{"id":48588,"date":"2021-09-11T18:57:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-11T22:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=48588"},"modified":"2026-01-23T15:25:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T19:25:55","slug":"grow-spiritually","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Grow Spiritually: Be More Like Jesus Each Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Are you committed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-grow-spiritually\/\">growing spiritually<\/a>? Are you more like Jesus today than you were yesterday?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s an amazing blessing\u2014and a miracle\u2014that people are able to grow spiritually. When you do your part, God does his part to restore his image in you. Pastor Rick Warren discusses three things that have to change for you to grow spiritually\u2014as well as three tools that God uses to help you grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read more to learn what it means to grow spiritually and how to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-grow-spiritually-to-be-like-jesus\">Grow Spiritually to Be Like Jesus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This might sound like an ambitious goal, but remember that you were made in God\u2019s likeness. <\/strong>You can see evidence of this in several ways:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You have intellect\u2014the ability to think and reason.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You can love and be loved.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You have a sense of right and wrong.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You become more like Jesus when you take on the same values and character in your own life. <\/strong>This doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ll give up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/your-genius\/\">who you are<\/a> to be just like Jesus\u2014after all, God gave you a unique personality that he wants you to use. Rather than changing your personality, you\u2019ll be changing your character to become more Christlike through <em>character development.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your character already exists inside you but isn\u2019t shaped in any particular way. Throughout your life, God will put new challenges in your way that will help you put the pieces of your character together\u2014ultimately, his goal is that you\u2019ll arrive in heaven with a character as close to Jesus\u2019s as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-choice-to-grow-spiritually\">The Choice to Grow Spiritually<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not possible to become more like Jesus just by willpower alone. Only the power of the Holy Spirit is strong enough to affect the changes that God wants for your character.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may feel that the Holy Spirit has never worked through you before. Like many people, you probably believe that the Holy Spirit shows up in brilliant, grand gestures. <strong>Rather, the Holy Spirit\u2019s power shows up in our lives in quiet and reserved ways\u2014<\/strong><strong><em>every time you choose to grow spiritually.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This choice looks like taking a small leap of faith to complete a seemingly impossible task, pushing forward when you feel weak or afraid, or choosing the right thing to do. The Holy Spirit doesn\u2019t help those who are waiting for power or strength before they act\u2014it\u2019s activated by those who feel weak but act anyway.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Growing spiritually isn\u2019t the <em>easy<\/em> choice, but it\u2019s the <em>right<\/em> choice. It allows God\u2019s Spirit to live through you and give you his power, wisdom, and love so that you can complete the task ahead. <strong>This strengthens your character\u2014as time goes on, you\u2019ll feel less afraid of the challenges God puts in front of you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-change-your-character-by-changing-your-behaviors\">Change Your Character by Changing Your Behaviors<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Your character is a sum of your behaviors and habits\u2014these must change to become more Christlike if your character is to become more Christlike, too. There are three parts to changing your behaviors.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-part-1-reject-your-old-behaviors\">Part 1: Reject Your Old Behaviors<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>To grow spiritually, you must <em>commit to changing<\/em>. <strong>This is a crucial point of your spiritual life because it\u2019s the kickoff point of your spiritual maturity. <\/strong>Unfortunately, many people choose not to commit to their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/spiritual-evolution\/\">spiritual growth<\/a>, which causes them to miss out on their purpose in different ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Some people don\u2019t commit because they\u2019re afraid and end up without meaning or purpose in their lives.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some people half-commit, or have paradoxical commitments\u2014such as <em>both<\/em> wealth and spiritual maturity\u2014which leads them to feel constantly frustrated and unable to truly master any of their commitments.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some people commit to the <em>wrong<\/em> things\u2014such as power, wealth, or pleasure. At the end of their lives, they don\u2019t have the promise of eternal life, and their temporary earth commitments disappear, leaving them unfulfilled.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You must choose a <em>full<\/em> commitment to be like Jesus\u2014otherwise, you risk missing the meaning and fulfillment that life has to offer.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-part-2-change-the-way-you-think-nbsp\">Part 2: Change the Way You Think&nbsp;<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve rejected your old way of doing things and committed to growing spiritually, turn your focus to <em>the way you think. <\/em>Your actions are dictated by your beliefs and attitudes\u2014therefore, changing the way you think will naturally change your behaviors and habits.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s important to understand here that your brain mostly works on autopilot\u2014that is, instead of thinking through all possible decisions or reactions to a situation, your brain saves energy by automatically choosing what you usually do or whatever\u2019s easiest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For example, you might automatically become defensive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hub\/personal-life\/health\/mental\/how-to-handle-criticism\/\">when you receive criticism<\/a>, even when it\u2019s warranted. Or, you might eat a cupcake that\u2019s offered to you, instead of declining it.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-willpower-instinct\/preview\" rel=\"nofollow\">Read our guide to <em>The Willpower Instinct<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>for a deeper look at how autopilot decisions can rule your life.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>There are two ways you can override your autopilot: willpower and reprogramming.<\/strong> When you try to force new behaviors with <em>willpower<\/em> alone, you consciously choose to do the opposite of what your autopilot tells you to do. Instead of changing the thinking at the base of your behaviors, you\u2019re changing <em>only<\/em> your behaviors\u2014treating a symptom, instead of the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This may work in short-term contexts\u2014such as saying \u201cno\u201d to that cupcake once\u2014but won\u2019t work out in the long term. Your willpower simply isn\u2019t as strong as your autopilot, so you\u2019ll quickly wear out and fall back on automatic actions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For long-term behavioral changes, you need to <\/strong><strong><em>reprogram your autopilot <\/em><\/strong><strong>so that your thoughts support the right behaviors. <\/strong>This is an ongoing project of consciously examining the thoughts that prompt your decisions and reactions, and realigning them with the way Jesus would think. There are two parts to this examination:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1) Identify and stop self-centered thoughts.<\/strong> Recognize when your thoughts are all about you, what you want, or how you feel. These sorts of thoughts are considered <em>immature<\/em> because they\u2019re thoughts that an infant would have\u2014they think only of themselves and their needs, interested only in <em>taking<\/em> rather than <em>giving<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For example, if someone corrects one of your ideas and you react defensively, you\u2019re thinking about yourself\u2014you\u2019re driven by your feelings of embarrassment or hurt pride, or feel that your idea deserved more appreciation.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2) Make your thoughts about others. <\/strong>Consider how your self-centered thoughts could be more about others\u2014how you can <em>give<\/em> rather than <em>take<\/em>. These thoughts focus on the perspective, needs, and feelings of others, and are considered <em>mature.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For example, if someone corrected one of your ideas, the mature choice is to react with humility and accept their correction. You realize you\u2019re not perfect and their correction was made in your best interest with the intent of making your idea even better.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-part-3-align-actions-with-thoughts\">Part 3: Align Actions With Thoughts<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s important here to think about what it means to be \u201cspiritually mature.\u201d Many people falsely believe that it means knowing a lot of information about the Bible and its concepts. While <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-knowledge-is-important\/\">knowledge is important<\/a>, it\u2019s essential that you <em>act<\/em> on it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For example, you might have a spiritually mature thought, such as, \u201cI should make time to visit the elderly members of my church.\u201d This thought doesn\u2019t develop your character if you never act on it. Instead, it\u2019s a passing thought that gets edged out by your commitment to spiritually immature thoughts and desires, like your social life or hobbies.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Frequently reflect on your <em>actions<\/em> and ensure that they\u2019re aligning with your <em>thoughts<\/em>.<strong> Ask yourself: Have I truly committed to being like Jesus, or am I only doing half of the work?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-three-tools-of-character-development\">Three Tools of Character Development<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve committed to growing spiritually, God will use three tools to provide you with opportunities to further develop your character: God\u2019s Word, other people, and circumstances.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tool-1-god-s-word\">Tool #1: God\u2019s Word<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Absorbing God\u2019s Word and living by it should take high priority in your life, as it contains the truths that nourish your spirit and guide you in fulfilling your purposes.<\/strong> There are three everyday activities you can perform to internalize God\u2019s Word and live your life by it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-activity-1-accept-the-authority-of-his-word\">Activity 1: Accept the Authority of His Word<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>The Bible is the guidebook for your life and should be where you turn when you need to make decisions or examine your behaviors. <strong>God\u2019s word is an unfailingly reliable standard that will never lead you astray, as other authorities might, such as:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Peer pressure: \u201cEveryone else said I should do it.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tradition: \u201cThis is how it\u2019s always been done.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Logic: \u201cIt seemed to make sense.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Emotion: \u201cIt felt like the right thing to do.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When making decisions, always ask yourself: \u201cWhat does the Bible tell me to do?\u201d Whatever God\u2019s Word instructs, you must do with full faith in his authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-activity-2-fill-your-mind-with-his-word\">Activity 2: Fill Your Mind With His Word<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Living by God\u2019s Word becomes easier when you keep it, ready to use, in your mind. There are five common ways that people fill their minds with his Word.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Be receptive:<\/strong> Listen to his Word with an open mind, looking for the lessons. If you feel you aren\u2019t learning anything during a sermon or Bible study, examine your mindset. There is <em>always <\/em>something to learn from his Word, so if you\u2019re not learning it\u2019s because you have a closed-off attitude. Focus your mind on being open to new ideas and lessons.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Read: <\/strong>Read the Bible every day. One way to stay on track with this is to create a reading plan\u2014this helps you read with purpose instead of jumping between sections or missing out on sections that might not seem interesting.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Study: <\/strong>Bible study should go hand-in-hand with your reading. Effective study involves reflecting on the information you\u2019re reading and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/writing-down-your-thoughts\/\">writing down your thoughts<\/a>, questions, and insights. Your questions and insights don\u2019t need to be especially profound or poetic\u2014simply asking who, what, where, when, why, and how will make you more engaged with the text.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Memorize: <\/strong>Having verses memorized can help you in many situations, as you have a ready reminder of God\u2019s instructions when you need to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/making-better-decisions-2\/\">make good choices<\/a>, give advice, resist temptation, and so on. To start your practice of verse memorization, select several parts of Scripture that feel especially relevant to you. Write them on a card that you can carry with you and look at frequently.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reflect: <\/strong>Meditating on God\u2019s Word means choosing a verse, focusing on it, and thinking about it over and over again. This firmly plants the verse in your mind and lets you explore it and understand it from many different angles.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-activity-3-apply-the-lessons-of-his-word\">Activity 3: Apply the Lessons of His Word<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s incorrect to think that once you\u2019ve read something, you\u2019ve absorbed the lessons and understood it. <strong>To truly understand the lessons of God\u2019s Word, you need to apply them to your life.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each time you read and study God\u2019s Word, think about the lesson in it. Then, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/create-a-plan\/\">create a plan<\/a> to use the lesson in your life. A good action plan is specific and has three parts: It\u2019s <em>personal<\/em> and involves one of your own relationships or character development, it\u2019s <em>doable<\/em>, and it <em>has a deadline<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For example, if you read the story of the Good Samaritan, you might make a plan to help someone you don\u2019t know within the next week to develop your capacity for helping others without receiving anything in return.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tool-2-people\">Tool #2: People<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>You can\u2019t grow spiritually just by reading the Bible or praying\u2014God wants you to grow <em>with<\/em> others because they lend you the support you need for meaningful growth. Sometimes applying the lessons of his Word can be difficult, or can expose something you don\u2019t like about yourself such as weaknesses or corrupt morals. <strong>Sharing the journey of spiritual maturity\u2014and all its difficulties\u2014with a support system allows you to continue your growth in a number of ways:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Others act as a support system when you feel too weak to make the right choice.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They can help you understand parts of God\u2019s Word in ways you wouldn\u2019t have seen by yourself.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They can give you ideas on how to implement his lessons in your life, and you can hold each other accountable to see the tasks through.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, other people are imperfect and may irritate you or test your patience. <strong>These interactions are a true test of your character\u2014will you act selfishly, or will you choose to act as Jesus would?<\/strong> Every time you respond with patience and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-truth-about-love\/\">unselfish love<\/a> in these moments, your character becomes more Christlike.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tool-3-circumstances\">Tool #3: Circumstances<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>God puts difficult circumstances in your way in order to put you in an environment necessary for growth. If you always lived in your comfort zone, you would never learn about enduring pain, taking on seemingly insurmountable challenges, or stretching the limits of your faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the problems God puts in front of you won\u2019t always help you with your character development. <strong>Difficult circumstances will only strengthen your character <\/strong><strong><em>as long as you respond to them as Jesus would. <\/em><\/strong>Reacting in a selfish or immature way will only create resentment or frustration that holds you back instead of helping you grow.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-respond-to-difficult-circumstances-like-jesus\">How to Respond to Difficult Circumstances Like Jesus<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>The Bible outlines three ways that you can make sure your response to problems aligns with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/christ-like-character\/\">Christlike character<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1) Remember that God is good. <\/strong>Always know that God is acting in your best interest\u2014if he\u2019s giving you pain or not responding to your prayers for assistance, it\u2019s because he knows that\u2019s what will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/melania-trumps-be-best\/\">be best<\/a> for your character development.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For example, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and initially couldn\u2019t understand the pain he had to endure. Eventually, God\u2019s plan came into focus when he realized he was meant to help save Egypt from famine.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In these hard moments, turn your focus <em>away<\/em> from your problem and <em>toward<\/em> God\u2019s plan\u2014reminding yourself that there is a reason behind your suffering can help alleviate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It helps to also remember that your difficult circumstances or pain are <em>temporary<\/em>, but the character you\u2019re developing will live <em>eternally.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2) Give thanks. <\/strong>God wants us to give thanks in all circumstances. This doesn\u2019t mean you have to be thankful <em>for<\/em> the circumstance\u2014it would certainly be difficult to find a way to be thankful for pain or suffering. Rather, God wants you to be thankful that <em>because<\/em> of the circumstance, you can learn and develop your character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3) Keep going. <\/strong>You\u2019ll likely feel the temptation to give up on your circumstances or turn away from God. <em>Make the choice to grow spiritually<\/em>\u2014keep moving forward with faith, patience, and perseverance. <strong>The only path to character development is <\/strong><strong><em>through<\/em><\/strong><strong> your circumstances.<\/strong> Avoiding problems or trying to find a shortcut through them causes you to miss out on crucial moments of leaning into faith or pushing through fear.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As a result, you\u2019ll continue to approach problems with a \u201cWhy me?\u201d mindset, instead of recognizing God in your circumstances and making the spiritually mature choice to ask, \u201cWhat\u2019s the lesson here?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-remember-it-s-a-lifetime-project-nbsp\">Remember It\u2019s a Lifetime Project&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Remember that character development doesn\u2019t happen all at once\u2014it\u2019s a lifetime process that has setbacks and stagnation<\/strong><em>. <\/em>It\u2019s only when Jesus returns to earth that you\u2019ll be able to perfectly see him and have your character transformed to be exactly like his. In the meantime, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/your-life-purpose\/\">your purpose<\/a> is to <em>strive toward <\/em>a Christlike character.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because this work takes so long, it might be easy to forget about it or think that it\u2019s okay to \u201ccheat\u201d now and then. <strong>It\u2019s crucial to always remember that <\/strong><strong><em>character<\/em><\/strong><strong> matters far more than anything you have on earth. <\/strong>It\u2019s the only thing you take into eternity with you. <strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keeping this in mind is important because, in forgetting your commitment to be like Jesus, you become vulnerable to the influence of others, such as your family, friends, or colleagues.<strong> <\/strong>When you shape yourself according to your commitments to <em>them<\/em>, you risk missing out on the spiritual maturity that gives you meaning in life and promises eternal life. Regularly check in and ask yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What commitment am I fulfilling right now?\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are my actions in the interest of <em>character development<\/em> or <em>personal fulfillment?<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Growing spiritually is simply to be like Jesus more each day. One of these days, God&#8217;s image will be restored in you completely if you choose to stay on the path he has made for you. That is certainly his desire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you committed to growing spiritually? Are you more like Jesus today than you were yesterday? It&#8217;s an amazing blessing\u2014and a miracle\u2014that people are able to grow spiritually. When you do your part, God does his part to restore his image in you. Pastor Rick Warren discusses three things that have to change for you to grow spiritually\u2014as well as three tools that God uses to help you grow. Read more to learn what it means to grow spiritually and how to do it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":48599,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,43,6],"tags":[488],"class_list":["post-48588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-self-improvement","category-spiritual","tag-the-purpose-driven-life","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Grow Spiritually: Be More Like Jesus Each Day - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How can you grow spiritually and be like Jesus more each day? Learn three things that must change and three tools God uses to help you grow.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Grow Spiritually: Be More Like Jesus Each Day\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How can you grow spiritually and be like Jesus more each day? Learn three things that must change and three tools God uses to help you grow.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-09-11T22:57:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-23T19:25:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/grow-spiritually.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"368\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\"},\"headline\":\"How to Grow Spiritually: Be More Like Jesus Each Day\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-11T22:57:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-23T19:25:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/\"},\"wordCount\":2843,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/grow-spiritually.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"The Purpose Driven Life\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Lifestyle\",\"Self-Improvement\",\"Spiritual\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/\",\"name\":\"How to Grow Spiritually: Be More Like Jesus Each Day - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/grow-spiritually.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-11T22:57:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-23T19:25:55+00:00\",\"description\":\"How can you grow spiritually and be like Jesus more each day? Learn three things that must change and three tools God uses to help you grow.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/grow-spiritually.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/grow-spiritually.jpg\",\"width\":750,\"height\":368},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Grow Spiritually: Be More Like Jesus Each Day\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\",\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\"},\"description\":\"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.\",\"sameAs\":[\"rina@shortform.com\"],\"award\":[\"Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)\",\"Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)\",\"Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)\",\"Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)\"],\"knowsAbout\":[\"History\",\"Theology\",\"Government\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior SEO Writer\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Grow Spiritually: Be More Like Jesus Each Day - Shortform Books","description":"How can you grow spiritually and be like Jesus more each day? Learn three things that must change and three tools God uses to help you grow.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Grow Spiritually: Be More Like Jesus Each Day","og_description":"How can you grow spiritually and be like Jesus more each day? Learn three things that must change and three tools God uses to help you grow.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2021-09-11T22:57:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-23T19:25:55+00:00","og_image":[{"width":750,"height":368,"url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/grow-spiritually.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Elizabeth Whitworth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elizabeth Whitworth","Est. reading time":"13 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/"},"author":{"name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13"},"headline":"How to Grow Spiritually: Be More Like Jesus Each Day","datePublished":"2021-09-11T22:57:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-23T19:25:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/"},"wordCount":2843,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/grow-spiritually.jpg","keywords":["The Purpose Driven Life"],"articleSection":["Lifestyle","Self-Improvement","Spiritual"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/","name":"How to Grow Spiritually: Be More Like Jesus Each Day - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/grow-spiritually.jpg","datePublished":"2021-09-11T22:57:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-23T19:25:55+00:00","description":"How can you grow spiritually and be like Jesus more each day? Learn three things that must change and three tools God uses to help you grow.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/grow-spiritually.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/grow-spiritually.jpg","width":750,"height":368},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/grow-spiritually\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Grow Spiritually: Be More Like Jesus Each Day"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13","name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Elizabeth Whitworth"},"description":"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.","sameAs":["rina@shortform.com"],"award":["Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)","Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)","Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)","Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)"],"knowsAbout":["History","Theology","Government"],"jobTitle":"Senior SEO Writer","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/grow-spiritually.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48588"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":148042,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48588\/revisions\/148042"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}