Question:
How can we grow spiritually? What are some of the things that prevent spiritual growth in our lives?

Answer:
We grow by READING the Word and PRAYING daily (Romans 12:1, 2). If we are not occupied with the Lord and His Word, we will be occupied with Satan, the world, and evil thoughts (those “strongholds”—2 Corinthians 10:4—that hinder us). “Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). We need to be close to the Lord first and then He will give us the strength to get rid of other things. We are not to turn first from idols and then to God, but turn “to God from idols” (1 Thessalonians 1:9). If we turn to God first, we will then have the strength to turn from idols. We must do the following things to grow spiritually.

READ THE WORD OF GOD – First Peter 2:2, 3. We must read the pure mind food that is found in the Word of God, the Bible. But we need to desire it in order to read it every day. We will desire the Word if we but taste “that the Lord is gracious” (v.3). The Lord is gracious because He gives us the very opposite of what we deserve. If each of us would but “taste” His great love for us personally, we would want to hear His voice in the Word and learn more and more of His love. We will be “as [like] newborn babes” with increasing desire for the pure mental milk of the Word, and thus we will “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Read your Bible whether you feel like it or not for you need it for your spiritual food.
PRAY – Listening to His voice by reading His Word will cause us to draw close to Him. “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you” (James 4:8). John 15:1-4—if saved, you’re in Christ, but you need to abide in Him by walking with Him daily. We need daily communion with Him, depending on Him. Prayer is something we need along with reading the Word to grow spiritually.
FELLOWSHIP – Fellowship with other Christians over the Scriptures, in the assembly (Acts 2:42), in the gospel (Philippians 1:5), in affliction (Philippians 4:14), etc., help us in our growth spiritually.
WITNESS – Telling non-Christians about Christ and His love for them can help us spiritually as well (2 Corinthians 2:14-17). The Lord is the prime example of how to act around non-Christians, and how much time to spend with them (Luke 15:1, 2).
OBJECT – “Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2). For the unsaved, “For me to live is money, power, etc.” But for the Christian, “For to me to live [is] Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
HINDRANCES – Things in the world can affect our spiritual growth. What we put into our minds will be what we think about. Music, movies, activities, books, wrong friends, will all adversely affect our spiritual growth (2 Corinthians 7:1).RESULT – Growth in Christ will cause us to “walk” in Him (Colossians 2:6). The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23) is the result of fellowship with Him and dependence on Him, and will be manifest by the life of Christ being seen in our lives. We cannot grow unless Christ is the object of our hearts. “For without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). We are a new creation in Christ positionally from the moment we receive Christ as our personal Saviour (2 Corinthians 5:17), but the Spirit of God will transform us to act like Christ when we are occupied with Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18).