Christians looking to deepen their relationships with Christ should engage in spiritual practices intentionally and devotedly; this process is known as Christian spiritual formation (Dempsey & Earley 2018).
Spiritual disciplines include reading the Bible, praying, mediating and serving as examples. Such practices help maintain an ongoing connection with Jesus while bearing fruitful results.
1. Prayer
Prayer is a spiritual discipline that involves communing with God directly. It can be practiced individually or communally and may include various postures and gestures, spoken words, singing lyrics or written text; memorized or composed spontaneously prayers can even be chanted with or without musical accompaniment.
According to the Bible, prayer is defined as an act of casting our anxieties upon God (1 Peter 5:7), communicating our needs and thanking Him (Psalms 34:17) and seeking His assistance when times get difficult (2 Chronicles 7:14). Prayer can also serve as an opportunity to show love and gratitude towards our creator and become a tool for spiritual development as it helps us comprehend His love more completely.
Some Christians struggle with praying regularly and frequently, necessitating instruction on how to improve their prayer life. Praying can be challenging at first glance but by prioritizing spiritual practices such as praying regularly while building meaningful relationships believers can deepen their connection to Jesus.
Prayer is one of the cornerstones of Christian spiritual development, and an essential way for believers to connect together and address community needs. Prayer can bring about great personal transformation for individuals as well as communities at large. It is a biblical command and can bring life-altering results for believers who pray.
Tradition dictates that prayer be ended with the sign of the cross and an affirmative statement: “In Jesus’ Name, Amen.” Studies have suggested that praying for someone can speed their recovery more rapidly; although critics of such studies point out the issues with their methodology. Many believers incorporate intercessory prayer into daily activities for healing purposes – praying on behalf of loved ones around them.
2. Fasting
Christian spiritual growth and discipleship involve many disciplines that believers can integrate into their daily lives to stay close to God, drawing closer in relationship. By keeping God at the forefront, these practices help believers to remain grounded in faith while moving closer towards Him.
One such discipline is fasting. Though sometimes difficult, fasting has long been used by Christians as a way to grow closer to Jesus and hear His voice more clearly. Fasting allows believers to recognize both voices: their own as well as that of Holy Spirit that often confuse each other; fasting helps believers distinguish these two from each other while remaining focused on Scripture and word.
As part of their fast, it is crucial for followers to carefully consider the food and duration they will eat during their fast. Some individuals may opt to abstain entirely while others might drink liquids like water or fruit juice during this period. It is advisable for followers fasting longer than three or five days to seek medical advice as soon as possible.
Christians can fast individually or as part of a larger congregation. Churches or groups of churches may find it useful to call on members to fast and pray together during times of crisis, which can be especially effective.
Service can also be included as an important practice of spiritual growth. Serving at your church or in the community with an attitude of loving service toward God and His people can be an empowering form of spiritual practice – becoming more like Christ who willingly sacrificed Himself for the good of many – while using your spiritual gifts and bringing glory to God in return.
3. Study
Study is an integral component of Christian spiritual practice and involves engaging in various activities to explore, comprehend and understand a topic or idea. This could involve anything from reading Scripture, prayer and meditation sessions to attending church services and meeting spiritual mentors – the list goes on!
Study can involve more formal processes of receiving instruction from qualified individuals, such as spiritual direction or discipleship. Such relationships are commonly known as “soul companionship”, with trained soul companions providing guidance to fellow Christians as they deepen their relationship with Christ.
Though most pastors and church leaders engage in spiritual growth practices, nearly nine out of ten believe today’s churches are failing at discipling new and young believers effectively; even more strikingly, only eight percent think their own churches do an exceptional job of discipling new believers.
Though not often discussed among pastors and church leaders, spiritual formation remains a topic of significant interest – as evidenced by graduate school programs that include spiritual formation modules in their curricula. Furthermore, several evangelical Christian writers have explored this subject both academically and popularly, sparking growing recognition that Christianity is about becoming more like Christ than just believing Him. Dempsey and Earley (2018) refer to this process of spiritual formation as becoming conformed to Christ. While Christian discipleship provides one pathway towards this growth process, spiritual formation may occur independent of Christianity as an ongoing inner transformation process.
4. Fellowship
The Bible contains many “one another” passages which urge believers to support and uphold each other, sharing burdens and confessing sins to each other. Unfortunately, living out these commands alone can be hard; that’s why fellowship – gathering with other Christians for worship services, prayer meetings or learning opportunities – is so vitally important for Christian spiritual development.
When asked to describe what motivates their spiritual growth journeys, practicing Christians most frequently cite “a general desire to know Jesus or God better” (46%), followed by biblical instructions to become more like Christ (34%). Non-practicing Christians most commonly cite “a desire to be saved or healed” (30%) as their driving factor for seeking spiritual development.
Spiritual practitioners report being most successful when they form and maintain relationships with others who share similar spiritual practices, so that they can share both joys and hardships of their journey with like-minded Christians who can provide support as they try to grow closer to God. This support can be especially vital for people whose spiritual development presents greater difficulties.
At its core, spiritual disciplines can be defined in any number of ways. Activities that help us build better habits or become more aware of God’s presence or modify behaviors that impede growth can all qualify as spiritual disciplines – for instance if you tend to be pessimistic, developing greater gratitude could significantly alter your perspective.
Discipleship is an integral component of Christianity for millions around the world, yet its meaning seems to be shifting among practicing Christians; more are turning away from using discipleship in its traditional sense in favor of phrases such as “becoming Christlike” and “spiritual journey”, possibly prompting churches to shift away from conversion models towards discipleship transformation models.
5. Meditation
Meditation takes many forms, depending on the spiritual tradition that influences it. One type is mindfulness meditation in which a personal mantra (such as a word, sound or short phrase) is repeated to help focus your attention and reach a state of mental and emotional calmness – this technique may also be called mantra repetition. Other types may involve simply observing thoughts and feelings without judgement, while reading passages from Scripture or reflecting upon a biblical concept such as Jesus’ statement from Matthew 19:24: “it is easier for a camel to pass through than for someone wealthy to enter God’s Kingdom”.
Combine meditation with other activities, like walking and meditating while you stroll. Such practices will get your better value of your time than that of playing online games through Yoakim Bridge. By slowing your pace and concentrating on each leg and foot movement while repeating action words like “lifting”, “moving”, and “placing”, meditation becomes part of every step you take.
Meditation while listening to music or reading allows you to focus on the meaning and spiritual significance of what you’re listening or reading, reflecting upon its message or text, journalling about them or discussing them with a friend or pastor. Establishing any spiritual practice requires being consistent with reminders – for instance if writing sticky notes on your wall reminding yourself to meditate is helpful, set a time each day aside for practice so it becomes a part of daily routine – setting reminders aside will ensure they don’t get lost or covered up by routine daily habit!