If you want to grow spiritually, you need to develop some habits: reading God’s word, praying, and engaging with a local church. I don’t know any Christian who is genuinely growing without these practices, and I’ve also seen that when people drift from them, their growth usually stalls.
But as important as these habits are, they aren’t where you begin. They come later. First, focus on desire and time.
Desire
Before you take up any spiritual discipline, ask the most important question: Do I truly desire God? The goal isn’t to practice habits for their own sake; it’s to meet with the living God. These habits are meant to be means — pathways that lead us to him — not ends in themselves.
The good news is that God promises to be found by those who seek him. If you genuinely pursue him, he will honor that longing. But if you practice the disciplines without desire, you’ll eventually feel like you’re just going through the motions.
And remember: desire fluctuates. When your longing for God wanes, don’t panic, and don’t think you’re the only one. But don’t settle there either. Bring your coldness to him honestly, and ask him to rekindle what’s grown dim. You may also want to check out John Piper’s book When I Don’t Desire God for more help.
Remember: keep God himself as the goal, not the habits. Ask God to help you focus on him and increase your desire for him. Let that renewed desire draw you back to his word, to prayer, and to his people. The disciplines aren’t the destination; they’re the pathways to encountering God.
Time
There’s another key step: make time. Growth in Christ takes time, like any pursuit that truly matters. We need time to read Scripture, pray, and gather with the church, not just for worship, but to build real relationships with fellow believers.
Start small, and aim for a rhythm you can sustain. Choose a manageable Bible reading plan. Keep your prayers simple at first, and let them deepen over time. Then choose a time that genuinely fits your life and protect it. It may not be hours to begin with, but it should be a regular, guarded window you treat as a real priority.
In the same way, protect your time for church each week. Prioritize the gathered worship of God’s people, and commit to some form of ministry or community where you can be known and get to know others. Make this a settled rhythm rather than a weekly decision.
We’re all busy, but we all make time for what matters. If you want to grow in godliness, you’ll need to make time for the basic disciplines. Over time, that protected time becomes one of the main ways God strengthens both your desire for him and your consistency in seeking him.
Desire and time go hand in hand. When we truly want something, we tend to find a way to make time for it, but we still have to set it apart intentionally. That’s why two common reasons people drift from these habits are a lack of desire for God and a failure to protect their schedule.
Begin by asking God for a deeper desire for himself, then carve out space in your week for his word, prayer, and life with his people. This is where growth begins.
