7 Ways to Help Your Teen Learn How to Grow Spiritually

As has always been true for parents and teens, your teen is growing up in a different world than you grew up in. Maybe you are grateful for the opportunities your teen has and yet fearful of the challenges they face that seem far more sinister than those you faced yourself.

The exciting and redemptive reality is God has created your teen expressly for this time in which they are growing up! He is just as faithful and just as sufficient as He has always been. So let’s focus on what will never change—God’s truth. If your teen is focused on knowing and loving God, they will be more than prepared to meet the challenges and struggles in this ever-changing world. Here are some tips on how to help your teen grow spiritually so they can thrive in the time for which God has created them!

7 Ways to Help Your Teen Grow Spiritually

1. Set an Example

Through talking with my mom and relating my memories to her, I have learned that some of my earliest memories of my parents are from before I was 3 years old! Though we may tend to think, “They won’t remember,” our kids are constantly watching and learning from our example before we even realize it.

Now don’t panic! God does not call us to be perfect. Our calling is beautifully summed up in Micah 6:8.

He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?

Even if you have not always been a perfect example, Christ’s mercy and forgiveness are more than sufficient. So it’s not too late to set a good example for your teen! Rather than being discouraged by where you fall short, be an example of how to humbly admit and correct your mistakes! This humility in our relationship with Him is what our Lord desires of us.

Our own spiritual journey is our greatest asset in helping our teens grow spiritually themselves! How you walk with your God teaches them about God and impacts how they, in turn, follow God. So do not be discouraged by this world, your teen’s attitude, or your own mistakes, but instead, follow hard after your God and encourage them to do the same!

The world offers kids so many competing messages, but Got Wisdom? helps them tune into the one voice that matters—God’s.

2. Teach Them Why

“Why?” The #1 question parents dread. While there are times teens ask this question in a disrespectful or challenging spirit, many times they also genuinely wonder about the reasons behind rules. Because of their limited life experience, some rules might seem random or even ridiculous. So they want to know why. And honestly, my friend, this is a GOOD THING! In fact, we should probably ask ourselves “why?” more often than we do. Why DO we study God’s Word? Why DO we go to church? Why DO we avoid certain places or things that are not in and of themselves evil?

Your teen needs their questions answered! They are building their own worldview and will probably toss out anything they see no reason for maintaining in their own life. So, in love, patiently assume the best of your teen and answer their questions—and then invite more.

The fastest way to lose your teen is to answer “because!” or “I said so!” But prideful or defensive responses don’t help them learn! So if you don’t know the answer (which, by the way, is totally normal!), admit that you don’t know but that you will find them an answer. Then, search God’s Word so you can give them an authoritative answer. Showing them how to base decisions on biblical principles teaches them to do the same in the future with their own decisions.

One great way to learn what the Bible says about practically following God in everyday life can be studied in our Foundations Series. It is a set of 5 family Bible Studies to give you and your family the resources to be anchored in a solid foundation of knowledge and relationship with God! Throughout these Bible studies, you’ll lay a Christian foundation by fitting scripture together by reviewing God’s Story throughout the Bible. Your family will dig deeper into topics like salvation, God’s character, and God’s love. If your teen has made a profession of faith, another great resource is the “I Have Decided” Bible study. It was created to help believers understand how to live a Christian life by exercising their faith.

3. Teach Them How to Pray

Maybe you have been praying for years, or maybe you have just recently begun—either way, yay! Whether it’s old hat or entirely new for us, we can sometimes forget that our teens do not automatically know how to pray. Jesus had to teach His disciples to pray, and we need to do the same for our kids to help them grow!

When it comes down to it, prayer is a conversation with our God before His throne. While we are His children and He loves to hear us pray, He is also our great God and deserves respect. Because of these things, we need to be diligent in learning how to pray respectful prayers that are consistent with the Spirit’s leading rather than flippant, empty, or thoughtless prayers. Thankfully, God’s Word clearly shows us how to pray and why we should be praying!

There are many excellent passages for studying prayer like the Psalms, Paul’s letters to the New Testament churches, and most importantly, Jesus’ model prayer for His disciples in Matthew 6. Another wonderful place to start is a Bible study on prayer like our Amen Bible study, which teaches from the Bible why we pray and how to pray using the ACTS method.

Our #NotConsumed Prayer Journal, a resource for you or your teen, also incorporates the ACTS model and gives you the ability to write out your prayers and look back to see what God has done over a year of consistent prayer!

Another great resource to support you in your prayer life is our Prayers for the Future printable. This calendar guides you through 30 days of casting your cares on Jesus, reminding you of His desire that you lay them at His feet rather than carrying them yourself.

4. Help Them Study the Bible

By now, you probably have seen that we believe studying the Bible is super important! And, well, it is. Taking time out of your day to study God’s Word is a “vital sign” in your spiritual life and the spiritual life of your teen. Think about it—how can they possibly grow spiritually if they don’t know what the Bible says about it?

Authentic Faith: A Study on the Book of James equips kids to live out what the Bible says through practical lessons rooted in God’s Word.

Bible study takes hard work and a lot of focus. But this discipline will reap much fruit if you and your teen are consistent! Though the principle, “Read your Bible, pray every day, and you’ll grow, grow, grow,” may seem incredibly simple, the truth rings through this children’s song. Time in God’s Word takes consistent effort and determination to accomplish.

Now, Bible study does not have to occur at 5:30 am—sigh of relief. In fact, if I did that, I would probably come away dazed and with no spiritual enrichment at all. Consider linking Bible study with another task to naturally flow with their daily schedule. For example: after getting dressed for school, after breakfast, or before getting ready for bed. No matter what time you choose—scheduling it in will make it easier to be consistent. Another factor that will help is finding a comfortable little “spot” that is free of distractions (yes, leave the cell phones or siblings in the other room!).

If you and your teen want to explore what makes a good Bible study routine, we can help! Our Developing a Quiet Time study is designed to help kids and parents (yes, we have a parent version too!) intentionally design their own time with God so they can grow spiritually.

Once this daily habit has been created, our Seek Him study focuses on God’s Word being the center of everything we say and do and then teaches how to read and apply it step-by-step.

5. Help Them to See How God Is Working in Their Lives

Romans 8:28 tells us that God is always working good in our lives, but sometimes that isn’t easy for us to see. We can get discouraged or even bogged down with daily life so much that nothing seems good. But the Bible tells us that God is always working. One way to help teens understand this is to help them ask these questions:

• How do I see God working in my life?
• How has God answered my prayers?
• In what ways has God helped me?

You can make these questions a part of a weekly devotional time or even a weekly date with just you and your teen. The answers to these questions will be an encouragement both to your teen and to you, but it’s also the start of a great testimony to share with others. We often get caught up in thinking that sharing Jesus with others is only about sharing the “Romans Road,” but in reality, when we share how Jesus is working in our lives and how He helps us, it shines His light of hope into the lives of others. It helps them to see how they too can have this hope!

If you are interested in learning more, check out the Bible study, Shine: Learning to Share Jesus With Others.

6. Listen to Them

While the teenage years are exciting and fun, they introduce many struggles and questions into a teen’s mind and heart. They are beginning to learn and experience new things while also not quite understanding how to “do life” yet. Because of these things and many other factors, your teen may really need someone to listen to them while they talk out the things whirling through their minds.

These can be confusing or even embarrassing things to bring up. If they think you won’t try to see it from their point of view or won’t take time to listen without automatically “diagnosing” and “solving” their problem for them, they may not talk to you. They are growing into adults faster than you realize, so show them you respect their thoughts and give them the time to voice their legitimate questions and concerns. Believe it or not, they desperately want your help and approval (but they won’t tell you that 🙂 ).

You can encourage these conversations by having “dates” with them or reading a book together. Even going through a Bible study is a great way to get important ideas to surface so you can talk with (and I mean mostly listen to) your teen about life. Asking them questions free from expectations or advice like “What did you think about that situation?” or “What do you see yourself doing in life?” are great conversation starters.

A wonderful Bible study to work through with teens is More Like Jesus – an interactive study of the Gospel of Luke that helps kids not only learn about Jesus but also become more like Him.

Your willingness to listen to them may encourage them to be more open to listening to you or entrusting you with their struggles. And this is what you want—because you can’t help them grow spiritually if you do not know how they are struggling.

7. Teach Them to Counsel Their Emotions With Truth

One of the biggest attacks on our teens today is the constant stream of lies coming at them from all directions concerning their emotions. “Love yourself,” “you are enough,” and “manifest your truth” are just a few. If this shocks you, take a look through social media—even Pinterest is drenched in this self-focused, create-your-own-truth mentality.

Though we can cut down on exposure by limiting social media usage or filtering entertainment, we do live in this world, and we cannot hide from it. We cannot control what comes out of other teens’ mouths or the lives of relatives. What we can do, though, is teach our teens to respond to the emotional nature of these lies with God’s truth.

No, it doesn’t feel good to lay aside your desires in favor of serving someone else. And it is so easy to believe that what works for me must be truth and others just have to deal with it. But this is not godly! Help your teen learn to combat these feelings with truth from God’s Word so they are protected and growing spiritually.

We realize this is a hard struggle, and we want to help! Our My God Says Life Journal identifies 15 areas where we have seen our pre-teens and teens struggle most. This journal allows them to write out their thoughts and responses to Scripture while encouraging them with Bible-filled activity pages and stories of faithful Christians.

I pray and hope these 7 bits of advice encourage and strengthen you as you fight the good fight and help your teen grow spiritually!

We’ve created a FREE “Building of Truth” printable Bible study to help you and your teen begin searching out what the Bible says about practically following God in everyday life. This study gives you verses about a specific topic and then asks probing questions to help you firm up what you believe and figure out how to explain it to others. Having answers to life’s questions is one of the best ways to build a foundation of spiritual growth for your teen. Included in the FREE printable are three levels: junior, youth, and a parent guide.