How Can I grow more as a Christian? Strength and Faith

From what I'm learning and reading, one major way you grow by keeping faith under duress. Praising God even through hard times.

The faith struggle is minute-to-minute with me it seems. Satan plays a big part in doing this.

sk8brdkd said:

As I had stated on another thread, I only was fed by feelings for 18 years so this is all new to me. I’m having an extremely difficult time with all of this. I’ve been praying/reading but still really struggling.

What else can I do to grow more? I’m disciplining myself fully. Struggling to fully act ‘normal’ bc I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay faithful.

I’d appreciate any suggestions and also prayer please

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I'd recommend to buy an audio bible and just keep playing it if your brain cannot take reading that much. Praying is more important, but having the raw content of the scriptures in your memory helps discerning what the message is when God speaks into your life.

We grow through tribulation.

fasting is huge IMO

Worship, prayer and reading scripture are absolutes. Listening to great pastors is also helpful.

I recommend a good Bible study. My husband and I have been doing Beth Moore's Breaking Free for a few weeks together, and though we are seasoned Christians, we have grown tremendously. I also lead a bible study for women in prison, and they have loved Priscilla Shirer's Armor of God, as well as others. There are lots of studies out there that you can do on your own or at your church. It's always best to do it with others though, as you can discuss what you've learned and apply it. I also experienced fantastic growth for several years in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). You can find them at bsfinternational.org. There is most likely one near you. They dig really deeply into scripture and I learned so much there.

It's wonderful that you are ready to take the next step. God will bless your efforts.

Hi @sk8brdkd, just keep doing all that you can do .. Philippians 2:12-13, knowing that the One who saved you in the first place is always working to grow you up in Christlikeness, and to see you safely through this life to be with Him in Glory .. Philippians 1:6, 2:13; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 5:13.

Continue practicing the Christian spiritual disciplines, especially the basic 4, Bible Study, Prayer, Fellowship and Witnessing, as all of these play a vital part in keeping us on track in our daily walk before Him, because it is through these disciplines that we grow in our knowledge of God, of who He really is and who we are before Him, and how VERY much He loves us and wants the very best for us.

Here are just a few of the things that the Bible tells us about the importance of continuing in these disciplines .. Deuteronomy 11:18-21; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-3; Proverbs 27:17; Isaiah 43:10; Matthew 7:7; John 15:7, 16:24, Romans 12:2; Philippians 4:6-7; 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

If you are worried about remaining faithful, there is an important passage in the Psalms to consider which says, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word. Thy word I have 'treasured' in my heart that I may not sin against Thee" ~Psalm 119:9,11.

I believe the best/most effective way to "treasure" God's word in our hearts is to memorize it, which is the last Christian discipline I will mention. I'm not talking about memorizing the entire Bible, or even books of the Bible, rather, just certain verses/passages like you find in this system by the Navigators, their Topical Memory System, which the Navigators have used for nearly 100 years now as part of the training/preparation they give to their missionaries before sending them into the field.

The thing about Scripture memory work is that you end up knowing Scripture so well that it becomes harder and harder to sin, because it is always on your mind, and because you give the Holy Spirit a very powerful/very effective tool to use in your life (and in the lives of others you touch too) when you come to know Scripture that well/deeply. For instance, every time you even think about falling for a temptation, the HS is right there with 2-3 perfectly memorized verses reminding you why you shouldn't

Memory work, especially at first, is just that .. work, but I can promise you that the spiritual blessings/benefits that you will reap from your hard work (and that, if fairly short order) will ~FAR~ outweigh any effort that you put into it.

I've helped a few people around here get started on Scripture memory work, and I'd be happy to help you too if you'd like me to (and if it sounds like it's something that you'd like to try of course). Just PM me and I'll give you the materials that I have, as well tell you the things that helped me get started and be successful at doing it/continuing in it.

God bless you! Praying for you!

--David
p.s. - the Navigator's Topical Memory System is now available as both Apple and Android apps. I believe they cost less than $5, but they are definitely worth it (and then some) if you decide to memorize God's word through their system.

Keep going don't get frustrated. As James said ask God for wisdom. Being Christian is not an overnight thing it's a lifestyle, a process. I believe the example of a seed was used because it also implies that a seed does not grow overnight but it's a gradual process.

Just keep making daily appointments to read the word and pray, meditate on what you read and apply it to your life, at work, with friends. Listen to sermons. Remember that this is not just about you but how God wants to use you to help others. Worship him always because he is good even if you can't see. Also remember that the enemy will always be on your case because God loves and has plans for you. So be prepared, read about the armor of god. All will be well.

sk8brdkd said:

As I had stated on another thread, I only was fed by feelings for 18 years so this is all new to me. I’m having an extremely difficult time with all of this. I’ve been praying/reading but still really struggling.

What else can I do to grow more? I’m disciplining myself fully. Struggling to fully act ‘normal’ bc I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay faithful.

I’d appreciate any suggestions and also prayer please

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Study Church history. Google the Apostolic Fathers.

sk8brdkd said:

As I had stated on another thread, I only was fed by feelings for 18 years so this is all new to me. I’m having an extremely difficult time with all of this. I’ve been praying/reading but still really struggling.

What else can I do to grow more? I’m disciplining myself fully. Struggling to fully act ‘normal’ bc I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay faithful.

I’d appreciate any suggestions and also prayer please

Click to expand...

I admire your sincere determination to stay close to God and grow in faith. That alone speaks of where your heart is. Sometimes our walk with Jesus is more of a journey, and certain stops along the way bring into closer encounters with him.

The Bible says a lot of things about this process of growing in faith. Everyone is confronted with their sin nature in different ways, so they will be addressing specific areas of their own life, where you may be addressing other areas in yours. For me, I had to go back into my childhood and ask God to help me forgive my parents for the way they raised us. I had carried over resentment because of it, which remained a heavy weight in my soul after I got saved. I had to make intentional choices to forgive them, and when I did, I not only felt free years later, but felt I had a powerful testimony to share with others who were in the same boat as I once was.

I see that you have received wonderful answers and suggestions here. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. A song for you today:

sk8brdkd said:

As I had stated on another thread, I only was fed by feelings for 18 years so this is all new to me. I’m having an extremely difficult time with all of this. I’ve been praying/reading but still really struggling.

What else can I do to grow more? I’m disciplining myself fully. Struggling to fully act ‘normal’ bc I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay faithful.

I’d appreciate any suggestions and also prayer please

Click to expand...

reading and praying are a good thing but sometimes it is how you read and how you pray. The Bible teaches us that without faith it is impossible to please God and faith comes by hearing the word of God. So when you read you need to read in a state of prayer and in a state of deep study. Then the passages that jump out at you and you meditate on what they mean and you pray for that to be something that you put into your life. For instance long ago I studied James and he teaches us that if we lack wisdom God will give it to us if we ask in faith. He then defines Godly wisdom and compares it to worldly wisdom. When I am at a crossroads I think about this. The wisdom of this world is only two things bitter envy and self seeking. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. I can check my heart to see which is the source of my feelings and often I am left standing outside of Godly wisdom which brings me the opportunity to change my stance. This kind of understanding of the scriptures will help you mature as a Christian. 2 Peter 1 is very much another key chapter that has a promise and a plan to maturity.
Here is the promise, 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
here is the plan.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
If you see the progression of having all diligence that is a term for making strong effort and not stopping with the effort to begin with faith which is followed by virtue which is the desire to do the right thing. This comes before knowledge because you have to be willing 1st before you know what to do. Once you know then your virtue will change you. The self control is making the changes in your life. The perserverance is keeping it up and not falling back. This produces a godliness and is equated with love.
This is followed by another promise that if you do these things you will be fruitful in the Lord and you will never stumble! This seems the life you want and this is the path to achieve it. God bless you.

Watch movies about biblical characters, watch movies about the scripture, listen to the bible in audio, fast, and pray

"Abide in Me" says the Lord Jesus (in John 15:4). We grow as Christians by depending on God more and less on ourselves. God wants us to be dependent on His amazing Grace, but Satan wants us to be dependent on ourselves. There is a word from the Lord for every one of us Christians, the Lord is saying (calling you by name): “I want you John, Bill, Jane…. I want you to stand by My church, work, gospel, kingdom, ministry, truth, I want your mind, devotion, voice, hands, time, I want all of you, I want you to stand by Me.”

Do you know what terrifies the devil? A life that is totally dedicated to God

Uncompromising Biblical Truth {Part II}