8 Keys to Spiritual Discipline and Growth in 2025
“Read your Bible and pray every day if you want to grow.” This old children’s song contains much wisdom in the simple basics of spiritual growth, which many ignore.
No matter what stage you are in in your spiritual growth, I’d like to encourage you to do the following if you want to grow spiritually and become mature in your faith.
1. Challenge yourself to read through the entire Bible this year
It is doable with discipline. Last year, I read through the Old Testament and the New Testament several times over. The Navigators-Bible-Reading-Plan is a very useful one if it helps you. But if you can read four chapters a day, you can read the entire Bible as well. This requires a commitment to a daily devotional time, preferably in the morning.
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16
“Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
2. Pray for an hour every day
If this is challenging, start with 30 minutes and keep adding on. I truly believe a Christian should pray a minimum of an hour a day to have an effective prayer life. Jesus asked his disciples, “Were you not able to keep watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Matthew 26:40-41. An hour is sufficient to include all aspects of prayer: worship, petition, intercession, thanksgiving, and so forth. The Lord’s prayer is a good guide.
You can also incorporate extra hours of prayer periodically as the Holy Spirit guides you, such as night vigils, midnight prayers, or periods of extended prayer during fasts.
3. Fast as a lifestyle each month
Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. You could fast a day a week or do 3 days a month. However, you’re led. But fasting is crucial to living a sin-free and overcoming the Christian walk. Some battles will require fasting.
“However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:21
4. Live a separate life of consecration
This means avoiding watching worldly television, listening to worldly music, worldly entertainment and pursuits, and reading worldly books as much as possible. The Holy Spirit will guide you. I do not watch any television, not even the news (but if you do, be moderate), and I am very selective with what I listen to. I do not listen to all gospel music either, as some are very carnal. For the last two years, I mainly listened to hymns, but I’m slowly and selectively listening to some other worship styles but very selectively. I also do not listen to modern preachers at all, except where I attend church, and I prefer to listen to the old-time preachers like Spurgeon, JC Ryle, DL Moody, John Wesley, and such, whom I resonate with, and I find they honored the word of God and righteousness, which is missing in this generation.
The point is, even when it comes to Christian content, you must be very selective and minimalistic because the Christian faith has been largely watered down in our generation. Listen to sermons from the old-time preachers, especially the reformers, because they are available online.
“Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” 2 Corinthians 6:17
5. Have a daily devotional life.
The above are only possible if you have a daily devotional life. Set aside an hour or two each morning to study the word of God and pray. This may mean waking up earlier than you’re used to, but it is necessary and possible no matter your schedule. Jesus rose before dawn to do the same. 4 am is a good time that most people can manage. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you, but remember you also need to exercise your own will to be disciplined. The devil will fight you on this, making you love too much sleep and keeping you busy, so you must keep resisting him and getting up even when you don’t succeed immediately. Don’t give up.
“Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and went out to a solitary place to pray.” Mark 1:35
“Yet He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray.” Luke 5:16
6. Fellowship and learning from others in the body of Christ
I alluded to much of this in step 4. It is good to study books, read articles, and listen to sermons from true men and women of God. Fellowship with true believers is like iron sharpening iron. But be selective. God has placed gifts in the body for our edification. Learn from your fellow brothers and sisters who are walking in truth, and God will bless you. Be it on Facebook, YouTube, or websites, choose those who will strengthen your faith, who fear God, who teach the true word of God, and who are heavenly-minded.
Please avoid listening to worldly, prosperity, and hyper-grace preachers because they will shipwreck your faith. Those who only focus on worldly prophecies, money, worldly greatness, and miracles and do not disciple or teach the word are false preachers. Do not give them an audience. The Bible tells us not to greet false teachers and to mark and avoid those who cause divisions in the body.
“Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25
“If anyone comes to you but does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home or even greet him.” 2 John 1:10
7. Use your gifts and talents given to you by God to serve him and others and preach the gospel.
All of us have been called to preach the gospel, teach, and make disciples. Matthew 28:18-20. This is not the work of some special men and women of God. We are all called and appointed to preach the gospel. But you cannot preach what you do not have or teach what you do not know. This is why the spiritual disciplines I listed in steps 1-5 are critical. The more the word of Christ dwells richly in you and becomes flesh in you, the more you will be equipped for the work of the ministry. You will be able to disciple others because you have the truth in you.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
8. Grow in grace and the knowledge of Jesus and his will.
“But grow in grace and in knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18
Purpose not to remain a baby. Grow beyond the elementary doctrines of the faith and be one that can teach others. Stop looking to men to teach you. You have the anointing of the Holy Spirit in you, and that anointing teaches you all things. You are a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9).
“Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food!” Hebrews 5:12
“And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught.” 1 John 2:27
We are all kings and priests in the new covenant (Revelation 1:6). Stop looking to some men as priests. We are not in the old covenant but the new one. All of us are ONE in Christ, called and chosen to do good works that God prepared for us in advance.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Colossians 1:9
Purpose to know Christ and let him live through you and transform you. You are the light of the world. Yes, you. Don’t hide it any longer.
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14
Thank you for reading!
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