How to Know If You’re Actually Growing Spiritually | Pastor Daniel Groves

Devotional

Day 1: From Milk to Steak: Growing Up at the Wall

Spiritual growth requires leaving elementary teachings behind, like a child trading bottles for solid food. The writer of Hebrews challenges believers to move beyond repetitive basics—repentance, baptisms, laying on of hands—and pursue maturity. Just as parents measure a child’s height on the wall, God marks progress when we choose depth over comfort. This isn’t about abandoning foundations but building on them with intentionality. Maturity means craving substance, not just survival. Growth happens when we stop circling the same lessons and let truth reshape our daily living. [02:58]

Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. (Hebrews 6:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: What “elementary” spiritual habit have you outgrown? How can you actively pursue “meatier” truths this week?

Day 2: When the Pencil Marks Prove God’s Presence

Samuel’s growth—both physical and spiritual—was marked by steady increments, not instant transformation. Serving in the temple didn’t make him mature; consistent encounters with God did. Like Samuel leaning into Eli’s guidance, growth requires humility to learn from mentors while developing personal discernment. The wall marks in 1 Samuel 2:26 weren’t just about inches—they revealed God’s faithfulness through seasons of listening, stumbling, and obeying. Spiritual progress often feels slow, but each obedient “yes” etches evidence of His work. [10:45]

Meanwhile the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man. (1 Samuel 2:26, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you need to shift from relying solely on others’ spiritual insight to cultivating your own dialogue with God?

Day 3: Weight Rooms and Spiritual Muscles

Growth isn’t the absence of pressure but increased capacity to carry it. Just as lifting heavier weights strengthens physical muscles, spiritual challenges develop endurance. The believer who once buckled under criticism now prays for critics; the one who panicked in storms now anchors in God’s history of faithfulness. James 1:22 reminds us that revelation without application stalls growth—truth must be lifted daily to build resilience. What once crushed you becomes manageable through practiced obedience. [25:13]

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. (James 1:22-23, ESV)

Reflection: What current “weight” have you been complaining about that God might be using to strengthen your faith?

Day 4: Pruning Dollhouses and Pinky-Toe Faith

Growth demands releasing what no longer fits—like a child donating toys to make space for new passions. Jesus prunes unfruitful habits, relationships, and reactions so we can bear more (John 15:2). Samuel’s story shows growth isn’t passive: he traded三次 late-night sprints to Eli for direct dialogue with God. Maturity means surrendering the “pinky-toe” attempts to appear taller spiritually and standing flat-footed in raw dependence. [35:25]

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:2, ESV)

Reflection: What “dollhouse” habit or mindset have you clung to that’s limiting your capacity for new growth?

Day 5: The Unfinished Wall of God’s Faithfulness

Philippians 1:6 assures believers God isn’t done writing His story on our walls. Samuel’s journey from confused boy to national prophet proves growth is cumulative—each mark testifying to God’s patience. Stagnation often comes from fixating on past marks or fearing future ones. But today’s obedience, however small, inks the next measurement. Spiritual growth isn’t self-improvement; it’s cooperating with the Author who scripts redemption in pencil marks and grace. [39:40]

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you need to trust that God’s timeline for your growth—not your frustration over pace—holds the perfect plan?

Sermon Summary

Hebrews 6 opens with a sober call to stop circling the same basic truths and move into maturity. Spiritual growth is not optional for anybody following Jesus. Salvation is not the finish line. Salvation is the beginning of a life that looks more and more like Christ, not just through information about God, but through transformation by God.

The mark on the wall pictures that kind of growth. Physical growth happens naturally, but spiritual growth happens intentionally. Faith does not drift into a good direction. The believer has to seek God’s presence, open the Bible, worship when nobody is watching, and make room to hear His voice.

Samuel’s life gives a growth chart worth following. Samuel grew physically and in favor with God and people, yet he was still around the house of God without truly recognizing the voice of God. Eli’s guidance mattered in that early season. Discipleship, accountability, leaders, and people who can see blind spots all matter. But Samuel could not stay dependent on Eli forever. Faith cannot survive on somebody else’s revelation.

Jesus says His sheep hear His voice, He knows them, and they follow Him. Maturity grows when the posture becomes, “Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening.” Noise often becomes the issue, not God’s silence. Busy schedules, endless scrolling, constant music, and filled-up spaces can keep an ear from tuning in to the Holy Spirit. God does not always need to speak louder. His people often need to get quieter.

James presses the point further: hearing without doing is not maturity. Revelation without application does not produce transformation. Obedience has to follow the word, even when it means changing relationships, laying down old reactions, or letting go of what no longer fits.

Growth does not mean the weight disappears. Growth means carrying today what would have crushed yesterday. Spiritual muscles develop through pressure, prayer, endurance, and history with God. Yesterday’s battles become today’s wisdom, and yesterday’s pain can produce endurance. Greater weight may not mean God has forgotten someone. Greater weight may show that God has developed a greater capacity.

Samuel’s journey moved from needing Eli to recognize God’s voice to becoming a prophet through whom an entire nation recognized God’s voice. God continues the good work He began. Another mark on the wall comes through deeper roots, sharper discernment, quicker obedience, greater generosity, and refusing to stay stuck at yesterday’s mark.

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Key Takeaways

1. Growth requires intentional pursuit of God [05:12] Spiritual maturity does not happen by accident, even when a person has been around church for years. The call to seek first the kingdom means making room for Scripture, prayer, worship, and God’s presence in ordinary days. Growth begins where passive faith ends. [05:12]
2. Faith cannot live on borrowed revelation [17:09] Samuel needed Eli at first, and that was not a failure. Discipleship gives language for recognizing God’s voice and exposes blind spots that cannot be seen alone. But mature faith eventually opens the Bible, prays, listens, and obeys without needing someone else to carry every word from God. [17:09]
3. Quietness makes room for God’s voice [23:19] The Holy Spirit is not absent simply because life feels noisy. Constant distraction can dull spiritual attention until God’s voice gets buried under busyness and endless input. The posture “Speak, Lord, I’m listening” requires surrendering the need to fill every empty space. [23:19]
4. Application turns revelation into transformation [25:13] Insight alone cannot change a life. God’s word produces fruit when it reaches habits, relationships, reactions, money, schedules, and private choices. Obedience may feel costly in the moment, but delayed obedience still leaves a person standing at the same old mark. [25:13]
5. Greater capacity reveals spiritual growth [30:01] The weight does not always get lighter, but God strengthens the person carrying it. Prayer gains history when faith has endured storms, disappointments, and hard seasons without letting go of God’s faithfulness. Another mark on the wall appears when yesterday’s pressure becomes today’s preparation.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:47] - Called to Grow Beyond the Basics
[04:18] - Put Another Mark on the Wall
[05:12] - Spiritual Growth Takes Intention
[09:54] - Samuel’s Early Growth
[11:43] - Learning to Recognize God’s Voice
[14:13] - Moving Beyond Borrowed Faith
[19:47] - Speak, Lord, I’m Listening
[23:19] - Turning Down the Noise
[24:32] - Obedience Is Maturity
[25:24] - Revelation Requires Application
[26:07] - Carrying What Once Crushed You
[31:25] - Faithful in the Little Things
[35:25] - Putting Away Childish Things
[37:26] - Samuel’s Growth Chart
[39:40] - God Is Not Finished Yet
[45:35] - Salvation and Rededication

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Hebrews 6:1
“Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,” [01:47]

1 Samuel 3:9-10
“Therefore Eli said to Samuel, 'Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, "Speak, LORD, for your servant hears."' So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!' And Samuel said, 'Speak, for your servant hears.” [13:48]

James 1:22
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” [24:29]

Observation questions

In Hebrews 6:1, what repeated pattern does the writer tell believers to stop, and what direction does he tell them to take instead? [02:35]
What did Samuel initially assume when he heard his name called, and what instruction did Eli finally give him? [13:48]
What does Samuel’s response, “Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening,” reveal about his posture toward God’s voice? [23:35]
According to James 1:22, what must accompany hearing God’s Word? What examples were given of areas where obedience can become visible? [24:32]

Interpretation questions

Hebrews 6:1 calls believers to move beyond the basics without abandoning them. What might it look like for someone to have a strong beginning in faith but remain spiritually stuck?
Samuel needed Eli’s help to recognize God’s voice at first. Why is that help valuable, and why can a believer not remain dependent on another person to hear from God for them? [15:24]
Jesus’ sheep hear His voice, are known by Him, and follow Him. Why is following an essential part of recognizing God’s voice, rather than simply gaining insight or inspiration? [18:45]
James warns against hearing without doing. Why can delayed or selective obedience keep a person from experiencing real transformation? [25:07]

Application questions

Where would you say you are on your own spiritual growth chart right now? What is one area where you can see that God has already helped you put another mark on the wall? [42:39]
What noise most often competes for your attention—busyness, scrolling, music, work pressure, worry, or something else? What specific space in your week could become a quieter place to pray, read Scripture, and listen? [21:42]
Who has helped you recognize God’s leading or pointed out a blind spot in your life? Is there a trusted believer, leader, or group you need to lean into more honestly? [16:44]
Is there something God has already made clear through His Word that you have heard but not yet acted on? What would a faithful next step of obedience look like this week? [40:30]
What attitude, habit, reaction, offense, or relationship does not fit the person God is growing you to become? What would it look like to begin putting that old thing away? [35:25]
Think about a pressure or responsibility that once would have crushed you but that you can carry with more faith today. How has God used past battles, prayer, and endurance to strengthen you? [28:47]

Sermon Clips

31s

#TrustedWithMore

“Maybe you've been asking God, yeah, but I understand God, but why? Why is there more weight on me? Anybody ever feel that? Why is there more weight on me? Maybe the better question is God, what what have you developed in me that you can trust me with now? Because sometimes that greater weight isn't evidence that God has forgotten you. Sometimes that greater weight is evidence that God is growing you up and putting another mark on that wall. Another spiritual mark on the wall.”

69s

#TransformedByGrace

“But in the natural, we understand as you grow, you put away childish things. There has to be some things. Anyways, I put... I'm gonna put it in my office. I'm not giving it away. She can come play. You're not too old for that. You're gonna be able to play it somewhere else. There ought to be some things. Catch this. There has to be some things that you don't carry anymore. Why? Because you've grown. Why? Because there's another mark on the wall. Well, what are those things? Some attitudes that don't fit anymore? Some old habits that don't fit anymore? Some conversations you used to have where you would pop off quick, they don't fit anymore. Some relationships you're not equally yoked with, they don't fit anymore. Those old offenses, those old things that used to hold you captive and rob you of your peace and rob you of your joy, they don't fit anymore. Some reactions, they don't fit anymore. Not because you're better than everybody, but because you're not the same person you used to be. You've applied the word, there's been application, and now there's transformation.”

24s

#FollowJesus

“No. No. This is so important because I feel like so so much of the time we we act like salvation is the begin... Like, salvation is the finish line. That's it. It's just the beginning, friend. It's not just about going to heaven. It's about following Jesus and being a disciple. What does it mean to be a Christian? To be Christ like.”

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How to Know If You’re Actually Growing Spiritually | Pastor Daniel Groves | Hope City