7 Ways to Enhance Spiritual Growth in Quarantine

Read James 4:8

With rumors of release from quarantine starting to swirl as May begins, I thought it would only be fitting to discuss this in a devotion. We are so excited to see things go back to “normal”, but what if they never do, and it’s for the better? Hopefully, you’ve been using this time in quarantine to build your spiritual muscles. We must turn to God in our time of struggling so He can renew our strength & offer us help. God wants us to be prepared! That way, when the economy begins to open, we will be ready to be beacons of hope in our spiritually dark world. Hopefully you have your spiritual armor ready (Eph 6:10-18) so we can stand firm and be better witnesses.

Even before all this, I know I haven’t been the best witness I could be. Trust me, I understand. It can be so hard to be a witness, and not being able to see people as often has made it worse. But thankfully, God seems to be giving us a wake-up call and

a chance to change for the better. One of the best corrective measures you can take is to become more grounded in the Word and fall more in love with God. He is the only One that can help us. Getting excited about your relationship with God again will make you excited to spread the gospel!

If you haven’t done so already, here are seven practical ways to build your spiritual stamina during quarantine:

Read your Bible Every Day

There’s so much to learn! It can comfort you, guide you, and so much more. Jump on a reading plan with a friend for accountability. Even if you don’t feel like you’re getting anything out of it, read chunks! Try doing different sections from different books if you have trouble keeping your attention span on one thing at a time (for example, read a Psalm after you read a more difficult passage.)

Pray

I don’t mean a quick “God bless this mess, amen” before you eat. I mean really praying like you mean it and with the belief that it will change something. Do you pray for our country and its leadership? The sick? Those that are hurting financially right now? Your brothers and sisters in Christ? Your church? Check out James 5:16 for some guidance and encouragement about your prayer life. What about prayers of thanksgiving? We have so much to be thankful for, even during this unusual time. Do you ever just thank the Lord and ask Him to reveal what He wants to teach you? No matter what you pray for, just make sure you’re doing so constantly (1 Thes 5:17)!

Worship

This can be through prayer or even music. Maybe you set aside a part of quiet time just to praise God and enjoy who He is. He is the only one worthy of praise. It is so easy to neglect worship, but the Bible shows us it should be an integral part of our lifestyle! Clean your heart up and start praising God for who He is. Need some help? Here are some verses: (John 4:23-24 for how to worship), (Neh 9:5-6; Psalm 100; 1 Chron 16:23-31 are some examples.)

Memorize Scripture

Read Psalm 119:11 for one reason we should memorize scripture. It’s always good to be picking up new verses. You never know when you’ll need them! Heaven forbid our Bibles be taken from us, but if it comes to that, how much will you have stored in your heart? I’ll admit, I’m not the best about this either. I struggle to memorize verses. Thankfully, there’s apps for that! Something else that is helpful is writing it over and over, making up a song (that’s how I learned 1 John 4:7-8 in junior church) or saying it out loud. The method doesn’t matter as long as you’re learning!

Point Your Heart to God

Listen to Christian radio or a playlist while you do chores. Find a podcast about testimonies or listen to more sermons throughout the day. Post scripture where you’ll see it (since you’ll be seeing a lot more of the same areas during this time) or purposely carve out time during your day to pray. Whatever it may look like for you, intentionally focus more on God. In normal life, we often get too busy to do this, so being intentional is the only way to make sure it gets done.

Study Your Bible

2 Tim 2:15 tells why we should study. This goes beyond just reading. There’s so many ways to study, but in short, you go deeper into God’s word. Whether it’s by recording your thoughts as you read the Scripture, writing other verses that come to mind (but if you’re a beginner; what “conventional wisdom” does it remind you of or even go against?), or looking at supplemental literature. Maybe you do a word study by looking at Hebrew/Greek roots, color code sections (see my post in resources!), a character study about Biblical figures, or read a commentary. If you struggle to get started, there are plenty of devotional/Bible study apps that can ease you into studying on your own. Whatever way you study the Bible, get back into it! Now is as good a time as ever to learn more about the God we serve.

Read Biblical Lifestyle Books

While I love a good fiction novel, reading books by spiritual role models is something I highly recommend. It nourishes your soul in a different way. Reading about the testimonies, struggles, and point of view of others can really be eye-opening and change how you look at things. I’ve learned a lot from what others have written about. It can also be a great comfort to know that others go through the same kinds of struggles. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom or Girl Defined by Kirsten Clark & Bethany Baird (Beal) are a great place to start!

These are just a few ways to kickstart your growth in Christ. I don’t want this to become a checklist for you. These are just ideas that I hope you start to implement in your life. It can be hard at first to get new routines and habits started, so why not start now, when everything is crazy anyway? Trust me, your spiritual walk will thank you in the future. That is, if you start today!

Questions:

• What areas do you struggle in your walk with the Lord (prayer life, Bible reading, worship, etc.)? Why do you think that is?
• How can you practically implement just one of the things from this list into your daily routine?