Last week we talked about the importance of spiritual growth here on the blog. So many people over the years have discipled me in the faith, but I really began to grow when I took responsibility for my own spiritual growth.
My passion is to pass on what I have learned and help other women grow their faith. I did a survey last year to find out in what areas women want to grow and what tools they need to help them grow.
“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”
Colossians 1:10-12, NIV
Here are some of the results of that survey:
What are some topics you would like to see addressed?
- Bible study and interpretation
- Spiritual gifts
- Defending my faith
- Starting a small group
What are some spiritual growth challenges you face?
- knowing how to grow
- making time for God
- learning how to study the Bible
- motivation
- prayer
- selfishness
- trust
- pleasing God
- guiding others
- obedience
- being offended
- lack of intentionality
- learning to listen to God
What are some tools that would help you?
- sounding board
- email messages
- Facebook group
- someone to answer questions
- study material
- podcasts
- accountability
Last week I shared with you the link to our Facebook group, Growing Your Faith. We are a community of women who are seeking to grow together through mutual support and encouragement, accountability, and studying different areas of spiritual growth and disciplines.
Today I want to share with you a new book I have written about women in the Bible. Just Like Us: 7 Ways Biblical Women Were Just Like Us (And Why It Matters) was written to help women understand that the answers we need to help us grow are all in the Word.
One reason that many of us aren’t growing spiritually is because we allow the enemy to keep us focused on emotional pain or worldly pursuits.
When our hearts are hurting over comparison, rejection, and disappointments we struggle to prioritize our spiritual growth.
And when our hearts are captivated with worldly pursuits of comfort, convenience, and seeking contentment in anything other than God, we will fail to grow spiritually.
The women of the Bible were real women just like us who lived and learned and made mistakes. We can learn so much from their stories, such as the following women who teach us about the challenges listed above:
- Women who followed Jesus: learning how to grow
- Mary and Martha: making time for God
- The women of Berea: learning how to study the Bible
- Priscilla: motivation
- The persistent widow: prayer
- Rebekah: selfishness
- Sarah: trust
- Mrs. Noah: pleasing God
- Deborah: guiding others
- Mary, mother of Jesus: obedience
- Euodia and Syntyche: being offended
- Anna: lack of intentionality
- Huldah: learning to listen to God
I pray this new book will be a tool to help many women recognize the areas that stunt their growth and turn to the Lord for healing and help.
“We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.”
2 Thessalonians 1:3
Just Like Us: 7 Ways Biblical Women Were Just Like Us (And Why It Matters)
I’m praying for you as you grow your faith, and I’m always here to help.