Spiritual Growth is such an important part of your journey toward being a Follower of Christ. It is the process of allowing your relationship with God and His Word to transform your thoughts from being self centered to being God centered. And this is not a process that comes naturally to anyone. Spiritual growth only takes place when you are intentional about spending time with God. And although there are dozens of ways that you can spend time with God, 3 of the most powerful are: Talking to God, Studying God’s Word, and Spending time with other followers of Jesus.
PRAYER
One of the easiest ways you can develop a prayer life is by understanding that Prayer is simply a conversation with God. You talk to Him and then you listen for Him. And just like any other conversation you have, the more you practice the easier it is for you to recognize the voice of the one you are talking to. So many people choose not to pray because their prayers do not sound like the people around them. But what they may not understand is God doesn’t want you to sound like someone else. He wants your prayer to just be a simple conversation with Him. So give it a try. Find a place where you can be away from distractions and simply talk to your Heavenly Father.
BIBLE STUDY
It’s one thing to read the Bible, but God’s intention for the Bible was so much more than just a casual or dutiful reading. God intended for us to take the time… slow down and really study His Word and how it applies to our everyday lives. And when we do take the time, suddenly words we may have read repeatedly over the years start to jump off the page.
So, our challenge as followers of Christ is to make it a habit to go beyond just reading the Bible, into studying God’s Word. For this we would like to introduce you to a simple and practical strategy of Bible Study designed to help every person experience the Word of God coming ALIVE and POWERFUL. This is called the S.O.A.P. method. So, here’s what it looks like…
The S.O.A.P. method of Bible Study
S – The S stands for SCRIPTURE
For this first step you’re simply going to WRITE OUT the designated scripture in a Bible study Journal… you’ll be amazed what God will reveal to you just by taking the time to slow down and actually writing out what you’re reading!
O – The O stands for OBSERVATION
For this step you’re going to ask yourself questions like…
What jumps out to me in this passage?
Who is it written by?
Who is it written to?
What’s one thing I have never noticed in this verse before?
What seems interesting or unusual?
What comes before and after the text?
Is there repetition, comparison, or contrast?
This is a great place to practice inviting the Holy Spirit to teach and reveal to you what it is you should focus on.
A – The A stands for APPLICATION
This is the part when God’s Word becomes very personal. When you will personalize this scripture and ask God…
What are You saying to ME today through this scripture?
Maybe it’s encouragement, instruction, correction for an area of your life or revelation of a new promise.
How can I apply what I just read to my own personal life?
What changes do I need to make?
Is there an action that I need to take?
Now here is where too many people stop… They get an idea of what God is saying… what needs to change or what needs to be removed or added to their lives, but they never make an action plan. The application part of this strategy isn’t complete until you RESPOND to what God is trying to speak to you. So, don’t forget to finish this step by making an action plan.
P – And finally P stands for PRAYER
Pray God’s Word back to Him. If He has revealed something to you during this time in His Word, pray about it. Confess if He has revealed some sin that is in your life. Remember, accumulating head knowledge about God is of little use; it’s heart transformation He’s after, and that’s only possible through the work of the Holy Spirit so ask Him to continue growing you into a disciple of Jesus.
CONNECTING WITH OTHERS
Your connection with God’s people happens in so many different ways. Just a few options we offer are Sunday Services, Home Groups, Men/Women specific ministries, Bible studies, Equipping Seminars, etc. To keep current on activities you can get involved with check out the LPAG calendar or talk to a member of our volunteer team.