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Every human being is made up of three parts: body, soul (mind) and spirit (the inner essence of our being). Our spirits are different than the other parts of our being. You see, while our bodies and souls may mature, it’s quite possible that our spirits may not. Our spirits are the center of our being, the core of who God intended us to be. They’re where God speaks to us, moves in us, fellowships with us and dwells with us. They’re the key to connecting with Him, finding His will for our lives and walking with Him. While the first two parts of our being grow naturally, our spirits don’t. Our spirits need to be grown, developed, cultivated. If we’re not intentional about this, our spirits stagnate.

So, we need to get a vision for growing our spirits. Once we have that vision in place, we will start moving in the right direction, growing our spirits and drawing closer to God. What does that vision look like? Well, spiritual growth starts with hunger for God, His righteousness and things of the Spirit. Our lives generally revolve around that for which we’re hungry. We can tell what we’re hungry for by what we feed our lives.

Hunger for the right things will lead to discipline. No, this isn’t a fun word, but it is one of the greatest principles in the Bible. Just as we don’t just wake up one day with big strong physical muscles without discipline, so also is discipline required to build up our spirits.

Discipline is part of a process. Growth doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time. Even Jesus grew through life’s processes. Spiritual growth is a process that requires a change in our daily routine and living in a growth environment, which means:

• Interacting with others who are beyond us spiritually
• Living outside our comfort zones
• Feeding our spirits daily
• Being accountable to others

All of these things will result in works. Works are the things we do that are the natural, outward evidence of what is going on inside of us. When our spirits are growing, we will do the kinds of things Jesus did and much more (see John 14:12). Now, plenty of people do works out of religious duty or obligation. That’s not what I’m talking about. In and of themselves, works do not prove spiritual growth. However, they will always be present in the lives of those who are alive and growing spiritually.

So, here’s the truth: If we want to connect with God, hear His voice and enjoy the life He has for us, spiritual growth is essential. And, that starts by getting a vision for it and then living it out! (Learn more about this by listening to or watching last weekend’s message.)