Tag Archives: spiritual growth

September 21, 2026 · 5:45 AM

Confronting The Problem

Several years ago I took an assessment at work. It had some unflattering things to say about me on it. I made light of it and joked with the instructor on one of them. She said something back that hit a nerve and got me upset. I lost my cool in front of my peers. The instructor said, “Maybe it’s not wrong.” Now, on top of not liking what it said, I was upset that I lost my cool. I called my wife from my hotel room to tell her what it said and what happened. She simply,y asked, “Well, is it true?” I retorted back, “It doesn’t matter if it is!” She quietly said, “Maybe it does. Why don’t you take some time to figure it out.” I looked at everything and it was true. It turns out I was mad because the truth exposed something in me and I had a choice to confront the problem or the one who had delivered the message. I chose poorly during work, but that night, I chose to confront the problem.

In 2 Samuel 12 David was confronted by the prophet Nathan over his affair with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband to cover up his sin. The truth offends what he was doing behind closed doors was exposed. Instead of rejecting it, he said, “I have sinned against the Lord.” He didn’t try to make excuses, defend his actions or blame someone else. He then penned Psalm 51 where he asked God to forgive him. In verse 10 he wrote, “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me” (NLT). When the truth exposed him, he asked God to give him a new heart and spirit that was able to overcome temptation and sin that was pulling him away from a life that pleased God.

Proverbs 9:8 says, “Do not correct a scoffer [who foolishly ridicules and takes no responsibility for his error] or he will hate you; Correct a wise man [who learns from his error], and he will love you” (AMP). When God confronts something in you, do you take responsibility for your error and learn from it or do you try to justify it? God brings conviction so we can grow and be more like Jesus. When we push back on the truth that He brings, we push back on the things He wants to do in our lives. Wise people, like David, understand correction is part of the growth process that God has for us. It is beneficial for us to receive it and to learn from our error. What is God pointing out in you right now that He wants you to change? Instead of pushing back and confronting the truth, ask God to help you confront the problem so you can become more like Him.

Photo by Padli Pradana from Pexels.

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August 17, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Stir Up Your Gifts

When I became an adult, I learned how to use a charcoal grill. One of the things I learned pretty quickly on a long cook was that over time the grill would cool down, not because the coals were out, but because they were covered in ash. To rectify the situation, I would lift the grate with food off, stir up the coals and blow on them. Immediately, what looked dark and grey began to glow a bright orange and I could feel the heat. I would return the grate and continue cooking the food. I learned that trick from camping. Each morning m instead building a new fire, I just had to revive the embers from the night before with a stir and blowing on them. Soon the fire was back to what it was.

In 2 Timothy 1:6, Paul told Timothy, “This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you” (NLT). Paul was reminding Timothy what we all need to hear from time to time. You don’t need new gifts. You need to reignite the gifts God has already placed in you. Over time they get covered by pressure, lack of margin, distraction, discouragement and lack of use. We can stir them up, or fan them into flame, by returning to the secret place with God where He can breathe new life into them. We must clear away the clutter in our life that has caused them to be covered and stagnant. Then we add the fuel of using them with the opportunity God has in from of us today. Large flames always start as a small spark. We can’t expect God to use us in greater ways until we’ve been faithful where He has us today.

1Peter 4:10 says, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” God has already gifted you. How are you using them today to serve others? If you have used them in a while, it’s time to stir them up, breathe fresh air on them and fan them back into flame. Join a serve team, help a ministry in the church, lead a life group or find a way to serve the people you’re around on a daily basis. Knock the ash of life off of the coals that are hidden underneath by serving someone else. God has more for you to do with the gifts He’s already given you. It’s never too late to reactivate them. I believe God is stirring something in you right now and has people who need your gifts today. You don’t need new gift. You need to stir up the ones He’s already given you.

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June 30, 2026 · 5:51 AM

Sharpening Your Axe

I heard the story of two lumberjacks who decided to have a competition of who could cut down the most trees in a day. One went one way and the other a different way. After about an hour the first lumberjack noticed the other had quit chopping. He worked even harder and thought the second one was taking a break. About every hour the second one would stop chopping for about ten minutes throughout the day. At the end of the day the first one was excited to show off how much he had done. When they went to look at the second one’s trees, he had cut nearly double. The first one exclaimed, “How? You took a break every hour!” The second one replied, “I wasn’t taking a break each hour. I was sharpening my axe.”

Paul was Timothy’s mentor in the faith and ministry. We get some insight into that relationship in the two books written to encourage Timothy. Paul was teaching him how to sharpen his axe as a believer. In 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul encourages him to study the Word to show himself approved by God and so he could correctly explain the truth. In 2 Timothy 2:3 he’s encouraged to endure hardship and to not avoid it so that he can please the lord. Then in 2 Timothy 1:6 he’s encouraged to fan into flame his gifts. Paul understood that living in this world will dull our axe blade and that to be an effective Christian, we must constantly be sharpening ourselves.

Ecclesiastes 10:10 says, “Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed” (NLT). A dull blade still cuts, but it requires more strength and effort. Implementing daily spiritual disciplines will help keep you sharp and effective. To do that you need to study in the Bible, examine your heart, renew your mind, put God’s Word into practice and pray. Jesus provided examples of this by withdrawing from the crowd to be alone with God. When is the last time you stepped away to purposefully sharpen your axe? We must take time each day to sharpen our axe so we can be more effective for the Kingdom in a world that tries to dull it every day.

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June 25, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Open The Flow

During a drought one summer, my yard started to die. I began using the sprinkler in the evenings, and I moved it around every so often. Wherever I placed it, I would turn the water faucet on full blast in order to cover the most ground possible. Little by little, the grass began to turn green again. When I looked at my neighbor’s yards, many of them had started doing the same thing. I can honestly say that I didn’t see anyone watering their yards with the water barely turned on. Can you imagine how ineffective that would be? Yet some of us only open the flow of Jesus into our lives a little, and we wonder why we’re not growing.

When you accept Jesus as your savior, you are saved and begin your relationship with Him. However, you and I control the valve on how much we allow Him to influence our life. If we restrict the flow of Him into our life, not much is going to change in how we talk, act or live. We will remain in spiritual immaturity. Those who open the flow, will grow and be changed. The more of our life that we give Him access to, the more we become like Him. The more we move toward spiritual maturity. Our lives will bear the fruits of the Spirit as well. There are clear differences between those who restrict Jesus in their lives and those who don’t. Your spiritual life will always grow in proportion to the amount of influence you allow Jesus to have in it.

Colossians 1:10 says, “We pray that you would walk in the ways of true righteousness, pleasing God in every good thing you do. Then you’ll become fruit-bearing branches, yielding to his life, and maturing in the rich experience of knowing God in his fullness!” (TPT) God desires that each of us would yield all of our life to Him. When we do, we open ourselves up to His fullness. How much of your life have you yielded to Him? If you’re not bearing much fruit in your life or are not experiencing all He offers, surrender everything to Him. You’ve trusted Him with your eternity. Why wouldn’t you trust Him with this life? How He sees you has to become more important than how others see you. Open up the flow of His presence in your life and watch the growth take place.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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June 22, 2026 · 5:40 AM

Pruned For Greatness

I’ve been leading a group of men through “Good To Great In God’s Eyes” by Chip Ingram. The first line of the book is the same as it is in its counterpart by Jim Collins. It says, “Good is the enemy of great.” That line hits me hard every time I read it. I think of how many times I settle for good enough. I think of all the ways I’ve been okay with average instead of greatness. The book goes through ten things we can do to adopt great habits in our life that draw us closer to God. One of the things I’m learning through the process of this book is that I have to learn to say no to good things in order to say yes to great things. I also have to let go of some good things so I can make room for the great things.

In Matthew 19:16 a young man asks Jesus what good thing does he need to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus then tells him to keep the commandments, but this guy wants to know which ones specifically. Jesus names several and the guy gets excited. “‘I’ve obeyed all these commandments,’ the young man replied. ‘What else must I do?’” (NLT) Jesus then tells him to go and sell everything he has, to give the money to the poor and then to follow Him. That young man went away sad that day. He couldn’t let go of the good things in his life to embrace the great Jesus was offering him. We look down on this person every time we read this story, but he’s more often a mirror into our lives than not.

In John 15:2 Jesus said, “He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” Jesus is willing to cut off branches in our life that are bearing good fruit so He can produce great fruit. Pruning isn’t punishment. It’s designed to perfect us. It’s God cutting back something healthy for something holy. What good, healthy things are you holding onto that God wants to prune? Have you been settling for good when God wants to produce something great? Remember that good is the enemy of great. Don’t be like the young man and walk away satisfied with the fruit you’re bearing now when Jesus is asking you to let go and to trust and follow Him more closely.

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February 5, 2026 · 5:30 AM

Feed Your Soul

Brian Tracy, who is a leader in the field of sales, says, “Your outer world will always reflect your inner world.” He’s saying that no matter how much we try to mask what is going on inside of us, it will always find its way to the surface. It’s hard to produce positive results if you’re a mess inside. He believes you should work on your mental health first before you try to correct any outward behavior. Many people go through life trying to repair the fruit of the problem without trying to correct the root of the problem first. That’s a losing battle because the fruit will keep showing up until you deal with the root.

I believe the same thing is true of us spiritually. Many of us spend a ton of money and time addressing the physical aspect of our lives while neglecting the spiritual aspect. One of these will live forever, and one will turn back into dust. We must learn to feed our spirit by reading the Word of God, praying, going to church, having fellowship with other believers and exercising our faith. Imagine trying to run a marathon without hydrating or feeding your body. It would collapse, yet we try to do this to our soul all the time.

In Proverbs 4:23, Solomon wrote, “Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life” (TPT). How can you continue to care for the needs of others, being life for them when they need it, if you don’t take care of the well inside of you? You and I have a deep well of life giving water inside of us that God wants us to draw from so we can bless others, but we must learn to care for it and ourselves first. If you’re dry and empty inside, it’s difficult to pour out anything of substance to others. Feed your soul, then feed others.

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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August 19, 2025 · 5:30 AM

The Process Of Growth

The Chinese Bamboo tree is one of the most incredible trees on the planet. When a farmer plants the seeds in the ground, waters and fertilizes them every day, nothing happens. He can keep tending to the soil for a year and nothing will happen. If he keeps going, years two, three and four will pass to with nothing shooting up from the ground. Then in the fifth year, suddenly the stalks rise up to 90’ in the air in just six weeks time. For five years, the farmer must trust that roots are forming underground while he does the preparation above ground. His faithfulness is rewarded in “sudden growth” that actually has been going on for five years where he couldn’t see.

This the same growth process God uses in our lives. We see it many times in Scripture. Take David for example. He was a young shepherd boy around 16 years old when he was anointed King. It wasn’t until he was 30 that he actually became king. During those 14 years or so he faced giants, served in Saul’s court, fled for his life, lived in caves and in foreign lands as well as became the leader of a group of outcasts. David wasn’t ready for the coronation at 16 so God sent him through a growth process that was masked in intense trials. One day his men were about to turn on him, and the next he became king suddenly. What seemed like a dark period of his life was actually roots of faith growing in the unseen to prepare him for what was next.

Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in” (AMP). If you’ve been in an intense season of trials or you have been praying over a situation for what seems like an eternity, don’t give up. God is working in the unseen. At the right time, those seeds will sprout and come shooting out of the ground. If you’re waiting on God to fulfill his promise, don’t stop being faithful in your preparation. It can often feel like nothing is happening or that God is slow concerning His promises, but nothing could be further from the truth. God’s promises are on the other side of His processes.

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August 15, 2025 · 6:05 AM

Multifaceted Growth

By midsummer, all the plants I pruned in the winter have shoots going in every direction. The growth in all directions is a sign of health and life. When I see the greenery and the growth, I think of how God’s plan is for healthy things to grow. Our lives are no different. The Bible is full of verses about our growth as a sign of maturity and spiritual health. We each have unlimited growth potential in so many areas of our walk with Him. The parts that get pruned, fed and watered are the ones that will see growth. Just like my plants, it should be multifaceted extending in all directions that affects others.

Here are some Bible verses on the different areas of growth we need:

1. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Ephesians 4:16 NLT

2. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Colossians 2:7 NLT

3. But continue to grow and increase in God’s grace and intimacy with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May he receive all the glory both now and until the day eternity begins. Amen!

2 Peter 3:18 TPT

4. May the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow more and more and become as great as our love for you.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 GNT

5. For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord.

Romans 1:11 NLT

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August 8, 2025 · 6:06 AM

Seeking Spiritual Things

In John 6, Jesus fed the 5,000 before He and the disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee. When they returned, the crowd wanted another miracle as they referenced the manna in the wilderness. Jesus replied He was the Bread of Life. Like the woman at the well, they were looking for Jesus to satisfy their physical needs while He was offering to take care of their spiritual needs. Like them, we often prioritize the physical over the spiritual. Throughout Scripture God speaks to giving us spiritual things. He’s prioritizing the eternal over the physical. We then must learn to seek the spiritual things He offers us.

Here are some Bible verses on the spiritual blessings He offers:

1. All my words are clear and straightforward to everyone who possesses spiritual understanding. If you have an open mind, you will receive revelation-knowledge.

Proverbs 8:9 TPT

2. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

Romans 8:5 ESV

3. I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.

Ephesians 1:16-17 NLT

4. It is love, then, that you should strive for. Set your hearts on spiritual gifts, especially the gift of proclaiming God’s message.

1 Corinthians 14:1 GNT

5. Open my eyes [to spiritual truth] so that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.

Psalms 119:18 AMP

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July 30, 2025 · 5:40 AM

Creating Eremos

When was the last time you got alone and quiet without distractions? No phone, tablet, computer, TV, radio or people. With all the technological breakthroughs of the last century or so we have advanced in so many areas and made life better. However, with the invention of all these things, we have lost our ability to be alone. The quietest place on earth is at the Microsoft headquarters. The anechoic chamber has six layers of concrete and steel. It’s suspended by springs to eliminate ground vibrations and it’s fully padded with foam. It’s designed to absorb all sound. The problem is most people can’t stay in there for more than 30 minutes because it’s so unnatural to the modern person.

In Luke 5:16, and throughout the Gospels, it says, “But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray [in seclusion]” (AMP). The Greek word for wilderness that was used each time Jesus did this is eremos. We have translated it as wilderness, but it’s more than that. It’s not just a lonely, quiet place, it describes a place of encounter, formation and communion with God. It was a set apart place from all distractions where He could hear God’s voice without the noise from the world. In this eremos, He met God to get clarity and renewal. If He made it a point to find these places often in a less distracted and connected world, how much ,ore should we make time for it?

In Matthew 6:6 Jesus encouraged us to do the same by saying, “But when you pray, go into your most private room, close the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you.” We must find our own eremos where we can meet with God. It may not feel comfortable at first, but keep going to it. The goal isn’t external silence, but internal stillness. Jesus is inviting us into God’s presence where we can be still, know He is God, rest in His presence and find renewal for our soul. Creating your own eremos is critical to your spiritual growth and relationship with God.

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