When we become Christians, we enter into a relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit that will cause us to grow. With the power of the Holy Spirit, we are called to become more like Jesus and become more holy. It is this spiritual growth that becomes a birthmark of our faith!

Growth is an inevitable indicator of life and health. From the moment we are conceived until we take our last breath, we are growing. The same is true for our spiritual lives. If we are walking with Christ and our spiritual lives are healthy, we should expect to see growth and changes in perspective simply as a natural progression. Just as in the natural, we will continue to grow spiritually until we take our last breath. But what happens if we are weighed down by the burdens of this life? Or caught up in our careers or dealing with situations out of our control that absorb all our time and energy? Our vision can become clouded, and our perspectives can easily be deceived. We can lose track of time and not realize we have drifted away from God and, therefore, stop growing.

I was reading a book one day, and I was convicted by the Holy Spirit. I heard, “Are you still growing?” “Hmm,” I thought, “Yes, I think I am…aren’t I?”  Then I knew instantly in my heart that I wasn’t growing. I had been focused on so many other things that I wasn’t putting God first. I was doing my reading of His word and studying just before I went to sleep, not giving Him the best part of myself, which was first thing in the morning when I was awake and alert, not dozing off and forgetting what I just read.

As Christians, we should always be doing things that grow our spiritual walk with God. In order to grow, we need to be challenged to do greater things. Not to become a small fish in a small bowl but to also be around people who help us stretch our spiritual muscles so they grow. The size of the pond you swim in determines your potential for growth. Just like the Koi fish, if their pond is too small or overstocked, it prevents the Koi from reaching their maximum growth because constrained swimming conditions don’t promote healthy development.

2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

2 Peter 3:18, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”

1 Peter 2:2-3,“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”