Spiritual formation is very important to the individual and the entire church. Christian
spiritual formation requires the individual to conform to their beliefs and ideals. Spiritual
formation is becoming more like Jesus.1 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 states, “Now the Lord is the
Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face,
beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of
glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” The effort of spiritual
formation is the Holy Spirit that directs the continuing journey towards being one with God.
When taking the necessary steps to become like Christ, one should notice a change in
their internal and external world. Colossians 2:9 – 10 states, “For in Christ all the fullness of the
Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over
every power and authority.” Spiritual Transformation is important because the Holy Spirit makes
us aware of what is valuable in our world. Without the Holy Spirit, we would spend an infinite
amount of time on issues irrelevant to the growth of human being. It is not hard to see those not
living in the spirit because their lives are centered around fleshly desires. Spiritual formation
relates to discipleship because each disciple has undergone a transformation process. Once the
newly transformed individual transforms their lives, it is their turn to make disciples of others.
Matthew 4:19 states, “And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Spiritual formation allows people to reclaim their relationship with God.
Spiritual Growth
1 Dave Earley, “The Process of Being Changed to Be like Jesus,” in Spiritual Formation Is...: How to Grow in Jesus
with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018), 4
To grow spiritually as a person, one must be prepared to seek areas within themselves
that must be developed. When an individual works on their areas of weakness, it will make the
person stronger than before their transformation. One must work on developing positive
friendships. Proverbs 27:17 states, “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.”
Surrounding ourselves with good genuine people, especially those who are believers in Christ,
will help each other grow spiritually every day. The people we choose to surround ourselves with
will determine the rate of growth.2
People also grow in their thinking by renewing their minds. If we are not constantly
working on renewing our minds, we will fall victim to a world of desires that the fleshly world
presents. Renewing our minds will help us grow spiritually because we will begin to put Christ
in our minds and hearts as we navigate the physical world. Having Christ in mind severely
reduces the chances of taking the path toward destruction. When we follow Christ, we align our
thought towards the spirit because whatever occupies your attention has your heart.3
Becoming spiritually disciplined expedites the growth one will receive during the
spiritual transformation. Discipline requires great on the individual to ensure they transform their
lives. The Holy Spirit must transform spiritual disciplines into the image of Jesus.4
Holy Spirit
2 Ibid, 34
3 Rod Dempsey, “Spiritual Formation Affects the Whole Person,” in Spiritual Formation Is...: How to Grow in Jesus
with Passion and Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018), 51.
4 Dave Earley, “Sweating in God’s Gym,” in Spiritual Formation Is...: How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and
Confidence (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018), 83.
Walking in the Holy Spirit impacts the believer in more ways than one. Our spiritual
development relies solely on our ability to walk in the Lord's spirit. As previously mentioned, the
Holy Spirit guides us so that we will be coming closer to Christ. Therefore, we must meet the
spirit if we are to encounter God.5 The Holy Spirit renews our life so that we are reborn into the
life of Christ. John 3:5-6 states, “Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the
kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the
Spirit gives birth to spirit.” The main task of any church leader is to listen to the Holy Spirit
through the people of God.6
The Holy Spirit helps us to accept the gospel humbly. Many people have hardened hearts
that prevent them from accepting the Holy Spirit's glory. When we accept the Holy Spirit, we
can begin receiving the benefits of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit relieves, counsels, inspires
and strengthens those who believe. The Holy Spirit must remind present in the Church.7 The
foundation of the church is the Holy Spirit. The churches that do not keep the Holy Spirit in the
church, tend to have many issues within the congregation, such as theft, adultery, abuse, and
fighting among members.
Personal Growth
5 Noel Dermot O’Donoghue. “I Believe in the Holy Spirit...” The Furrow 41, no. 12 (1990): 684.
6 McNEILL, JOHN J. “The Church in the Age of the Holy Spirit.” CrossCurrents 50, no. 1/2 (2000): 164.
7 Farmer, Hugh. “The Holy Spirit In The Church.” Life of the Spirit (1946-1964) 7, no. 84 (1953): 536.
I learned something new about myself after completing the personal growth assessment.
The personal growth assessment helped me learn what areas I was strong in and what areas I
could develop. My strength was my love for God. Honestly, I am not surprised to see my love
for God as a strength because I recognize that everything I am is due to God. I am an avid reader
of God’s Word. My mornings after eating breakfast and evenings before bed consist of reading
the Bible or any other document related to God's word. I also pray multiple times a day. I am
always giving praise to Christ throughout the day. Praying allows me to remain humble and not
let ego or a hard heart determine how I react to those within the world. Most of the time, when I
pray, I go somewhere secluded. I go to pray in my house, car, and office at work. I chose these
few places because I can better connect with God when I am free of distractions.
The area I was weak in was my love for one another. Although the area was my weakest,
I did a great job in many areas, according to the personal growth assessment. I must work on not
holding grudges toward people. I must also work on resolving issues I have with other people.
Sometimes I find myself resenting others who have wronged me in the past. I know that I must
quickly forgive, but I am sometimes forgiveness feels impossible. Working on these few things
will not be challenging since I have the Holy Spirit guiding me every step. Lastly, I need to pray
with my family more. A praying family is a staying family. I did not feel the need to push my
beliefs and philosophies onto others in the past, but I realize that some of my family are slowly
self-destructing because they are living their lives in the flesh and not the spirit.
Habits and Disciplines
The assessment has provided me with the transparency needed to develop strategies to
overcome my areas of weakness. To overcome the grudges, I will list every person who has hurt
me and figure out what I expected from that person. I will then note my feelings when I was
disappointed by those who hurt me and decide if we can reconcile our differences.
A habit I will use to clear up issues I have with people is to have compassion for them. I
will discipline myself to perceive issues from a different lens. I will always remember that God
has forgiven me although I have done wrong in this world. So if God can forgive me, I must be
willing to forgive others. Matthew 18: 21-22 states, “Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord,
how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus
said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” Forgiveness is important
because it will prevent bitterness towards others. Having bitterness towards others destroys us
spiritually because we carry negative burdens when we are bitter.
I will discipline myself when praying with my family. A will make my family of the
importance of praying and how praying develops cohesion within the family. I will let them
know that we will have a mandatory prayer session before breakfast and dinner to create the
habit and instill the principles Christ wanted us to possess.
Bibliography
Dempsey, Rod. “Spiritual Formation Affects the Whole Person,” in Spiritual Formation Is...:
How to Grow in Jesus with Passion and Confidence. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic,
2018.
Earley, Dave. “Sweating in God’s Gym,” in Spiritual Formation Is...: How to Grow in Jesus
with Passion and Confidence. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018.
Farmer, Hugh. “The Holy Spirit In The Church.” Life of the Spirit (1946-1964) 7, no. 84
(1953): 533–538.
McNeill, John J. “The Church in the Age of the Holy Spirit.” CrossCurrents 50, no. 1/2 (2000):
163–168.
O’Donoghue, Noel Dermot. “I Believe in the Holy Spirit...” The Furrow 41, no. 12 (1990): 683–
688.
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