A Prayer to Cultivate Our Hearts for Spiritual Growth
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading:
“From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us” - Acts 17:26-27
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Have you had an encounter with God that has impacted and changed your life for the better, or have you had one or more experiences that have caused spiritual growth? Sharing our personal spiritual experiences with others helps to encourage them that God loves them and is present and interested in our lives, ever willing to help us.
But for some, when hearing those who haven’t experienced personal encounters with God, feelings of disappointment and being left out can set in, seeing God as out there somewhere, aloof and uninterested, not connecting with them or caring if He does.
4 Ways to Cultivate Spiritual Growth
For those longing to have a more personal connection with God, the following are four ways to cultivate our hearts for spiritual growth.
1. Seek God.
God lets us know He is near and wants us to reach out to Him; if we do, we can find Him. Isaiah 55:6 urges, “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.” Psalm 105:4 also encourages us to “Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.”
Rather than seeking after God, as the Bible encourages, some Christians wait for God to surprise them by showing up in their lives without their asking Him, believing it’s all up to Him to connect with them, and failing to understand that God has already given His all to connect with us through Jesus.
2. Read the Bible.
Reading God’s word is the most crucial way to connect with Him personally and grow spiritually. We should read it ourselves and not rely on someone else to tell us what it means or even listen to someone else read it to us. 2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.”
Nothing else we do will have more of an impact than reading His word. Through reading it, not only do we begin to know who God is, but He also speaks through it personally to us in ways that soften and transform our hearts and minds to hear His voice.
3. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach us.
When Jesus left the earth, God sent us a Helper to teach us, as John 14:26 describes, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
God has given us such an incredible companion in the Holy Spirit: “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears and tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you” (John 16:13-14).
4. Pray.
Praying is personally connecting with God by conversing with Him and spending time with Him. When we pray and see His answers, we realize He hears and listens to us. Isaiah 65:24 describes how attentive and ready God is to answer our prayers: “Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear.” As well, 1 John 5:14 assures, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
Let’s Pray:
Dear Father, As Hosea 10:12 urges, plow up the hard, fallow ground of our hearts and help us seek after You daily by reading Your Word, asking the Holy Spirit to teach us, and by spending time in prayer with You. Cultivate our hearts to be transformed and grow spiritually in our relationship with You. Help us daily to apply Your Word to our lives so it can transform our hearts and minds. Soften our hearts to be sensitive to Your Holy Spirit’s leading and teaching. Give us a heart that loves spending time with You in prayer. Thank you for encouraging us in Matthew 7:7 to “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” In Jesus’ name, amen.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/perfectlab
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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Originally published Friday, 16 May 2025.
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