Sparking Spiritual Growth: Recent Episodes
Jason Sparks
Curiosity in Life Curiosity can be one of the best motivators to improve our lives. We see or hear something, and we are curious to know more about it. When this happens, we tend to keep seeking out information until we can answer all our questions. In our past we have all acted on something …
Continue reading "What You Need to Know About Using Curiosity in Evangelism"
The post What You Need to Know About Using Curiosity in Evangelism appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
A discussion on free will to make our own choices, thinking we can add on to Scriptures, and the consciences to doing so.
The post Advice On Really Poor Choices and Working Against God appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
How do you know when to fight back or turn the other cheek when people do wrong? Learn how to behave when mistreated.
The post How To Behave When You Are Mistreated by People appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Having Integrity in Our Lives Most of us strive to have integrity, but struggle with what sociality teaches us about, “being yourself”. We have all heard the phase, “That is just who I am, and I cannot change it”. Is that true though? Can we not change the way we do things? We might have …
Continue reading "6 Simple but Powerful Ways to Increase Your Integrity"
The post 6 Simple but Powerful Ways to Increase Your Integrity appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Helpful tips and answering the big question, "Can we lose the Blessings of God". See how showing love to others helps us grow ourselves.
The post How To Keep The Fantastic Blessings Of God appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Realizing We Are Envious I had a friend confront me, because I acted enviously toward him. It seemed like everything he touched turned to gold, everyone loved him, he did not have to work for his relationships in any way. At least that was the perception I had of him. I did not realize what …
Continue reading "How to Overcome being Envious of Others"
The post How to Overcome being Envious of Others appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
What do you think of "signs from God"? How do you know they are not coincidences? How can you tell the difference and what if you can't?
The post Revealing What You Need To Know About Signs vs. Coincidences appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Useful tips for being faithful in a faithless world. Learn the difference between being faithful and being dependable.
The post Useful Tips to be Faithful in a Faithless World appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Learn how to have victory over your enormous need for perfection. See how harmful perfectionism really is and how to overcome it.
The post Victory Over Your Enormous Need for Perfection appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Making excuses helps you justify bad things in your life. It makes you defend sin and it is keeping you from Spiritual Growth.
The post Excuses We Think Of That Shatter Our Spiritual Growth appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Self-control has no hidden secrets. If you want it, it is yours! But there are some important hindrances to overcome. Here are five of them.
The post Five Hindrances to Self-Control You Must Destroy Now appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
This podcast will help you define your purpose God has for your life. Going over some insights to consider and some skills that will help equipped you.
The post How to Define God’s Purpose for Your Life appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Many people struggle to have confidence in themselves. Learn how to build self-confidence by mastering the concept of conviction.
The post See How A Strong Conviction Can Build Your Self-Confidence appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
How Some View the Fruit of the Spirit We know the The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. But, we tend to have misconceptions about it. We sometimes act like we think we can have “too much” of it. Or maybe we try to find the …
Continue reading "Toxic Misconceptions People Have About Spiritual Growth"
The post Toxic Misconceptions People Have About Spiritual Growth appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Being at Peace Being a peacemaker is not always easy. There are three kinds of peace: Peace with God, peace with ourselves, and peace with other people. We can sometimes fool ourselves into thinking we are at peace when we are not. Have you ever been blindsided by someone because they were not at peace …
Continue reading "Peacemaker: Five Important Steps You Need To Become One"
The post Peacemaker: Five Important Steps You Need To Become One appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Your motives for growth will often determine whether you develop properly. God designed us to grow, and will help. Find out how that happens!
The post Motives You’ll Need for Growth of Your Spirit appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Joy can be built into a life regardless of circumstances. Learn how to do this and you can improve your life dramatically!
The post How to Find the Hidden Joy in Life appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
The essence of Love is our foundation, our root in life. Show others God's love and live a life pleasing to God.
The post God’s Love is the Essence of Love for Others appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
How to Learn and Put That Knowledge into Practice Consider the idea of learning. To grow we have to learn some things–there is just no way around it. We have to get information in our heads and learn how to apply it to our lives. In times past, whenever I faced a task my first …
Continue reading "Learning Must Never Again Excuse Your Lack of Effort"
The post Learning Must Never Again Excuse Your Lack of Effort appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Habits are important tools for growth. Let's consider a classic example of habits and think about how to develop them.
The post Develop Good Habits and Create a More Successful Future appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Being an encourager is something we can all do. It starts with recognition of your own accomplishments and journey. Use it to help others!
The post Be a Better Encourager to Develop Powerful Personal Growth appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Have the right long-term perspective. Learn to take baby steps to grow and achieve your goals instead of overwhelming yourself.
The post A Long Term Perspective One Baby-Step at a Time appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
We have family, health, finance, job, faith, friendships, and our downtime. These seven things are the most important in our lives. We often forget that we need to be growing in each one and growing them all together. This way we have a more balanced life.
The post Creating A Balanced Life in an Unbalanced World appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
God's people need a leader, and He is always going to raise them up and provide them. But it may not look like we think. Consider Moses.
The post Leaders for God’s People Are Always Prepared and Raised appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Exodus gives insights into how governments can turn fear into oppression and how the people of God should react to it.
The post Government Conspiracies and Open Oppression Against God’s People in Exodus appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Fear has been the catalyst for a lot of political oppression. The book of Exodus in the Bible shows that it can also be used for control.
The post Fear and Politics in Exodus: Control of God’s People appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Evangelism is sometimes shown as a "one-stop" event, but if you follow-through correctly, you will have many opportunities to help people.
The post Follow-through Is the Key to Successful Evangelism appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Evangelism includes encouraging people toward Heaven. Your words can have tremendous value. But what do you say to them? Three principles.
The post How to Encourage People so that They Go to Heaven appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
If you want to be more effective in Evangelism, taking the time to learn invitation skills is one of the best skills you can learn.
The post A Well-Placed Invitation Will Empower Your Evangelism appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Marriage can being such a blessings and also such turmoil! Put it in its proper place and make it a priority. You will be glad you did!
The post Priority is Fundamental to a Strong and Happy Marriage appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Authenticity in marriage is living from the inside out related to the roles of the relationship. Trust God and do it His way the best you can!
The post Authenticity is Foundational for a Great Marriage appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Marriage can be a great blessing in your life. God not only created it and so is the authority on what it takes to have a great one.
The post Respect God’s Authority If You Want a Great Marriage appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Compassion is the most important part of kindness. Consider the importance of it by going through a parable Jesus taught a certain lawyer.
The post Compassion is the Biggest Part of Being a Kind Person appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Have you noticed that assertiveness is vital to kindness? Take a look at how you can be more kind by being assertive.
The post Assertive People Are the Most Helpful During Conflict appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
“Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.” Matthew 5:25 This is some great advice for relationships. Jesus challenges us all to see relationships as things worthy of …
Continue reading "Being Agreeable In Conflict Reveals Your Love and Kindness"
The post Being Agreeable In Conflict Reveals Your Love and Kindness appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Someone once said, "God gave you two ears and one mouth. That should tell you something." Here are tips to help you become a great listener.
The post How to Listen Well When You Clash With Someone appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Accepting the value of the relationship is tremendously important, especially within times of conflict. “Angry words are lightly spoken, bitterest thoughts are rashly stirred, brightest links of life are broken by a single angry word.” H. R. Palmer, from his song, “Angry Words”. Sometimes we can destroy a relationship in the heat of the moment. …
Continue reading "A Focus on the Relationship Can Help Every Person Win During Conflicts"
The post A Focus on the Relationship Can Help Every Person Win During Conflicts appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Some Christians seem to love to fight. Of course, we are in a spiritual war, but is that what makes a Christian? Why do some focus on it?
The post When You Fight in War Against Your Brethren appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Reverence toward God is the beginning of wisdom. There is NO spiritual growth without a growth of this first and foremost.
The post How to Sustain a Healthy Reverence for God appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Did Jesus allow His disciples to set boundaries? What are they? How can we have boundaries and still live selfless lives?
The post Boundaries: Jesus Taught Us How To Protect Ourselves appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Prayer, at the simplest level, is simply talking to God. There is no "wrong way" to pray, although there are guidelines and principles.
The post Prayer: 7 Laws and 5 Myths for Spiritual Growth appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Peace is a fundamental skillset for the future. The Bible has taught how to have it for millennia. Here are some basic principles.
The post Peace in the Storm: Christian Problem-Solving Skills appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
You Can Develop Self-Control “What does it take to develop self-control if I don’t have it?” “Why can’t I seem to control myself?” Have you ever asked similar questions? These are not uncommon when people become Christians, and sometimes older Christians ask the same things. We are all human and that means we all have …
Continue reading "Self-Control: Open Your Life to Blessings of the Future"
The post Self-Control: Open Your Life to Blessings of the Future appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
The word in the Bible that is translated “faithfulness” comes from another word that means, “to be convinced”. If we want to be faithful to God, we need to learn to be convicted. This podcast gives an overview of what faithfulness means and some insights into how to develop it. What do you need to …
Continue reading "Faithfulness: Creating Enthusiasm in the Heart"
The post Faithfulness: Creating Enthusiasm in the Heart appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
The idea of "good" is a bit complex and an understanding of it helps in Christian growth.
The post “Good” is a Two-sided Coin for Christian Growth appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Goals are important, especially the spiritual. But they are difficult to set correctly. Learn how to set and reach spiritual goals.
The post Goals of the Spirit: How to Conquer Them appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Meekness implies strength, but it is not the same as having the ability to control yourself. Learn all you need to know about meekness here!
The post Meekness: Everything You Wanted to Know About It appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
During seasons of growth, we sometimes find ourselves missing the Big Picture. There's nothing like devotional time, being alone with God!
The post Powerful Devotional Styles That Will Improve Your Life appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Christianity allows, promotes, and catalyzes spiritual fruit. But sometimes we lack growth because we lack a clear vision for where to go.
The post Fruit – A Look at Dimensions of Spiritual Growth appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Mindset can make or break you. Is your mindset one that will help you grow? Here are four questions to reveal the answer.
The post Positive Mindset Questions That Make You Grow appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
This episode explores what it is that God created by making Christians. After all, if we hope to grow, we are going to need to understand where God expects to see that growth. What does He value? What can we do to ensure we are growing according to His desires for us?
The post Pursuit of the Abundant Life appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
In the podcast, I consider different answers to the question, "What is the church's business?" We also consider 7 stages of salvation. That is, there are 7 basic stages of salvation, and this relates to our own personal development and defines for us the motivation for that development. You'll find that if you aspire to walk through these stages you will have all the motivation to grow that you need, as well as a clear vision that can supply the answer to HOW that growth will come!
The post The Business of the Church appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
What does it take to grow? You can expect at least six answers to that question.
Here is the quick list. The podcast goes into more detail of course!
The post Six Expectations for Spiritual Growth appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
John said that Jesus was "preferred before me". That is a significant statement for several reasons. Learn more about why that is important!
The post Preferred Before Me appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.
Relationships have always been important in the way God has communicated with His creation. This podcast episode looks at this in relationship to the nature of God and how we can be more effective in evangelism by preparing people to "experience" Jesus.
The post 001 Briefly on Relationships in Evangelism appeared first on Sparking Spiritual Growth.