Prayer to nurture our hearts for spiritual growth
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading:
“He made all nations out of one man, and they should live on the whole earth. And he marked their history and their appointed era on the boundaries of their lands.
Read or listen to the following:
Have you ever met a god who has influenced and transformed your life, or have you ever had one or more experiences that have caused spiritual growth? Sharing our personal spiritual experiences with others helps us to encourage God to love them, be interested in our lives, and help us.
But for some, hearing people who have not experienced personal encounters with God can see feelings of disappointment and marginalised as if God is somewhere else and alone.
Four ways to develop spiritual growth
For those who want to have a more personal connection with God, these are four ways to nurture our minds for spiritual growth.
1. Seek God.
God wants us to let him know that he is nearby and to reach out to us. If so, we can find him. Isaiah 55:6 says, “Look for Him while He is discovered; Call Him while you are nearby.” Psalm sal 105:4 also encourages you to “turn to the Lord and His powers; always seek His face.”
Rather than seeking God as the Bible encourages, some Christians wait for them to surprise them by believing that it is all that God appears in life without asking him and connects with them, and not understanding that God has already given us to connect with us through Jesus.
2. Read the Bible.
Reading God’s Word is the most important way to connect with him personally and grow spiritually. We should not read it ourselves and rely on someone else to tell us what it means, or ask anyone else that we read it to us. 2 Timothy 3:16 states, “All Scriptures are brought to life to God, and are useful in teaching, responsibilities, revising and training in righteousness.”
There’s nothing we do more than reading his words. By reading it, we not only come to know who God is, but we also speak personally through it in ways that soften and transform our hearts and hearts to hear him.
3. Tell the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus left the earth, as John 14:26 explains, God taught us helpers.
God has given us such incredible companions to the Holy Spirit. “But when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will lead you to all the truth. He will not speak for himself.
4. I pray.
Praying is a personal connection to God by talking to him and spending time with him. When we pray and see his answer, we find that he is listening to us. Isaiah 65:24 explains how careful God is to answer our prayers. “Before they call, I will answer. I will listen while they still speak.” Similarly, 1 John 5:14 states, “This is the confidence that we are in coming to God. When we ask anything according to his will, he will hear our voice.”
Let’s pray:
As Hosea 10:12 urges, help us to ask you daily by plowing the hard fallow land of our hearts, reading your words, asking the Holy Spirit to teach us, and spending time praying with you. We nurture our hearts and grow spiritually in our relationship with you. Help us every day to apply our words to our lives. Soften our hearts and become sensitive to the main teachings of Your Holy Spirit. Give us a heart that loves to spend time with you in prayer. Thank you for encouraging us at Matthew 7:7. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
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Lynette Kittle is married to four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships and life. Her writings have been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, Kirkcameron.com, ungrind.org, startmarriageright.com and more. She holds a Masters degree in Communications from Regent University and is an associate producer at Soul Check TV.
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