What Can Young People Do To Grow Spiritually?

As a young person, you might wonder how you can start taking ownership of your own faith. Here are two simple, practical habits you can build to grow closer to God.

1. Prepare Your Bible Lessons

One of the most important things you can do is to make sure you complete your Bible class lessons before arriving at church.

You might think nobody notices whether you do your homework or not, but your teacher definitely cares! Students who prepare for class ask better questions and share more meaningful comments.

Preparing beforehand helps you understand the Bible stories on a deeper level. It also allows you to build on what you have already learned at home.

Doing your lesson shows that you respect God’s Word and genuinely want to please Him. The Bible has the power to guide you through many life challenges. However, if you do not take the time to know the Bible, it cannot help you.

Try to complete your lesson at least a day before class. This gives you time to think about what you studied, and you can even review it with your parents.

2. Start a Nightly Devotional

A devotional (a short period of Bible study and prayer) is a wonderful way to end your day. In Psalm 63:6, King David wrote that he meditated on God as he fell asleep. We should make it a habit to begin and end each day thinking about our Creator.

A great way to do this is to gather with your family before bedtime. These sessions do not need to be long; five or ten minutes is plenty of time.

You can discuss a specific Bible character, read a passage, or study the life of Jesus together.

How Our Family Did It

When I was growing up, our family would study the same Bible story for a whole week. By the end of the week, the older kids could retell the entire story from memory.

We would also sing songs, like the “Books of the Bible” or the “Twelve Apostles.” We always ended our family time with prayer, and each child would pray out loud.

Ending the day together in prayer and study is a special way to build family bonds. Ask your parents if you can start studying together before bed tonight.