The Bible reveals and discusses important tools we can use to grow spiritually and build our relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. We first examine the crucial tool of prayer a key to communication with our Creator.

In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, right after instructing people not to use vain repetition in prayer (Matthew 6:7), He gave a model prayer now referred to as the Lord's Prayer or "Our Father" for its first words (Matthew 6:9-13).

It is only logical that God expects us to fulfill certain conditions if we want His help.

God has given us His revelation of what we need to know but could not learn on our own. He has given us a handbook for life the Bible. How can we best use this wonderful tool for spiritual growth He has provided for us?

The Bible is unified by profound themes running through it. Although it contains a number of major themes, here are three of the most important.

God doesn't want blind faith. He wants you to have faith based on solid evidence. "Test [prove] all things; hold fast what is good," He tells us (1 Thessalonians 5:21). You can prove the divine origin, authenticity and accuracy of the Bible.

Author Bruce Barton called the Bible The Book Nobody Knows. That is practically true, but you can know it.

We can greatly improve the quality of our prayers and Bible study when we think carefully or meditate about what God says to us through His Word and what we say to Him in prayer. How can we use the tool of meditation?

What are some of the things we might meditate on to get our minds more attuned to God's way of thinking? Here's a short list to get you started.

The Bible shows us that many notable figures spent time in fasting going without food and drink. God even commands us to fast at least one day each year. What does fasting teach us, and how can we use this tool for growth?