Rather than drift, coast, or withdraw this summer—which most of us tend to do during the summer months—discover how you can grow spiritually, increase in intimacy with Jesus, a love for His Word, and how to build to your life around Christ. In this episode, I give you 12 ideas on how to do just that so you can be spiritually strong this next season.
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Show Notes / Additional Resources
12 Ideas on how you can stay spiritually strong and successful this Summer
- Read the Classics + biographies
- Read the New Testament and/or Bible this Summer (90 day plan)
- create a “90 day Bible reading plan” – take the number of pages in your Bible (or New Testament), divide by 90, and it will tell you how many pages you need to read daily to finish by the end of the summer
- set an amount of time to read – set aside 30-60 minutes to read and read as far as you can in that amount of time (not worrying about how many pages). See how many times you can read through the New Testament or how far you can get through the Bible.
- consider reading chronologically or using a different Bible translation
- Entertainment Fast (movies, video games, tv, phone apps, whatever you spend a lot of downtime on)
- Watch a Christian/edifying movie
- Pick a book to study and saturate in this summer
- for more on how to study and saturate in the Bible:
- Podcast Episode 20: Three Steps to Help You Study the Bible – Part 1
- Podcast Episode 21: Three Steps to Help You Study the Bible – Part 2
- Podcast Episode 22: Three Steps to Help You Study the Bible – Part 3
- Podcast Episode 23: How To Study the Bible (an example from Acts 1:8)
- Check out this list of articles
- for more on how to study and saturate in the Bible:
- Operation Secret Things (give notes, gifts, etc)
- Purposeful fellowship (weekly gathering/game nights/etc)
- Extended times of Prayer
- consider having each day of the week be a theme through which you pray on top of your normal prayer life
- Monday you pray for the government
- Tuesday for your church, the people, the pastor
- Wednesday pray for missions around the world and any missionaries you know (as well as for God to raise up more missionaries)
- Thursday could be specific ministries
- etc
- Also consider these areas as well: the persecuted church, revival, specific individuals you know who need Jesus, your immediate and extended family, your town/city, issues and agendas plaguing our culture like abortion or homosexuality
- consider having each day of the week be a theme through which you pray on top of your normal prayer life
- Take a one-day getaway with Jesus (bring your Bible, worship music, journal, etc – find a place: ocean, mountains, lake, a favorite coffee shop in a nearby town, whatever – and spend a few dedicated hours with Jesus)
- Evangelize
- Listen to (or read) classic sermons
- Create a Spiritual Growth Plan / State of the Union of the Soul
Join the Conversation
Question: What is one way you are going to intentionally grow spiritually this summer?
Leave a response or ask a question and we will try to address it in a future episode.
The difficulty with podcasts is that they are one-sided—so each week I ask one question for you to participate in the conversation. Head over to the deeperChristian Facebook page to leave a comment and join in the conversation.
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About NRJohnson & the Deeper Christian Podcast
NRJohnson (Nathan Johnson) is a Christian who has an overwhelming passion for Jesus, the Gospel, and Studying God’s Word. He is a writer, teacher, and communicator who helps other believers understand and apply the Bible as they grow and mature in their faith—desiring that they gain greater intimacy with Christ, experience the victorious Christian life, and transform the world through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Read more about him here.
The Deeper Christian Podcast is the podcast to help you study God’s Word, know Jesus intimately, and discover how you can build your life around Jesus Christ. This weekly audio program, hosted by NRJohnson, dives into Scripture and encourages Christians to keep their focus upon Jesus Christ—equipping believers in how to study the Bible and know God’s Word, grow in their spiritual lives, and change the world. Main discussion topics center around practical advice on Christian living, Bible study, prayer, the Gospel, freedom from sin, evangelism and how to share your faith, the Christian disciplines, and the lives and messages from the Christian heroes from yesteryear such as A.W. Tozer, Charles Spurgeon, Major Ian Thomas, Oswald Chambers, Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, Corrie Ten Boom, C.T. Studd, George Müller, Andrew Murray, Leonard Ravenhill, E.M. Bounds, and others. Learn more about the deeper Christian life.
Leave a response or ask a question and we will try to address it in a future episode.
The difficulty with podcasts is that they are one-sided—so each week I ask one question for you to participate in the conversation. Head over to the deeperChristian Facebook page to leave a comment and join in the conversation.
Subscribe to the Podcast
If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe on your favorite app.
Like what you hear? … Leave a rating & review
If you enjoyed the podcast, please take 30 seconds and rate it on your favorite app (and write a brief review if you can). This would be a tremendous blessing to help us get the word out to others who might be encouraged and blessed by it—apps use the rating and reviews in their searches to help other people find the podcast.
About NRJohnson
NRJohnson (Nathan Johnson) is the host of the Deeper Christian Podcast and has an overwhelming passion for Jesus, the Gospel, and Studying God’s Word. He is a writer, teacher, and communicator who helps other believers understand and apply the Bible as they grow and mature in their faith—desiring that they gain greater intimacy with Christ, experience the victorious Christian life, and transform the world through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Read more about him here.
About the Deeper Christian Podcast
Many Christians feel frustrated because they don’t grow spiritually. The Deeper Christian Podcast helps equip Christians to understand the Word of God and cultivate a passionate love for Jesus that turns the world upside down.
Whether you want to learn how to study God’s Word, grow in your faith, cultivate a powerful and effective prayer life, share the Gospel boldly, deepen your intimacy with Jesus, live victoriously, or transform the world through the indwelling life of the Holy Spirit, the Deeper Christian Podcast with NRJohnson (Nathan Johnson) will encourage and equip you to grow spiritually and live a Christ-centered life.
