Jesus has invited each of us into an experience of life every day that is rich and full through a real and deepening relationship with Him—our Creator and Father. Jesus told us plainly, “I have come that you may have life … and have it to the full.”
But how, exactly, do we go about accessing the full life Jesus offers? What are the habits or practices that we can engage in that will open our hearts?
We call them Everyday Steps—simple, tangible things we can do on a consistent basis to create space for God’s Spirit to work in our hearts.
Richard Foster developed a widely accepted framework for understanding these things we call everyday steps, putting them into three categories: inward, outward, and corporate.
The inward steps (meditation, prayer, fasting, Bible study) have to do with habits or practices we do primarily by ourselves and have to do with our thoughts, understanding, and time set aside to interact with God (usually through some form of prayer).
The outward steps (simplicity, solitude, submission, service) are things we each do on our own … and they are shown in our decisions and actions. While the inward steps may be relatively unseen to an outside observer, the outward steps are clearly visible in our behavior.
The corporate steps (confession, worship, guidance, celebration) are steps we generally take together, with other followers of Jesus. While they certainly can be done individually, there is power in taking these steps as a community of those who have placed their trust in Jesus.
Together, the inward, outward, and corporate steps are tangible things we can do on a consistent basis to intentionally create space in our lives for God’s Spirit to work in us—to change us and to help us grow deeper in our experience of the life offered in Jesus.
Over the next few days, we’ll explore each of these categories—inward, outward, and corporate—in a bit more depth so that we can more fully benefit from these powerful everyday steps.