Building Blocks of Spiritual Growth by Rick Warren

“So we continue to preach Christ to each person, using all wisdom to warn and to teach everyone, in order to bring each one into God's presence as a mature person in Christ.” (Colossians 1:28 NCV) I believe there is a logical order to building knowledge, perspective, conviction, skills, and character. First, you must start with a foundation of knowledge. Since spiritual growth is based on God’s Word, the first level of learning is to gain a working knowledge of the Bible. Perspective and convictions must be Bible-based. On top of knowledge of the Word, you add perspective. The better you get to know God’s Word, the more you’ll begin to see life from God’s viewpoint. Conviction naturally grows out of perspective. Once you begin to see things from God’s perspective, you begin developing biblical convictions. An understanding of God’s purpose and plan changes your motivations. Conviction then gives you the motivation to maintain spiritual habits. Eventually, through repetition, those habits become skills. You don’t have to consciously focus when you do them anymore. When something becomes easy for you to do, that is called a skill. When you put knowledge of the Word, perspective, conviction, and the corresponding skills together, the resulting product is character! First you know it; then you understand it; then you believe it with your whole heart; then you do it. The result is character.