🌿 Growing Spiritually with Branch to Hope
- Branch To Hope Team
- Aug 18
- 5 min read
Spiritual growth isn’t about checking boxes or reaching a finish line. It’s about walking hand in hand with Jesus and letting His Spirit gently transform us day by day. The journey doesn’t require perfection—just a willing heart and simple steps of obedience.
At Branch to Hope, we believe spiritual growth happens through new habits that create change. That’s why we designed the Color of the Day bracelets, the Pause + Pray app, and the global rhythm of stopping together at 1:11 each day to whisper a prayer. These simple tools are more than reminders—they are seeds of transformation planted into the ordinary fabric of life.
When you choose to pause, pray, and wear the colors that represent the Fruit of the Spirit, you’re choosing to let your everyday life be shaped by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Simple and Practical Ways to Grow Spiritually
Spiritual growth often happens in the small, ordinary choices that seem almost too simple to matter. But when you practice them daily, they form habits that transform your heart:
✨ Practice Daily Presence: Slow down long enough to notice God in the ordinary. When you see the Color of the Day—a red stop sign (love), the blue sky (joy), the green tree (peace)—pause and let it remind you that God is present here and now. Slip on your bracelet in the morning and whisper: “Lord, grow this fruit in me today.”
✨ Pause + Pray at 1:11: Spiritual growth flourishes in rhythm. Every day at 1:11, thousands around the world stop what they’re doing to pray—just for a minute. It may seem small, but that pause aligns your heart with God’s. Imagine the ripple effect when believers everywhere are lifting up prayers at the same time!
✨ Keep a Prayer + Gratitude Journal: Each 1:11 pause is a chance to jot down one thing you’re thankful for, one scripture whisper, or one way God showed up. Over time, these entries become a testimony of His faithfulness in your life.
✨ Acts of Kindness as Habits: Use the bracelet color as your challenge for the day. If it’s Yellow – Kindness, find a way to brighten someone else’s day—send a text, offer a smile, or share a word of encouragement. The Fruit of the Spirit is meant to flow outward.
✨ Create a Sacred Space: You don’t need a big room or a retreat center—just a corner, a chair, or even your car before work. Place your Bible, your bracelet set, or your journal nearby. Let it become a space where you and God meet.
🌍 Exploring Different Pathways to Growth
Not everyone’s journey looks the same—and that’s the beauty of it. God grows us uniquely, but He always invites us to abide in Him. Here are pathways you can explore:
Meditation + Breath Prayer – Take a deep breath and pray: “Jesus, fill me with Your Spirit.” Exhale slowly and release your worries.
Nature Connection – Go outside. Notice how creation sings of God’s goodness—the steady tree (peace), the vast sky (joy), the blooming flower (kindness).
Creative Expression – Paint, write, sing, or journal what today’s color means to you. Creativity is an act of worship.
Community + Fellowship – Growth multiplies in circles. Invite a friend to join you in the Color of the Day Challenge through the app. Share your reflections and pray for each other.
Contemplative Prayer – Sit in silence during the 1:11 pause and simply rest in God’s presence. Sometimes the deepest growth comes in stillness.
📖 What the Bible Says About Growth
The Bible paints spiritual growth as a process of becoming more like Christ.
Renewal of the Mind – “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (Romans 12:2). Each pause to pray is an opportunity to renew your mind in God’s truth.
Bearing Fruit – “I am the vine; you are the branches…” (John 15:5). Just as our bracelets remind us, we are branches connected to the Vine, meant to bear fruit that lasts.
Perseverance in Trials – “The testing of your faith produces perseverance…” (James 1:2-4). Your bracelet on a hard day is a quiet reminder that God is working even through challenges.
Prayer + Fellowship – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer…” (Philippians 4:6). Our daily 1:11 pause is a way to practice this as a global community.
⚡ Overcoming Obstacles
Growth isn’t always easy—you will face doubt, distraction, and days that feel dry. But remember:
When your mind wanders, let the Color of the Day pull you back to center.
When life feels overwhelming, open the app at 1:11 and whisper the prayer of the day.
When you feel stuck, remember that every small seed of obedience grows in time.
Don’t despise small beginnings—God delights in them (Zechariah 4:10).
🌈 Integrating Growth into Everyday Life
Spiritual growth isn’t meant to stay in your quiet time—it overflows into every part of life. The Color of the Day Challenge helps you integrate growth naturally:
Start the Day with Intention – Put on your bracelet as a physical declaration: “Today I will walk in the Spirit.”
Practice Gratitude – Open the app and note three blessings. Gratitude shifts your focus from lack to abundance.
Be Present in Relationships – Let today’s Fruit guide your conversations. Speak kindness, choose patience, extend love.
End with Reflection – Before bed, ask: “Where did I see God’s fruit in my life today?”
✨ Today’s Color of the Day Challenge
Pause. Notice. Live it out.
💙 If today is Blue – JOY, step outside, lift your eyes to the sky, and whisper: “Lord, restore joy in me today.”💚 If today is Green – PEACE, breathe deeply, unclench your shoulders, and declare: “Your peace guards my heart.”❤️ If today is Red – LOVE, ask: “Who can I love like Jesus today?”
And don’t forget—at 1:11, join the global Branch to Hope family in pausing and praying. You are never alone on this journey.
🙏 Closing Prayer
Lord, thank You for making growth simple and accessible. Thank You for bracelets that remind me, for an app that connects me, and for the sacred pause at 1:11 that anchors me. Grow in me the Fruit of the Spirit. Shape my words, my choices, and my heart so I reflect Your love in every moment. Amen.
💭 Reflect
What’s one step you can take today—wearing your bracelet, pausing at 1:11, or opening the app—that will help you lean into God’s presence and grow spiritually?