Growing with God
by Annie Yorty ©2022
New life requires nurture to grow to maturity. When God implants His Spirit within a believer, He expects and encourages a lifetime of growth. Let’s peek into the life of a little girl named Kayleigh to learn more about growing with God.
Sowing Seeds of Faith
My friend, Sarah, told me the story of a little girl in her group at Good News Camp last summer. Kayleigh learned about Jesus from the lessons and songs at camp, and she asked Him to be her Savior. Sarah, like the rest of us teachers at camp, cannot control what happens next in the life of her campers. They go home after learning spiritual truths at camp and our influence usually ends. Some have parents who nurture burgeoning faith, while others return to spiritually empty houses. Kayleigh lived in the latter situation, and Sarah worried about it in her prayers to God.
A year later would Kayleigh be growing with God?
This summer, Kayleigh came to camp, providentially during the same week Sarah volunteered. In fact, God orchestrated events so that Kayleigh was assigned to Sarah’s group once again. When Sarah sat down one on one with Kayleigh to talk, she expected the worst. In a home devoid of spiritual modeling, how could an eight-year-old maintain her faith, much less grow with God?
God had a lesson for Sarah in this situation. When Sarah asked Kayleigh about her spiritual growth over the last year, Kayleigh’s answer surprised her.
“I read my Bible every day,” Kayleigh explained.
“That’s great, Kayleigh.” Sarah was pleasantly surprised. “Do you have anyone who talks to you about God or takes you to church?”
“Nope. All I’ve got is God.” Kayleigh’s tone didn’t convey self-pity. She was more than satisfied with “just” God.
God Alone
I wonder if I, like Kayleigh, treasure God as my all-in-all? Or do I find outside supplements to bolster areas where I perceive Him to be lacking?
If I believe God is lacking in any area, my perception is way off.
How can we be completely satisfied with “just” God?
The closer we get to God, the more satisfaction we experience in Him. But we must discipline ourselves to intentionally move into His presence.
We often don’t like the idea of discipline. After all, it doesn’t sound much like fun. But spiritual disciplines help us find satisfaction in God alone.
Disciplines for Growing with God
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Read your Bible.
Children cannot physically grow without food. They will fail to thrive unless they receive adequate daily nutrition. As children of God, we come into His family as babies through our Lord Jesus Christ. We need to consume God’s Word every day to grow up in Christ. How sad if we were to arrive at the end of our time on earth still spiritually squalling and needing diaper changes because we failed to thrive?
We need to consume God’s Word every day to grow up in Christ. Click To TweetSearch for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him (1 Chronicles 16:11 NLT).
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Pray
When something great happens in my life, I call a friend. When sorrow afflicts me, I call a friend. We talk and laugh and cry together. God designed us to share life. Through Jesus Christ, our very best friend is God. But without regular contact and conversation, our friendship with God will wither on the vine instead of bearing fruit.
And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God (James 2:23 NLT).
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Go to church.
Our relationship with God strengthens when we join others in corporate worship and learning. Joining together with like-minded people shows us we belong to something bigger than ourselves. We understand how God is weaving the thread of our story into a worldwide and eternal tapestry of grace and beauty.
And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near (Hebrews 10:25).
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Tell people about God.
Teaching others cements the content within our minds and hearts. We scrutinize the material and put it to the test to communicate it to others. When we tell what we know about God, questions we receive drive us to investigate God and His claims. God gives His people the privilege of sharing the good news of Jesus so that we own His mission and link our hearts with Him in shared purpose.
And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16 NLT).
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Serve God.
Relationships deepen through shared experiences. As we serve God, He develops our ability to love others with His heart of mercy and compassion.
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless (1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT).
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Confess sin.
Unconfessed sin festers like an open sore in our hearts. Repenting to God applies the antiseptic of forgiveness. As God lovingly attends to our needs, we grow in gratitude toward Him and grace toward others.
Unconfessed sin festers like an open sore in our hearts. Repenting to God applies the antiseptic of forgiveness. Click To TweetBut if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness (1 John 1:9 NLT).
These six activities bring us closer to God’s presence where we grow in grace and knowledge of Him.
Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18 NLT).
I hope that all new Christians find someone more mature to help them grow with God. But since Kayleigh didn’t have anyone in her home to nurture her growth, God Himself stepped in. His Spirit will never abandon us to grow in God on our own.
Kayleigh is learning early on that God is all she needs. She depends on Him for growth because she has no one else.
Are you growing with God? I encourage you to find daily practices that bring you so close to Him that “just” God is all you need.
Join the conversation:
How has God personally helped you grow to know Him better?
I welcome your comments!
22 Comments
J.D. Wininger
What perfect timing for this encouraging post Ms. Annie. Our church kicks off the coming new school year this Sunday with a “Back to School Bash” (fun activities, school supplies, and sign-up for AWANA). I was praying this morning about the children who I hope will return this year, and wondering how much they may have lost over the summer. I was also praying how involved I wanted to be this year. With many challenges around the ranch, more ongoing consulting work, my Christian writing commitments, etc.; I was starting to ask God if maybe I should take a year off and focus my time elsewhere. Your post brought the answer I was looking for. All those other things are important things in my life, but not as important as helping those young people grow in the knowledge and understanding of our Lord. There goes my Wednesday nights. 🙂 Thank you for heeding God’s leading ma’am.
Annie Yorty
J.D., every summer I go back and forth about how much time to allot to camp because so many other responsibilities claim my attention. When I’m there, though, God removes all doubt. Partnering with Him in this way feeds my soul and I see how the kids change and grow. I’ll also add that there are usually far fewer men than women pouring into these kids, but I see such a hunger in them for the influence of strong men. Kudos to you for being one of those men. I trust your Wednesday nights will reach into eternity.
Toby
I love you. I thank God for the truth that you so clearly write about. May God continue to use you, bless you, and fill you with all joy as you go forth in His name.
Annie Yorty
Thank you for your blessing, love, and encouragement, Toby!
Barbara Latta
What a wonderful testimony you shared, Annie. This shows us the importance of planting those seeds early in life. And it is also evident God can talk to children as much as to adults. God’s Word is our spiritual nutrition and is what gives us life.
Annie Yorty
God gives me a heavy burden for sharing His hope with children. They face a harsh world, but if they can receive Christ to walk with them, we see such a difference in the outcome to troubles. Thank you for visiting, Barbara!
Carla Pollard
Thank you, Annie. God is so good. I am thankful He allowed Sarah to work with Kayleigh again. What a great witness to His ability to keep even those young hearts which are growing in less than ideal circumstance.
Annie Yorty
Carla, thanks for your comments. God certainly does amazing work within even the most awful, sinful circumstances.
Candyce Carden
Oh, but for the faith of a child.
I love Kayleigh’s simple, straightforward response: “Nope. All I’ve got is God.”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve learned life lessons from children. They teach me a lot. Kayleigh’s answer reminds me of a line from a beautiful hymn our men’s ensemble used to sing — “When you come to the place that I’m all you have, then you’ll find I’m all you need.”
Thanks for sharing this!
Annie Yorty
Jesus reminded us to come to our Father as children. As kids, we know we’re dependent, but we lose that sense as we grow up. We forget God is all we need. Thanks for adding your thoughts to the conversation, Candyce.
Jeannie Waters
This story touched my heart, Annie. We don’t always see fruit from sharing Christ with others, but when we do, we’re reminded of the importance of sharing our life with Him as we interact with other people. This statement holds a beautiful priority-setting truth: “But spiritual disciplines help us find satisfaction in God alone.”
Annie Yorty
Thank you, Jeannie. It is indeed such a blessing when we see the fruit of our work for God. One day we’ll see the big picture, but for now I’m thankful God give us snapshots to encourage us along the way. Blessings to you!
Katherine Pasour
What a beautiful message, Annie. Kayleigh’s example is a wonderful role model for any age (especially this old girl!) When I’m so worried about getting all my tasks accomplished, I need to remember Kayleigh’s faith that God is enough. Thank you for sharing these strategies for how we can strengthen our relationship with our Lord.
Annie Yorty
Thank you, Katherine. This child’s faith inspired me too.
Joanna Eccles
I think for me, I really appreciate the body of Christ as a way to help spur me on for love and good and also to hold me accountable for sticking to that which honors God first. I know that when all I have if God, He is enough. I just have to remind myself of that when my access to the body of Christ is limited, that I have Christ Himself ready to commune with me. Thanks for sharing.
Annie Yorty
You make a good point, Joanna. As iron sharpens iron, my brothers and sisters in Christ inspire me to live up to God’s holy standard. It’s the Holy Spirit within each of us that unifies us in our desire to honor God with our lives.
Yvonne Morgan
What a wonderful testimony. Camps and Sunday school time are so very important for so many young children. What a blessing to be able to make a difference. Thanks Annie
Annie Yorty
Thank you, Yvonne, for your visit and encouraging words.
Debbie Wilson
I love hearing how Jesus was enough for Kayleigh! What a Savior we have!
Annie Yorty
Indeed, He is enough!
Jennifer
Such a great story. God is so good.
Annie Yorty
Thanks for visiting, Jen!