There are few things I long for more than deep roots.
Thick, sprawling roots that plunge ever deeper into my Savior’s love.
Ever further into grace.
Ever stronger into faith.
Ever more securely into the knowledge of Him.
I foolishly used to think spiritual maturity was primarily a function of time. “If you’re a Christian long enough, you eventually become godly.”
But while time is certainly a factor, it’s far from the most important one. Some people who have claimed the name of Christ for decades are no more than spiritual infants.
Others, though, grab onto Him and hold on for dear life, growing leaps and bounds in a fairly short amount of time.
So how do we become godly?
In a word: grace.
The same grace that saves us sanctifies us.
It’s what gives us the desire and the ability to seek His kingdom and His righteousness.
To acquire a knowledge of Him.
To emulate His example and to live His life instead of our own.
So let’s ask Him for that grace. Join me in praying the Scriptures, sharing with God our desire to grow, and begging Him for the grace to do so.
Prayers for Spiritual Growth
1. Ask the Lord to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:9-10).
2. Pray that you, speaking the truth in love, would grow up in every way into Christ who is the head of the Body, and that He would make the entire Body grow so that it builds itself up in love (Ephesians 4:16-17).
3. Ask God to help you be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but would grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:17-18).
4. Acknowledge to the Lord that all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that you may be competent, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Ask Him to give you a love for His Word, and a desire to meditate on it all day long (Psalm 119:97).
5. Claim God’s promised blessing upon your life as you refuse to walk in the counsel of the wicked, to stand in the way of sinners, or to sit in the seat of scoffers.
Share with the Lord that you delight in His law; ask Him to help you meditate on it day and night so that you may be like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, with leaves that don’t wither. Ask that in all that you do, you will prosper and flourish (Psalm 1:1-3).
6. Praise our great God for His divine power which has granted to you all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called you to His own glory and excellence.
Thank Him for granting to you His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
Ask that His grace would empower you to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
Remind the Lord of His truth that if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:3-8).
7. Pray that God would help you to count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds, knowing that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. Ask that the Lord would let your steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).
8. Marvel over the truth that you have been crucified with Christ. Acknowledge to God that It is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you. Ask that He would help you remember that the life you now live in the flesh you live by faith in the Son of God, who loved you and gave Himself for you.
Pray that He would keep His grace ever before you, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose (Galatians 2:20-21). Implore the Lord to keep you from trying to muster up spiritual growth on your own, but to hold you always in the grasp of grace.
Dear Heavenly Father, Your grace amazes me. I pray that I never get over the wonder of it.
Thank You that even as I grow my whole life long, I can never outgrow Your grace.
I pray that You transform me into Your image with ever-increasing glory, until the day when my growth is complete and I finally see You face-to-face.
It’s in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, that I pray. Amen.
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Want more information about how to pray when you’re not sure how to pray? You’ll be blessed by my friend Dawn’s post.
Jennifer, this is an amazing message you’ve shared here, beautiful friend! Your words truly resonated within my heart because everyday I long for THE LORD to take me deeper in HIM. There is nothing like knowing HIM intimately. Thank you so much for sharing such an awesome word today, Love! Have a wonderful weekend! GOD bless you! 🙂
So true, Tai. There’s nothing better in life than HIM, is there? Thank you for identifying with my longing to grow deeper into Him.
How beautifully written. So glad that I am following this. Thanks for the wonderful prompts for prayer. I especially like the corresponding Bibe verses to use along side.
God bless.
Hi, Jennifer! Thank you so much for reading, and for sharing how this series has encouraged you. It has been a blessing in my own life, as well!
Just what I needed for my spiritual growth. Be blessed abundantly.
I’m glad this was an encouragement to you. Praise the Lord!
Amazing site. Great literature reviews on your hand. I can’t wait to see and engage them
I’m glad you were blessed here! Happy to have you.
Jennifer, thanks for sharing this with us. There’s nothing more important to me than my spiritual growth and my work with Him.
Amen, Ieora! I’m glad this blessed you.