Spiritual Growth Keys: Desire

Spiritual keys are pathways for spiritual growth and maturity. As we use specific spiritual keys in the Kingdom of God, we unlock doors that grant access to a deeper life in Christ and greater possibilities for discipleship. These keys release spiritual qualities that can be cultivated into attitudes and lifestyles. It is as if God's eyes are searching throughout the earth, looking for these qualities in disciples so they can proceed unto greater growth and maturity. Desire is one of these keys.

Spiritual Growth Keys: Surrender

Spiritual keys are pathways for spiritual growth and maturity. As we use specific spiritual keys in the Kingdom of God, we unlock doors that grant access to a deeper life in Christ and greater possibilities for discipleship. These keys release spiritual qualities that can be cultivated into attitudes and lifestyles. It is as if God's eyes are searching throughout the earth, looking for these qualities in disciples so they can proceed unto greater growth and maturity. Surrender is one of these keys.

Spiritual Growth Keys: Openness

Spiritual keys are pathways for spiritual growth and maturity. As we use specific spiritual keys in the Kingdom of God, we unlock doors that grant access to a deeper life in Christ and greater possibilities for discipleship. These keys release spiritual qualities that can be cultivated into attitudes and lifestyles. It is as if God's eyes are searching throughout the earth, looking for these qualities in disciples so they can proceed unto greater growth and maturity. Openness is one of these keys.

Spiritual Growth Keys: Willingness

Spiritual keys are factors for spiritual growth and pathways to maturity. As we use specific spiritual keys in the Kingdom of God, we unlock doors that grant access to a deeper life in Christ and greater possibilities for discipleship. These keys release spiritual qualities that can be cultivated into lifestyles and attitudes. It is as if God's eyes are searching throughout the earth, looking for these qualities in his disciples so they can proceed unto greater growth and maturity. Willingness is one of these keys.

Abiding: Tarrying in God's Presence

Tarrying in God's presence is another aspect of the abiding which takes us closer to God. As we tarry, we have the opportunity to more easily encounter God's presence. This is an occasion when a follower of Jesus encounters the Living God in such a way that we linger in God's presence, enjoying the Person of God.

Abiding: Abiding in Jesus Keeps Us from Sinning

Ever thought about when you sin? Find a moment in your life when you sinned. Got one? Now think about your connection to Jesus. When you sinned, your connection with Jesus was broken; you were not abiding in him. Every time we sin, we chose to break connection with Jesus. But when we refrain from sinning, it is because we remain in connection with Jesus.

Abiding: Abiding in God's Word

God's Word, Christian Scripture, is one of God's greatest gifts to followers of Jesus. In God's Word, we discover who God is in character, personality, and activity. Further, God's Word is a source of spiritual life for those who meditate on it. They are like a tree planted by streams of water, which have a constant source of spiritual life.

Abiding: Abiding in Jesus

Abiding in Jesus is one of the most important concepts for living in a close, personal relationship with Jesus. Without an abiding relationship in Jesus, we live a fragmented faith life and Jesus does not integrate our daily living. Jesus wants us to abide in him so that our friendship grows deeper and our life is filled with greater fulfillment and purpose.

The Correlation Between Fasting and New Works of God

Fasting is an extremely powerful spiritual practice for followers of Jesus. Fasting opens the door for new works of God that could only be accomplished through fasting, and by no other way. Fasting can sometimes be a difficult process - physically, emotionally and spiritually - but the works that God establishes are far worth the strenuous effort fasting entails. Scripture reveals an interesting correlation between fasting and new works of God. Let us explore some of these correlations and how some new works of God in our own lives can only be birthed through fasting.

Biblical Basis for Fasting - The Basics of Fasting

The practice of fasting is one of the most powerful spiritual practices, when combined with prayer. Fasting creates a space for God to work in our lives in a way that is different than other practices. When we fast, we are abstaining from natural food to feed on spiritual food, the Word of God. Fasting creates a special dependence on God that draws us closer to God. We learn the greater depth of our humanity and how dependent we are on food, but moreover how much more we are dependent on God. Let us examine the biblical basis for fasting.

How to Practically Fast - The Basics of Fasting

For various reasons, fasting seems to be lost in the western Church. We generally do not know how to practically fast nor incorporate fasting into our common life. What follows is a practical guide on how to fast. The goal is to equip followers of Jesus to know how to fast so that they can actually do it. Fasting is a powerful spiritual practice that has the ability to draw us near to God and make more spiritual impact than most any other spiritual practice, when combined with prayer.

Reflections on a 10-day Fast

I do not usually talk about my fasting experiences, but I feel led to write a reflection about a 10-day fast I completed last month. The goal of this reflection is to encourage the body of Christ to the practice of fasting, which has largely been lost and forgotten in the West, and to bring glory to Jesus through this work of grace. Journey with me as I recount this fast.

Guarding Against the Devil: Baited Thoughts

Not every thought we have is our own. The devil has the ability to place thoughts in our mind that can have great influence over our whole being if we are not careful. He wants to slip thoughts into our minds undetected so we assume they are our own thoughts. Often the thoughts the devil sends are accusing, shaming, tempting, and spiritually enslaving. These baited thoughts then lead us down a trail of thoughts that takes us deeper and deeper into darkness. The devil wants nothing more than to keep you in bondage to himself by the thoughts he places in your mind which deceive and keep you from the truth of Jesus and who you are as a child of God. We must begin to recognize these "baited thoughts" so we do not take the bait and get hooked into the devil's snare.

10 Pitfalls for a Praying Life

Most followers of Jesus want to pray. We have a desire to spend time with God and be in God's presence. But on our journey of prayer, there are pitfalls that often keep us from a praying life. Naming pitfalls empowers us to recognize what derails us from a praying life and empowers us to take corrective measures as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit. Let us examine 10 pitfalls and possible responses we can take to cultivate a life of prayer.

10 Reasons to Become a Person of Prayer

Becoming a person of prayer is a journey the Holy Spirit initiates and authors. It is a process the Holy Spirit works out in our hearts and lives as we ask, seek and apply. A person who says, "Of course I pray, I'm a Christian," and does not yet spend consistent with God seeking God's face is not really a person of prayer. A person of prayer is someone whose life is saturated with a desire to pray, so much so that prayer seeps into every aspect of their lives. They consistently meet with God each day to pursue God's face, are often passionate worshipers, and love to pray with others for Kingdom initiatives. Let us explore 10 reasons why anyone who follows Jesus should become a person of prayer.

When You Don't Feel Like Praying

Prayer is vital to the life of a follower of Jesus because prayer connects us with the Living God. Without prayer, it is like being a branch no longer connected to a tree. We lose our abiding with Jesus and our communications with the Holy Spirit are interrupted. We know these things. They are basic and central to prayer. But there are seasons in our lives when we do not feel like praying. Let us recognize some reasons why we do not feel like praying and reflect on possible responses.

Trading Your "Cows" for Kingdom Beans

If you are not familiar with the story of Jack and the Bean Stalk... Jack is a poor boy who lives with his widowed mother. They are farmers, who own very little. Their only valuable possession is their cow. Over time, their situation becomes very worse and worse, so the mother sends Jack to town to trade the cow for much needed money. On the way to town, a stranger approaches Jack and offers to trade some magic beans for the cow. Curious and trusting of the stranger, Jack agrees to the trade. 

Praying the Fruits of the Spirit

The fruits of the Spirit are an important outworking of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who follow Jesus. These fruits include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). For us to cultivate these fruits in our lives, we must take an active role with the Holy Spirit by means of prayer, intentionality and partnership (to name a few). If we are to follow Jesus, these nine fruits are essential indicators of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Guarding Against the Devil: Shame

One of Satan's greatest tactics is the use of shame. Shame is an extremely powerful emotion that can render us immobilized. Shame generates fear of relationships. Shame causes us to hide. We hide from ourselves, others and especially God. But shame is a lie. Shame tells us we cannot accept ourselves, that we cannot be accepted by others and we especially cannot be accepted by God. Shame says, You did what?! That happened to you?! If Satan can wrap our hearts and lives in shame, we can become his captives. But there is hope. There is an antidote to shame. And I believe the antidote is acceptance. Acceptance of ourselves. Acceptance from others. And most importantly, acceptance from God. Let us examine Scripture and Satan's tactics of shame more fully.

Heart Work for Answered Prayer

God loves to answer the prayers of His people. He enjoys blessing those who call on His name. But sometimes our prayers can be hindered or not answered because of the condition of our heart. Scripture calls us as followers of Jesus to do heart work with the Holy Spirit for our prayers to be answered. Please note: there are many other factors that hinder prayer; these are just a few that pertain to our heart. And remember, God is sovereign and can choose to answer prayer above and beyond our sin and brokenness. Now let us examine some areas where Scripture makes clear the standard God has set for His people in relationship with Him.

10 Tips for Reading Scripture

Reading Scripture is foundational for the Christian faith. Without Scripture, we could not know the Triune God (Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit). The Scriptures are our best source for learning who God is and growing in knowledge of Him. But what is interesting is that a large portion of Christians do not consistently (or daily) read the Scriptures. There are a lot of different reasons (and sometimes excuses for this), but my hope is that these ten tips for reading Scripture will encourage, challenge and equip you to consistently read Scripture, so you may know and encounter the Living God.

Guarding Against the Devil: Temptation

Scripture is extremely clear that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil who stand against God's people in any way possible (Ephesians 6:11-12). The enemy is intelligent, has a will and knows the human race better than we know ourselves. A major goal of the enemy is to tempt believers with sin so that when Christians choose to sin, they will become enslaved to sin and in bondage to the works of the devil. I am not downplaying our sinful nature, which I believe permeates our entire being, but I think the Western worldview hides the biblical reality of how much these spiritual forces are at work in humanity today.

10 Tips for Praying

Sometimes we just need a few pointers to improve our skills. The 10 Tips for Praying will hopefully provide insight that will help you improve your prayer life and deepen your relationship with God. These tips are not "the best tips in the world" but are what I have found useful when assisting others to lay a foundation for deepening prayer. May God give you insight into how you can improve your prayer life though these tips!