Prayer For Christian Youth to Grow in Grace

How to Grow Your Faith: 8 Powerful Ideas!

Prayer For Christian Youth to Grow in Grace

Do you ever wish you had a stronger faith or a closer relationship with God?

I do — all the time!

And it’s nothing new…

I can still distinctly remember being in high school, seeing older Christian women who seemed SUCH good Christians — perfect Proverbs 31 women who had it all together spiritually-speaking.

They trusted, they gave, they spoke with grace, they did the right thing even when it was hard…

I wished my life could be more that, but I didn’t know how.

I wanted to learn how to be a godly woman and how to grow in faith, but I didn’t know where to start.

It all just seemed a little too reach.

Maybe they were just lucky enough to be born that way. Maybe a strong faith just came easy for them. Maybe they had something that I didn’t. Maybe their lives were just easy, and they never had any real problems…

Can I let you in on a little secret I’ve learned along the way in the 15-20 years since then? None of those “maybes” are true.

“Good Christians” aren’t born that way. And a strong faith doesn’t “just happen.”

Just good marriages don’t “just happen” and good kids don’t “just happen,” if you want to grow your faith, you have to work at it. 

It really just comes down to taking little baby steps every single day — even when it’s hard, even when you don’t feel it — that all add up to a strong faith over time.

Ready to learn how to grow your faith this year? Here are 8 powerful ways to do just that!

*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps cover the many costs of running this site and allows me to help provide for my growing family. Thank you!

Want to learn how to grow in faith this year? Here’s your roadmap and your challenge:

Below you’ll find 8 of the most powerful things you can do to grow your faith this year, listed from easiest to hardest. PICK ONE to start. When you have a good handle on that one, move on to the next.

(Try to do too many at once and you’re far less ly to actually follow through with any of them.)

Write it down. Work on it. Make growing in faith your Christian New Year’s Resolution this year. And just see how much you’ll grow in faith as a result!

1. Get in the Daily Bible Reading Habit

Ready to grow in faith this year? The very FIRST thing I’d recommend you do this year is to get in the habit of daily Bible reading.

Now, this doesn’t have to be every single day and you don’t have to read a huge chunk at a time, but you should be reading often enough that it’s an important and influential part of your routine.

I challenged myself to get in the habit of reading my Bible regularly last year, and it has made a BIG difference for me. And I know it will for you too!

There are tons of Free Bible Study apps you can use to help you get in the habit of daily Bible reading OR…

How to Get Started: Grab Your Quiet Time Planning Guide

This super simple guide will help you:

  • Determine what the ideal quiet time looks for you
  • Stay focused during your quiet times
  • Hold yourself accountable
  • Experience real spiritual growth

And it’s free!

Just let me know where to send it:

2. Surround Yourself with Christian Community

Once you decide that you’re ready to get serious about growing in faith this year, the next thing you’ll want to do is to surround yourself with other Christians who feel the same way.

Now, this doesn’t mean that every single friend of yours must also be a strong Christian. But if you really want to learn how to grow your faith, surrounding yourself with other strong Christians is SO helpful. 

Not only will the encourage you, inspire you, and call you out as needed. But just by simply being around them, it will naturally change what you consider “normal” and what you focus on.

This makes learning how to grow your faith SO much easier!

How to Get Started: Get Connected!

  1. First, check out this post for some great ideas on meeting more Christian friends in real life: 6 Ways to Find More Christian Friends
  2. Then, be sure to join our email community if you haven’t already.

    We may not be in-real-life friends, but I’ll absolutely be that big sister in faith who will walk beside you, encourage you, help you and challenge you on a regular basis.

    Sign up below:

**Related: 10 Awesome Websites for Christian Women (You’ll Love These!)

3. Start Eliminating Sins and Bad Habits

Now, if you’re already reading your Bible regularly and you have at least a couple good, Godly friends, you’re off to a great start! So let’s grow even more.

So – do you have any sins or bad habits in your life that are holding you back spiritually? (We all have something)

Maybe you struggle with mom anger or impatience. Maybe you constantly compare to others, you’re too controlling with your finances or you don’t respect your husband you should.

Maybe you struggle with knowing “Who I Am in Christ,” you really struggle with past sin and shame, or you need to learn how to take every thought captive to Christ.

If there’s anything you KNOW you’re struggling with that God is calling you to change – but you’re not sure if you can or even where to start, then you may want to look into something called Grace Goals.

Grace Goals is a Christian goal-setting guide designed to help you break your sins and bad habits and achieve real spiritual growth by pairing the power of setting goals with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Not only does it have super practical step-by-step to help with whatever you’re facing, but it even has tons of Scripture for real, powerful break-through.

I own this myself, and I can tell you, it really is a fantastic resource. If you have any sins or bad habits you’re struggling with — or even just areas where you’d to grow in faith but can’t seem to — I’d absolutely recommend.

4. Create Small Habits That Will Help You Grow in Faith

Think learning how to grow your faith has to be difficult, complicated or overwhelming? Think again!

There are TONS of small, little things you can do – starting today – that will make a real, positive impact on your spiritual life.

Things :

  • Putting on Christian radio in the car
  • Placing Scripture Cards throughout your house where you’ll see them often
  • Baking a double batch of dinner and bringing the second half to someone who could use it
  • Keeping a good Christian book in your purse so you can read it when you have a few minutes waiting in line.

Things these are SO EASY to do and can such a difference — we just have to think to do them!

How to Get Started: Read “Putting God First“

Have you read “Putting God First” yet? A quick and easy read, it’s chock FULL of simple, practical ideas for making God more of a priority in your life.

In fact, here’s exactly what you’ll find inside:

  • Six incredibly common distractions Christian women face today.
  • Six reasons God really should be your #1 priority.
  • What “Putting God First” actually looks … and doesn’t look .
  • Thirty-four pages of super practical things you can do TODAY to make God your #1 priority once again.
  • PLUS two very special reader bonuses to help you live out what you learn!

5. Learn All You Can About Christianity

Honestly, it’s simply amazing to me how much time we can spend in church and Sunday School and still have SO much left to learn about the Bible, Christianity, Jesus and our Christian heritage.

Every pastor has their own favorite topics they love and do not love to talk about, and some things simply never come up. Plus, even if you do have an absolutely fantastic pastor who covers tons of topics in-depth, there’s only so much information you can fit into one sermon and only so many weeks in a year!

(And that assumes you have a great pastor who is generally right about things. For me, I went through 20-something years of my life before I realized that much of what I had been taught growing up was wrong!)

All of that to say — if you’re ONLY getting your Bible knowledge from your pastor, you’re missing out! Yes, listen to your pastor and learn a ton that way, but also learn how to study the Bible for yourself too!

How to Get Started: Get a Good Study Guide

Never studied the Bible for yourself before and not sure how to get started? There are TONS of good resources out there to help you!

One of my favorites, though, is Bible Study Methods by Arabah Joy. 

This workbook/video course walks you step-by-step through seven different techniques for studying the Bible for yourself.

I LOVE that it’s easy enough that even true Bible beginners can dive right in without getting overwhelmed, while people who have been studying the Bible for a long time can still get a lot it too.

I’d definitely recommend!

*You might also : 12 Must-Read Christian Blogs for Women

6. Pray Bigger, Bolder Prayers

Here’s a thought-provoking question for you: If you kept a log of all of your prayers over the past two weeks, what would it say about your faith and your priorities?

  • Who do you pray for? The world… or just your family?
  • How often do you pray? Without ceasing… or just occasionally?
  • How persistent are your prayers? Do you pray once or twice and then give up… or are there things you’ve continued to pray for for years?
  • How big are your prayers? To you typically pray for big things revival, changed hearts or healing… or small things helping you make it through the day.

Now – to be clear – there is NOTHING wrong with any of these types of prayers. We should pray for all things — big and small. But if your prayers are looking a little lopsided… that might be something you need to address.

Learning how to pray more effectively is an important part of learning how to grow your faith. The stronger your prayer life, the stronger your faith will be as well!

*Related: 6 Reasons God Isn’t Answering Your Prayers

How to Get Started: Pick One Thing to Pray Big Prayers For

If you suddenly decide you’re going to pray BIG prayers for ALLLL the things — well, you’ll probably get overwhelmed, see no results, and stop trying. So don’t try to do it all at once. Pick one thing.

Are you a momma? Pray big prayers for your kids. Chances are you probably pray for them anyways, so it’ll just be a baby step up.

And it’s a good excuse to print out this super cute Mini Prayer Book to help you remember to pray big prayers for your kids.

7. Look for Ways to Help Others in Need

When asked what THE greatest commandment is, Jesus gave two: Love God and love others. (Matthew 22:36-40) 

I’ve given you a ton of tips so far for helping you love God more, but what about loving others? Do you go your way to help those in need and serve those less fortunate than yourself? If not — that may just be the perfect way for you to grow in faith this year.

And again, helping others really is SO easy. We just have to remember to do it!

If you’re serious about learning how to grow in faith, I’d recommend finding an activity with an actual date and time that you can sign up for. This will commit you, so you’re less ly to skip out.

If you don’t have that time in your schedule, however, it’s still helpful just to help out when and where you can.

Here are a few great suggestions to get you started:

8. Share Your Life with People Un You

There’s a risk we run into as Christians, and we come by it pretty honestly.

You see, it’s great to surround ourselves with others who also want to grow in faith. It’s great to go to church and Christian concerts, and hang out on Christian pages and fill our Instagram feeds with Christian inspiration.

But we run the risk of living in a Bubble. A little bubble where we all think the same, we all live the same, and our ideas are never challenged. And that’s a pretty dangerous place to be, honestly.

Yes, you should learn how to grow your faith — BUT you should also help others grow their faith as well. Even it that just means loving on them and being a tangible example of God’s love for ALL His people.

So yes — surround yourself with other Christians, and with Christian music and culture. Go to church. Go to Christian concerts. But don’t forget to share your life with people who aren’t Christians too. 

If you look at Jesus’s life, he was around the “sinners” all the time. It only makes sense then that we should expand our bubble too, if we’re serious about growing in faith.

I won’t dive into this topic super in-depth in this article, but here are a few others I’ve already written that can expand on it a bit more:

  • 6 Reasons You Need Non-Christian Friends Too
  • Why Christians Belong in Bars

Do you want learn how to grow in faith this year? What is ONE thing you can do to start growing in faith today? 

Источник: //equippinggodlywomen.com/faith/grow-in-faith/

Habits of Grace

Prayer For Christian Youth to Grow in Grace

Hear his voice. Have his ear. Belong to his body.

Three seemingly unremarkable principles shape and strengthen the Christian life: listening to God’s voice, speaking to him in prayer, and joining together with his people as the church.

Though seemingly normal and routine, the everyday “habits of grace” we cultivate give us access to these God-designed channels through which his love and power flow — including the greatest joy of all: knowing and enjoying Jesus.

“We cannot earn God’s grace or make it flow apart from his free gift. But we can position ourselves to go on getting as he keeps on giving.”

Free Email Course

Sign up today for an email course of five short videos with David Mathis on Habits of Grace, provided by Crossway Books.

2016, Crossway Books

  • When I was growing up, spiritual disciplines were often surrounded by an air of legalism. But today the pendulum has swung in the other direction: it seems that family and private devotions have fallen off the radar. The very word habits can be a turnoff, especially in a culture of distraction and autonomy. Yet character is largely a bundle of habits. Christ promises to bless us through his means of grace: his Word preached and written, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. a baby’s first cry, prayer is the beginning of that life of response to grace given, and we never grow it. Besides prayer, there are other habits that grace motivates and shapes. I’m grateful for Habits of Grace bringing the disciplines back into the conversation and, hopefully, back into our practice as well.Michael Horton, Professor, Westminster Seminary California
  • David Mathis has provided us with a gospel-driven, Word-centered, Christ-exalting vision of Christian spiritual practices. Furthermore, he understands that sanctification is a community project: the local church rightly looms large in Habits of Grace. This book is perfect for small group study, devotional reading, or for passing on to a friend who is thinking about this topic for the first time. I give it my highest recommendation.Nathan A. Finn, Dean, The School of Theology and Missions, Union University
  • Most people assume that disciplined training is necessary for attaining any skill—professional, academic, or athletic. But for some reason, Christians do not see this principle applying to their Christian lives. In his excellent book, Habits of Grace, David Mathis makes a compelling case for the importance of the spiritual disciplines, and he does so in such a winsome way that will motivate all of us to practice the spiritual disciplines of the Christian life. This book will be great both for new believers just starting on their journey and as a refresher course for those of us already along the way.Jerry Bridges, Author, The Pursuit of Holiness
  • There is not a Christian in the world who has mastered the spiritual disciplines. In fact, the more we grow in grace, the more we realize how little we know of hearing from God, speaking to God, and meditating on God. Our maturity reveals our inadequacy. Habits of Grace is a powerful guide to the spiritual disciplines. It offers basic instructions to new believers while bringing fresh encouragement to those who have walked with the Lord for many years. It is a joy to commend it to you.Tim Challies, Blogger at www.challies.com
  • This book is about grace-empowered habits, and Spirit-empowered disciplines. These are the means God has given for drinking at the fountain of life. They don’t earn the enjoyment. They receive it. They are not payments for pleasure; they are pipelines. All of us leak. We all need inspiration and instruction for how to drink—again and again. Habitually. If you have never read a book on ‘habits of grace’ or ‘spiritual disciplines,’ start with this one. If you are a veteran lover of the river of God, but, for some reason, have recently been wandering aimlessly in the desert, this book will be a good way back.John Piper, Founder & Teacher, desiringGod.org
  • David Mathis has given us a book on the spiritual disciplines that is practical, actionable, and accessible. He speaks with a voice that neither scolds nor overwhelms, offering encouragement through suggestions and insights to help even the newest believer find a rhythm by which to employ these means of grace. A treatment of the topic that is wonderfully uncomplicated and thorough, Habits of Grace offers both a place to start for beginners and a path to grow for those seasoned in the faith.Jen Wilkin
  • Simple. Practical. Helpful. In Habits of Grace, Mathis writes brilliantly about three core spiritual disciplines that will help us realign our lives and strengthen our faith. In a world where everything seems to be getting more complicated, this book will help us to downshift and refocus on the things that matter most. Louie Giglio, Pastor, Atlanta, Georgia
  • David Mathis has more than accomplished his goal of writing an introduction to the spiritual disciplines. What I love most about the book is how Mathis presents the disciplines — or ‘means of grace’ as he prefers to describe them — as habits to be cultivated in order to enjoy Jesus. The biblical practices Mathis explains are not ends — that was the mistake of the Pharisees in Jesus’s day and of legalists in our time. Rather they are means by which we seek, savor, and enjoy Jesus Christ. May the Lord use this book to help you place yourself ‘in the way of allurement’ that results in an increase of your joy in Jesus.Don Whitney, Professor, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
  • This is the kind of book I turn to periodically to help examine and recalibrate my heart, my priorities, and my walk with the Lord. David Mathis has given us a primer for experiencing and exuding ever-growing delight in Christ through grace-initiated intentional habits that facilitate the flow of yet fuller springs of grace into and through our lives.Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Radio Host, Revive Our Hearts
  • I am drawn to books that I know are first lived out in the messiness of life before finding their way onto clean sheets of paper. This is one of those books! David has found a well-worn path to Jesus through the habits of grace he commends to us. I am extremely grateful for David’s commitment to take the timeless message in this book and communicate it in language that is winsome to the mind and warm to the heart. This book has the breadth of a literature review that reads a devotional. I am eager to get it into the hands of our campus ministry staff and see it being read in dorm rooms and student centers across the country. Matt Bradner, Regional Director, Campus Outreach
  • So often, as we consider the spiritual disciplines, we think of what we must do individually. Mathis takes a different approach that is both insightful and refreshing. Along with our personal time of prayer and reading, we are encouraged to seek advice from seasoned saints, have conversations about Bible study with others, and pray together. The Christian life, including the disciplines, isn’t meant to be done in isolation. Mathis’s depth of biblical knowledge along with his practical guidance and gracious delivery will leave you eager to pursue the disciplines, shored up by the grace of God.Trillia Newbell
  • Although this little book says what many others say about Bible reading, prayer, and Christian fellowship (with two or three others tacked on), its great strength and beauty is that it nurtures my resolve to read the Bible and it makes me hungry to pray. If the so-called ‘means of grace’ are laid out as nothing more than duties, the hinge of sanctification is obligation. But in this case, the means of grace are rightly perceived as gracious gifts and signs that God is at work in us, which increases our joy as we stand on the cusp of Christian freedom under the glories of King Jesus.D.A. Carson, Professor, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Источник: //www.desiringgod.org/books/habits-of-grace

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