3 Essential Shifts for Radical Spiritual Growth

When you begin to follow Jesus, everything changes. These three radical shifts will establish a spiritual growth pattern in your life that will propel you into the path of a strong follower.

Spiritual maturity takes time. It is important to remember this. You may not see much day to day but should see much year to year! It’s absurd to think that a new born baby would be walking in a few days, talking a couple weeks later and writing before their first birthday! Maturity is not instantaneous.

The continual practice of these three shifts will yield solid growth and marked progress towards spiritual maturity.

Shift One – Focus

Following Jesus means we shift our focus from ourselves to him. One of the most profound expressions of that shift of focus is worship.

There is something powerful that happens to us when we worship together. The fellowship and presence of God transforms us. We receive strength and power. We plant God’s word in our hearts. The expressions of worship and praise change us. Being in God’s presence is always transformational.

Shift Two – Habits

Before we followed Jesus, our habits reflected the desires we had to bring pleasure, satisfaction or contentment to our lives. Shifting habits means we do things that help us follow Jesus more effectively. These two habits are essential: prayer and Bible reading.

Prayer. Our communication with God is absolutely vital to our spiritual health and maturity. I have written many blog posts on prayer. Daily prayer and continual prayer and prayer with at least two or three others all contribute to our growth and maturity.

Daily Bible Reading and Study. Knowing God’s word changes us. When the word of God gets rooted in our hearts, we think and act differently. As God’s will is revealed to us in his word, we are changed. Our perceptions are altered and we are empowered to represent the kingdom of God on earth.

Elimination of bad habits. This can be hard because habits are things we do without thinking. This takes conscious effort. I have observed (and sometimes been guilty) of these four bad habits: staying up late Saturday night (which impairs your ability to worship on Sunday); bad language (ask yourself: do I see this kind of language in the Bible?); sin – no explanation needed; negative thought patterns (faith is powerful and positive).

Shift Three – Relationships

When you followed your own desires, your relationships reflected this. When you begin to follow Jesus, your relationships will change. However, it is tempting to cling to old comfortable relationships even when they are not healthy.

Therefore, you will find yourself in the shift of rebuilding relationships. Spiritual growth happens in the context of community. We must have healthy relationships with other followers of Jesus. This means we may have to redefine and realign other relationships. We cannot cut ourselves off from the world – they need our witness. The question you must ask yourself in evaluating relationships is: “Is __________ making me more worldly or am I making ____________ more like Jesus?”

Following Jesus will necessarily mean that some relationships fall away. Some of your friends and family will resist becoming more like Jesus and they will resist your desire to do so as well. However, Jesus will help you establish good and encouraging relationships with other followers.

Your Turn

Establish these three shifts in your life and if this has helped you, please pass it along. Leave your comments or email me. I would love to hear from you.