Spiritual Growth Needs Daily Effort, Not Just Sunday Habits

Editor’s note – Spiritual disciplines rarely feel dramatic in the moment; they look like showing up again, and then again, after the novelty fades. The author noticed that pattern first in her body, through a month of nightly stretching, and then recognized it in her walk with God. We’re running her reflection because it names a temptation every believer knows: expecting closeness with God to arrive without the daily attention any relationship requires.

Building a Nightly Habit

For the past month, I’ve been doing lymphatic Pilates for about 30 minutes every night. For a while, walking was my main form of exercise, and I still enjoy walking and hiking with my husband when we get the chance. But my days have gotten busier lately with Vinted sales, trips to the post office, work, and other errands, so I wanted something I could consistently do at home.

I kept seeing videos about lymphatic Pilates on my social media feed and decided to try it. It’s a low-impact form of movement that combines Pilates exercises with focused breathing, and I’ve created my own routine based on the exercises I’ve learned. I usually do it about two and a half hours before bed because I don’t want to do a strenuous workout too close to bedtime.

After consistently doing the exercises for about a month, I’ve started noticing some changes. I’ve lost a pound, my pants are fitting a little looser, and I feel like I’m becoming more toned. I’ve also noticed improvements in my balance and core strength, and the evening routine itself has become a relaxing way to wind down.

None of those changes happened after one workout. They came because I kept showing up.

Editor’s note – The comparison holds up under scrutiny. No one expects a single workout to reshape a body, yet many of us quietly expect one Sunday service to sustain a soul all week.

I Can’t Expect Results Without Putting in the Work

While I was cleaning the house today, I started thinking about the progress I’ve noticed over the last month. It’s gradual progress, but it’s still progress. And obviously, I couldn’t sit on the sofa every evening, do nothing, and expect my body to become stronger simply because I wanted it to.

That’s when the spiritual connection came to me.

How often do we expect growth in our Christian lives without actually putting in the time? We can go to church every Sunday, and that’s an important part of our walk with God, but if that’s the only time we open the Bible, pray, or intentionally seek Him, how much growth can we expect?

I’m not talking about earning God’s love or working for our salvation. We receive salvation through faith in Jesus. We’re saved by God’s grace. I’m talking about growing in our relationship with Him. Relationships need time and attention, and I’ve been seeing the results of giving God more of both.

My word for this year has been intentional, and I’ve tried to live that out in my spiritual life. I start my day with prayer and God’s Word, and I’m trying to end my day with Him as well. Throughout the day, I’m also becoming more intentional about stopping when I’m frustrated or uncertain and asking God for help instead of immediately trying to figure everything out myself.

One of the Results has Been Peace

I’ve noticed a real difference.

It doesn’t mean every problem has disappeared or every prayer has been answered exactly the way I wanted. What has changed is the way I’m responding to those things. I’m experiencing more peace because I’m learning to give things to God instead of carrying everything around in my own mind and trying to solve it myself.

Isaiah 26:3-4 says,

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. [Isaiah 26:3-4]

I’ve memorized those verses, and I’ve come back to them many times. When my mind stays focused on a problem, it can start to look enormous. I can think about it over and over until worry takes over and I’ve lost the peace I had.

But when my mind is stayed on God, the perspective changes. The problem may still be there, but I’m remembering that God is bigger than it. I can say, Lord, I don’t know how to fix this. I need You to help me.

There have even been times lately when I’ve stopped in the middle of my day, gotten on my knees, and prayed about whatever was frustrating me. I’m learning that I don’t have to wait until my morning devotion time or bedtime prayer to bring something to God. He cares about every part of my life, and I want Him involved in all of it.

Editor’s note – Isaiah ties peace to a fixed mind, not to circumstances that finally resolve. The author isn’t describing problems that vanished, but a mind retrained to hand them to God the moment they surface.

Am I Really Letting Jesus Be Lord?

This also connects with something God has been teaching me about alignment.

For many years, I could say, Jesus is Lord, while still making plenty of my own plans. I would decide what I wanted to do, move forward with it, and then ask God to bless it. I’ve talked about this recently because it’s something I feel God has really been working on in me.

I’m tired of doing things that way.

I don’t want to do my own thing and then ask God to make it work. I want to do His thing. I want what I’m doing in my writing and business to glorify Him, what I’m sharing on social media to glorify Him, and even my ordinary interactions with people at the store, post office, gas station, or wherever else I happen to be to reflect Him.

That’s another result I’ve noticed from becoming more intentional spiritually. The closer I try to walk with God, the more I think about Him throughout the ordinary parts of my day. I’m asking more often, Lord, what do You want me to do here? What’s the next right step?

Just like my physical progress didn’t happen after one Pilates session, spiritual maturity isn’t something that happens after one good Sunday sermon or one powerful prayer time. We grow as we keep coming back to God, keep opening His Word, keep praying, keep surrendering, and keep allowing Him to change us.

I’m seeing the results of that intentionality in my own life, especially in the peace I’ve been experiencing. I still have plenty of growing to do, and I know I always will. But I don’t want to go backward to trying to carry everything myself when I’ve experienced how much better it is to surrender it to God.

Have you seen spiritual results in your own life because you’ve become more intentional about growing closer to the Lord? What changed when you started putting more time and attention into your relationship with Him?

Editor’s note – Saying “Jesus is Lord” and then asking Him to bless plans already made is a common shortcut. What the author describes, asking first instead of seeking approval afterward, is the shift into real obedience.

A Word from the Editor
None of this is new ground for Scripture. Paul told the Philippians to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” even while reminding them it is God who works in them (Philippians 2:12-13). Grace does the saving; obedience and attention do the growing. If you have felt spiritually stagnant, the fix here isn’t complicated: open the Word today, pray honestly about what is pressing on you, and do it again tomorrow.

Editor Comment: Grace saves us, but growing closer to God takes daily attention. It is the reality of salvation being an event in the life of a Christian vs. sanctification as a lifetime process.

This article appeared on Medium and is reprinted with modifications and by permission.