finish it. That frees us from treating growth as a project we have to manage on our own.
Jesus put our part this way:
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5 NLT
A branch doesn’t grow by straining. It grows by staying connected to the vine.
What Spiritual Growth Looks Like
Spiritual growth is becoming more like Jesus. Paul describes believers “growing in every way more and more like Christ” (Ephesians 4:15 NLT).
That growth shows up less in what we know than in how we live: how we respond when we’re criticized, how we treat people who can’t do anything for us, what we do with worry, and what we do when no one is watching. It’s the fruit of the Spirit taking root (Galatians 5:22–23).
(For more verses on growth, see Bible Verses About Spiritual Growth (opens in a new tab).)
What I Learned the Long Way
When I accepted Christ, some things changed right away. Then my growth seemed to level off. For well over a decade, I felt like I was on a plateau.
I was willing, and I was trying, but I was trying to become a better Christian on my own: working on what I thought needed work, when I thought it needed it, in my own strength. And willpower is finite.
What changed was learning that growth is a partnership, with God in the lead. As I’d put it now:
“Before, I was trying to change myself. Now I follow His lead with everything I’ve got, and He does the changing.”
Seven Ways We Take Part in Growing
These aren’t boxes to tick. They’re the ordinary ways God has given us to stay close to Him, and He uses them to grow us.
1. Stay connected to Jesus. Talk with Him through the day. Bring Him your thoughts, worries and decisions, not just your requests.
2. Feed on God’s Word.
“Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation.”
1 Peter 2:2 NLT
A little each day, read slowly and taken to heart, does more than a lot read quickly. (See How to Read the Bible (opens in a new tab).)
3. Pray honestly. Prayer isn’t a performance. Tell God what’s really going on, and ask for His help to grow where you’re struggling.
4. Obey what you already know.
“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”
James 1:22 NLT
Most of us know more than we live. Growth happens in the space between knowing and doing: the distance we call The Gap (opens in a new tab).
5. Grow with others. No one grows well alone. Find a church, a small group or a friend to walk with. “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24 NLT).
6. Let hard times grow you. James says that when troubles come, our endurance has a chance to grow (James 1:2–3). God doesn’t waste our struggles.
7. Give it time. Plants don’t grow overnight, and neither do we. “Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18 NLT): in grace, and over time.
When Growth Feels Slow
Growth is often invisible while it’s happening. You may not notice it until you look back and realize you responded differently than you would have a year ago.
“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
Galatians 6:9 NLT
Growth in Christ is never finished in this life. It’s walked out day by day, with persistence, and God is patient with us along the way.
Go Deeper
Why does growth last for some believers and not others? See What Actually Produces Lasting Spiritual Growth (opens in a new tab).
Growing, One Day at a Time
Spiritual growth happens as God’s Word reshapes how we think and live, in the ordinary moments of each day. At Renewing Your Mind Discipleship Ministry, we teach a simple way to engage God’s Word in those moments, in four parts. We call it The Process.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
