7 Spiritual Disciplines of a High Impact Teen

There are so many people who grow up in church and spend their teen years actively involved in youth group but find themselves spiritually empty. It’s not something those of us who have invested our lives in youth ministry really want to talk about very much. You would think that a teenager who is committed to going to church regularly and is hearing the Word taught on a consistent basis would become a thriving Christian and continue to thrive spiritually for years and years to come.

But the hard reality is that about 70% of youth who grow up in church end up leaving the church after high school. That’s tough for those of us in youth ministry to accept. But it is happening.

If I could speak to the heart of a teenager today or even a college student, I’d like to share what I’ve learned from decades of youth ministry about the real path to your spiritual walk with God.

You see, many years ago I began to realize that teens in church for the most part were not really growing spiritually. Just attending church, listening to a message from the pastor, youth pastor or Sunday school teacher and leaving only to return again in a few days to repeat the process isn’t really enough to transform you into a strong, growing Christian. The truth is that many students are much more strategic about how to “not listen” than they are about really listening anyway so even though you are there in church, how long has it been since you really listened intently to the message?

This leads me to a realization. Just being in church does not automatically guarantee spiritual growth. But there is a way for you to experience incredible growth in your Christian life and it has a lot more to do with your approach to your spiritual growth than the responsibility of your pastor, youth pastor and teachers to wow you with their best sermons week after week.

It comes down to this… every Christian needs to commit to their own spiritual growth plan.

Several years ago I began to track on a weekly basis over 80 teens in our church youth group in areas of spiritual development and we tracked them in these areas for five years. Turns out, there were 7 key habits that were making all the difference in their personal spiritual growth. Here are the 7 key spiritual growth habits that made the difference. We learned that the habits and the frequency of the habits were important. For example, teens who had their devotions at least 4 days per week out of 7 were really growing spiritually. Also we noticed that teens who memorized at least 5 verses of scripture per month found that scripture memory made a big impact… but it didn’t necessarily need to be at a level of hundreds of verses a month to make a difference.

Here are 7 Habits That Will Help You Grow as a Christian

Devotions–

Keep a devotional journal and consistently write down the truths you are learning from scripture and how you are putting these truths in to practice. Make a commitment to read the Bible at least 4 days or more each week. Read as few as five verses or more if you like. The key is to read, understand and apply the Word. Focus on getting something from your Bible reading not on trying to read large portions of scripture just to check it off your to do list.

Prayer –

Keep a journal of prayer requests and as much as possible be specific in your prayers so you can record the date God answered prayer in your life. Set a goal to pray at least 4 times each week over your prayer list and be specific enough with some of your requests that you can actually measure that it was answered.

Scripture Memory –

Memorize verses of scripture and allow God to use the scripture to help you grow as a Christian. Set a goal to memorize 5 verses of scripture each month and continue to review them over and over until they have become “carved into your heart.”

Sermon Notes –

Take a journal to church with you and take notes on the Bible messages and lessons you hear. Refer back to these notes often in order to remember what God has taught you. List to the messages with a desire to learn and grow.

Christian Service –

Find ways to serve the Lord by helping others. Put your faith into practice by helping others in need and showing God’s love. Talk to your pastor or teachers about ways to actively serve God in your community. Do at least one “Christian service” action each month. Volunteer at a nursing home or hospital, help at a homeless shelter, serve young children, do a missionary project. You’ll be amazed how much your faith comes alive when you serve others out of a heart for God. Oh, and the best Christian service you can ever do is to share your faith with a friend. Tell them what God is doing in your life and introduce them to Christ.

Sermon Audio –

Listen to Bible messages throughout the week. Find good Bible teachers and preachers on the radio or on the internet and listen to messages that will help you and challenge you to grow spiritually. Subscribe to podcasts of great preachers, look for messages that will inspire and challenge you. Set a goal to listen to one sermon per week outside of church.

Read Books –

Read good Christian books on topics that will help you grow spiritually. Read Christian biographies of others who have served God and been used of Him mightily. Set a goal to read one Christian book each month that will inspire you and teach you how to be a Christian who really experiences God.

Read Psalm 119 this week and look for all the ways God says to approach His word with your “whole heart.” Determine now that you won’t live as a “half-hearted” Christian.

If you are interested in learning more about our High Impact Teen Spiritual Journal, click here.