Soulutions | Going Deeper

If you’ve found this page, you might have just accepted the Lord as your personal Savior or perhaps you are looking for a way to go deeper in your faith. –Congrats on both because there is nothing better that you can do than to grow closer to the God who made you! This is a list of various things that you can implement depending on where you are in your walk right now. Each have helped me along the way. You can also come back to it when you’re ready for more.  –And who knows, I may have added something else by then. The bold words simply highlight each new area.

If you’re looking for a Bible Study, there is no limit to the subjects that are available. So where do you start?!?! If you need a suggestion, here are 3 that made a big difference in my life! Each of them are a video study. So you will need the video but you might have to buy them separately. Your church library, public library and the Southern Baptist Convention of VA all have resources that you can check out for FREE. They may or may not have these titles but it’s always good to check first before buying.

1. Experiencing God, by Henry Blackaby – This study really helped me identify the way that God speaks to me.

2. Seed, by Priscilla Shirer – This study helped me break apart scripture, line by line.

3. Discovering God’s Will, by Andy Stanley – This study helps you get back to your values and what God desires for each of us.

If you are looking for something super quick and simple, you can always pick a topic or character and search the internet for free pdf study and the subject you've chosen.

If you’re in the middle of a major decision, I’d recommend listening to this message titled “The Guidance of God” by Dr. Michael Yousseff. (These links change over time. If that happens here, you should still be able to search the internet by Pastor & sermon title.) Then get a pen & paper and click play! He gives you 7 questions to ask yourself and 3 things that must align. -He says them REALLY fast and so you be prepared to rewind a few times. 

If you’re looking for a Bible, I use an NIV Life Application Study Bible. I like this one because it has commentary that gives you additional information and references about each passage. You might want to go up a font size because the print is a little smaller. –If you go visit Lifeway Bookstore you can open every Bible in there to thumb through and read them before purchasing.

I have also heard many good things about the Celebrate Recovery Bible which is designed specifically for people that have had a history of addictions or abuse. I don’t own one yet but I’ve heard so much about it, I think I’m going to have to check it out!

And if you want to deepen your personal relationship with the Lord or if you feel like you need a hard reset try this:

When my faith really blossomed, it was because I pruned nearly everything in my life except time with my family and growing my faith. –By that I mean I started getting serious about reading my Bible almost exclusively. I mean it. It wasn’t just to check the item off; it was because I needed to get some information out of it. I had always depended on a Companion Bible Study or a Preacher to teach me things. When I really felt like the Lord was poking around in me, I still attended church regularly but made a list of questions that I had about the Bible. Then I focused more on growing here rather than church attendance, studies, etc. If I needed help, I simply used the internet to point me into the right section of the Bible and then I went back in. Then I read my Bible until I got the answers.

That even applied to my personal direction. Every time I was tempted to ask someone else what they thought that I should do about something, I went and looked it up instead and I prayed about it. I assure you of this, you might get frustrated because we sometimes like our answers immediately and the Lord doesn’t always work on our timeline but you will get an answer. You might even get a few of those answers wrong. [Usually, when you try to hurry the process and guess instead of being certain.] –But the Lord can still use those answers to grow you. You will also get some things right. Whether they are right or wrong, those answers will begin the bedrock of your faith.

Church – If you’re not in a church, I encourage you to get plugged in. Don’t get stuck on Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, etc. just yet. For the most part, it doesn’t matter what the denomination is as long as they’re preaching the Word of God. You just need to pick one and get to it. I go to BridgePoint. If you know me, tell me you’re coming and I’ll wait for you. We’ll go in together.

I would even say more important than Sunday Service, you should join a small group.  Here’s why.

If you’re good with all of that it might just be time that you start challenging yourself to step out and do new things, ie. praying out loud, serving in the church, leading classes from your home or work, etc. We grow and learn by new experiences. We stay the same or grow stagnant by doing the same thing over and over.

Now if you’ve made it here and done all of these things and yet you still feel like something is off, check out this link. This is a tool from the Pastor of City Life Church in Newport News, VA. His suggestion on how to use it is as follows.

“What I find is that when people feel stuck, it is because they are missing some or several of the means by which God has provided for us to thrive in our spiritual lives.  What I would recommend that you do is write down all of these Pathways and then next to that list have three columns.  The first column is red, the next column is yellow, and the last column is green.  Then put an “x” next to each Pathway in the appropriate column.  Red means that particular Pathways is missing in your life, yellow means it is occasionally present, and green means you do this consistently. 

Then, pick a couple Pathways you want to go from red to yellow and a couple you want to go from yellow to green… I bet you will find that feeling of being “stuck” goes away and that the more Pathways you have working in your life, the more all the Pathways are energized!” 

Now I've gone ahead and created the spreadsheet for you. :)

Above all, don't overthink it. If you're new, please don't try to do it all at once. Start in the place that feels best for you, then come back again later to add something else. Anything that you do to go deeper, will grow you and be a blessing to you! He promises that His Word will not return void.

Remember Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then this passage goes on to say in verse 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord."

If you feel like you need a new plan, why not start with the Lord who has it. I pray that this post blesses you whereever you're willing to step out! 

P.S. Why not team up with a friend or family member so that you have someone to go and grow along with. :) You can each pick a different place to start but still hold each other accountable by getting together regularly and talking what you're learning.