How To Assess Your Spiritual Growth: Two Methods

Hey Family!

 

I want to provide a helpful tool for assessing where you are in your spiritual walk with Jesus and how you can develop some steps to move forward.

 

Progress Toward the Goal

I have spoken in multiple places on the idea that the Christian life is a process or a way that is meant to go onto maturity. Some verses that makes this clear are Ephesians 4:13 which talks about us growing to the “measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” or Matthew 28:19 in which Jesus says disciples should be taught to obey all the things He spoke about when on the earth. That’s a big calling!

 

Big Goals Need Small Goals

A simple truth that is easily accepted is that big goals need smaller goals to make them attainable. If you want to make brownies you need to know how to mix ingredients in a bowl, then how to preset an oven etc. To drive to your friends home you need to learn to drive, to know the end address, then to know the directions to get there. Big goals need small goals.. So the biggest goal for Christians also needs some smaller goals or steps as Peter put it, or one glory to another as Paul put it. What are those smaller goals? Jesus said they are His commandments remember in the great commission He said “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded”.

 

1 Peter 2:21 

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

 

2 Corinthians 3:18 

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.

 

Two Tools

 

The Wheel

The first tool is called The Wheel. The Wheel is a tool developed by Dawson Trotman founder of the Navigators. It condenses some of Jesus’ main commandments into an easy to remember image to help Christians begin to get moving in the Christian life. This link from the Navs give a explanation of the Wheel and why the categories are so important:

The Wheel Illustration

 

In order to use it as an assessment try the following:

1. Draw out the wheel.
2. Then write out each of these with some space in-between:
   • Christ the Center (Galatians 2:20)
   • The Word (2 Timothy 3:16)
   • Prayer (John 15:7)
   • Witnessing (Matthew 4:19)
   • Fellowship (Hebrews 10:24-25)
   • Obedience (Romans 12:1)
3. Look at the associated verses and write a goal statement based on what the verse is saying. What kind of engagement in that area does God intend for us to have?
4. List out what you are doing regularly in that area right now.
5. Assess how you are doing in each area by answering some questions like this:
   • How am I currently meeting the goal?
   • Ideally what would I need to do to get closer to this goal?
6. Give each area a rating from 1-5 based on your answers.
7. Finally write out some goals for your weakest areas, how can you move forward in those areas within the next two weeks?

 

Coach the Bible

This one is pretty easy. Head over to Coachthebible.com and complete the assessment on the front page. Dennis has done a great job there of coming up with some specific things to do depending on your stage of spiritual growth and specific areas you may be weak in. There are videos, Bible Studies and other materials that can give you some cool next steps.

 

For me I use both but the Wheel is my go to tool. If I help another person it is easy to write out and go over the verses on the spot. Coachthebible is more wholistic and you can even get coaching from a trained spiritual growth coach! My wife and I are both working on our own coaching certificates so we can help others in that way as well, it is a good tool for helping you meet and develop specific goals in your spiritual life.