Spiritual Development Through Exploring Spiritual Practices

Spiritual development is foundational to our faith and life as Christians. If we are not developing and growing our faith, it will become stagnant and weak. Just as we work to grow and develop our relationships, we develop our faith as well.

“All growth that is not toward God is growing to decay.” – George Macdonald

Look back on your faith one, five, ten, or twenty years ago. Think about how it has developed, deepened, changed, and grown. This will be a continual process throughout our lives. A life in which we’re seeking God and become closer to the heart of Christ. This is the basis of spiritual development and growth – becoming more like Christ.

In this article, we are going to explore different spiritual practices. You may be familiar with some of them, while others may be new. These are all Christian practices that are taught in Christian denominations. You do not have to belong to a particular denomination to use them. We hope that you may find new practices to incorporate into your spiritual development at home.

How do I decide which practices I should try?

There are many spiritual practices that Christians engage in. It can feel overwhelming to wade through them all and decide what is best. Don’t feel like you need to try them all out right away. You may want to try one a month or try one for a season and then move onto a different practice.

Your counselor is a great resource to help you decide which practices feel right for you. Some practices can be especially helpful for different stages in life and processing through different trauma and life experiences.

This is where working alongside your counselor can be helpful. They can suggest specific practices for what’s going on in your life and faith right now. Working with a counselor can also help you to process through the experience and talk about anything God shows you during your time.

Many folks also choose to work with a Spiritual Director. A Spiritual Director can not only help you discern what practice is best for you but can teach you new practices as well. During meetings with your director, you might explore a new practice, create art together, meet outdoors, and encounter God in nature, or talk about what God is doing in your life right now.

Listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit on your heart as you discern which practices are right for you. There may be one that stands out to you right away as you read this article. Prayerfully consider if this is a prompting of the Holy Spirit on your life. Others may automatically feel “off” to you or feel like something that doesn’t fit this season of life.

As you discern your next right thing in spiritual development, use prayer. Bring it to God and see what God would have you do next. It is our prayer that you’ll find new ways to meet with God in these practices. That the Holy Spirit would show up in something unexpected as you grow in your walk with God.

Different Spiritual Practices for Spiritual Development

Meditation

“Whenever the Christian idea of meditation is taken seriously, there are those who assume it is synonymous with the concept of meditation centered in Eastern religions. In reality, the two ideas stand worlds apart. Eastern meditation is an attempt to empty the mind; Christian meditation is an attempt to fill the mind. The two ideas are quite different.” – Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline

Christians are often quick to dismiss anything to do with the word meditation. Yet we see the word meditation used time and time again in the Scriptures. Meditate is found 14 times in the Bible and meditation 6 times. We see folks meditate throughout scripture and the Psalms often encourage meditation.

With Christian meditation, you focus on God. Folks often describe a sense of God sitting next to them as they meditate. We could easily write an entire post on the foundations and practice of Christian meditation. At the most basic, find a way to sit still with God without distraction. Calm your mind and focus on one thing. It could be a piece of scripture, a fruit of the spirit, an aspect or name of God, or simply God’s love and presence.

You can sit quietly as you meditate, walk, journal, or listen to music. The main goal here is that you’re focused on whatever it is you’ve chosen to focus on. When your brain wanders away – which it will – simply return to what you’ve chosen to focus on. There are guided Christian meditations available via recordings or you can cultivate your own practice by exploring what works best for you.

Lectio Divina

“Lectio Divina is an opportunity to slow down and experience God’s Word deeply. An opportunity to savor the words of Scripture, to sit at God’s table, to be nourished, fed, and refreshed. An invitation to be fully present with our holy God.” – Cindee Snider Re, Finding Purpose: Rediscovering Meaning in a Life with Chronic Illness

Lectio Divina is practiced in many liturgical churches. It’s similar to meditation in some ways and similar to scripture study in other ways. This is a traditional monastic practice that Christians have used for centuries to engage scripture and meet God.

This practice begins with choosing a text of Scripture to focus on. People often choose a Psalm or a Gospel reading but any Scripture may be used.

First, Lectio, or reading: Simply read the Scripture through slowly and contemplate what the overall meaning of the passage is.

Second, Meditatio, or meditation: Read the passage again. This time pay attention to what word or phrase stands out to you. Spend some time repeating this word or phrase to yourself and allow yourself to sit with it and focus on it for a while.

Third, Oratio, or payer: Talk with God about what stood out to you. Talk with God about memories it brings up, thoughts you have, and what God wants to show you through this word or phrase.

Fourth, Contemplatio, or Contemplation: Sit with God in silence and rest with God.

Lectio Divina can be practiced individually or in a small group setting.

Prayer

“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.” – Soren Kierkegaard

Prayer is not something unfamiliar to most Christians. In this section, we will introduce you to a couple of different prayer practices you may want to try.

Breath Prayer

This is an ancient prayer practice that’s easy to practice anytime and anywhere. It’s one you can easily do while waiting in line, sitting at a traffic light, or as a pause in the middle of the day.

First, choose a line or two of scripture, lyrics from a hymn or Christian song, or a meaningful quote to focus on. Break it up into two parts. For example: “The Lord is my shepherd/ I shall not want”

Next, As you inhale deeply “breathe in” the first line. In our example, as you inhale focus on “The Lord is my shepherd.”

Then, As you exhale “breathe out” the second line. “I shall not want.”

Repeat as many times as you’d like. Most folks repeat for 5-10 minutes. This is a good practice for calming and quieting the mind for meditation as well. Some people will combine this with Lectio Divina and “breathe” the word or phrase the Holy Spirit gave them.

Jesus Prayer

The Jesus Prayer comes to us from the Orthodox tradition and many Christians of all denominations now use it. It’s a simple prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

The traditional way to pray this prayer is to pray it for 5-15 minutes in the morning. It is similar to meditation or breath prayer in that we focus on this one phrase again and again. Some folks choose to pray this prayer while doing household chores, working, or out on a walk. It can be used as a way to focus ourselves back on Christ and God’s love and mercy.

In some practices, the words “have mercy on me” and/or “a sinner” are changed out each time you pray the prayer. For example, Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, show love to me, your child.” Or “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, give me, your beloved, peace.” The Jesus Prayer can be adapted to what connects you with the Lord in the best way.

Christian Counseling to Strengthen Your Relationship with God

Need some help and accountability with your spiritual development? Consider working with a professional Christian counselor. Browse our counselor directory to find the best fit for you and take the next step toward spiritual growth today.