Essential Elements of Spiritual Development

You may have heard the phrase, “God loves you just as you are, but doesn’t want you to stay that way.” If you are interested in spiritual development, you want to grow and thrive in the best life God has for you. You can benefit from a Christian counselor’s guidance as you develop your spiritual life.

The Elements of Spiritual Development

In the Christian life, the Holy Spirit works in you to help you become more like Christ every day. If you feel stunted in your spiritual growth, a journey of spiritual development can help you grow deeper and further in faith. Several scriptures address growing in Christ. One portion of Colossians sums this up in two short verses:

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 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 2:6-7

As this passage explains, you first accept Jesus as your Lord when you become a Christian. This means he sets the rules for your life, and your primary job is to follow him in everything. As a plant sets roots down into the soil for nourishment, so you will seek sustenance from your time with God.

By doing this, you will flourish in faith. Your life must be built on the principles of God’s Word and the examples of Jesus in the Gospel accounts. The apostle Paul promises that if you apply these concepts, your faith will grow strong and you will live a life of gratitude.

This is just one example of a process of spiritual development.

Intentional Living

So, prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. – 1 Peter 1:13

Paul is saying that your response to the Good News of the Gospel should be proactive. The spiritual fruit of self-control can help you live a life pleasing to God. The Christian life is a life of hope, which you must put on daily. This hope gives you a heavenly perspective rather than an earthly perspective.

Obedience

So, you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. – 1 Peter 1:14

As Christians, we are meant to be different from the world. Our obedience demonstrates our love for God, and it shows that we are following Jesus as Lord. Paul encourages us to live holy lives that are pleasing to God rather than ourselves. We know right from wrong since the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts. He will empower us to live a life of obedience.

Holiness

But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:15-16

God’s holiness means that he is without sin. Since we are all sinful, we cannot attain that kind of holiness apart from Jesus’ sacrifice. When Paul urges us to live holy lives, he is saying that we need to strive to live lives that are set apart for God’s glory. Our lives should be so different from the world that the lost can easily tell the difference.

Fearing God

And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So, you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.” – 1 Peter 1:17

God accepts all who are willing to receive him, regardless of status. But he takes each one of our lives seriously, closely watching over the way we live. Are we deeply committed to him? A journey of spiritual development will reveal this. If you hold God in high regard, you will want to live a life of integrity that pleases him.

Valuing Your Life

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days, he has been revealed for your sake. – 1 Peter 1:18-20

The reason your heavenly Father cares so much about your Christian life is that he paid for it with the blood of his Son, Jesus Christ. He redeemed you from the slavery of sin through the sacrifice of his sinless Son. This truth can move you to praise God for choosing you as his own. It can also help you value your life in a new way since God chose you for redemption long before you were born.

Trust, Faith, and Hope in God

Through Christ, you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. – 1 Peter 1:21

When you learn about God’s character by studying the Bible, your trust in him will grow. Your Christian faith and hope for the future rests on the fact that Jesus conquered death once and for all at his resurrection.

Loving Others

You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. – 1 Peter 1:22

The Christian life was never meant to be lived in isolation. You are an important member of the body of Christ, which is the worldwide Church. By engaging in Christian community, you can both give and receive love the way that Jesus did.

Focusing on Heaven

For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. – 1 Peter 1:23

We must always hold our earthly lives loosely because this earth is not our permanent home. God wants us to focus on the realities of heaven, where we will see him face to face and live in eternal peace with our Christian brothers and sisters. Our hope of heaven is the crowning jewel in our journey of spiritual development.

The Process of Growing Spiritually

As you can see from the Scriptural examples, spiritual development is a process. You may need someone to guide you along this process of growth. A caring Christian counselor is trained to help you grow spiritually.

Your counselor will help you make a map of your walk with God. Each part of your personal story holds a potential for spiritual growth that you may not have recognized before. Through counseling, you can discover how God has been working in your life and learn what he wants you to do next. Your counselor will also address problem areas that may be hindering growth.

When you become a believer, you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, plus spiritual gifts unique to you. Through testing, your counselor will help you learn which gifts the Holy Spirit has equipped in you to use for the greater good in your local church. By putting these gifts into practice, you will have practical opportunities for spiritual development.

As you practice the spiritual disciplines including prayer, Bible study, meditation, and worship, you will grow in faith. Your counselor can coach you in areas where you want to go deeper. To start your journey of spiritual development with a counselor’s guidance, contact Encinitas Christian Counseling today to set up an initial visit.