Hello and good day! Blessed be the Lord from whom all blessings flow! Today I want to encourage you all to become more involved in your faith in God. Great and immense faith is something that we are called to have as Christians. Have you been working on your faith? What are some things you’ve been doing to increase your faith? Is it even possible to have more of it? Let’s look to what Peter has to say in regards to faith:
2 Peter 1: 5-8 (KJV)
“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
According to Peter, your faith is something that can be added on to and increased with all diligence. Hallelujah there is hope for us yet! Let’s talk about what elements should be added onto our faith.
First up, virtue. I think that most Christians excel in the virtue department. Having a high sense of morals tends to come naturally after the Holy Spirit has come into our hearts and changed us. Okay, so we’ve got that, what’s next?
Knowledge. Knowledge about who God is, what He’s done, and where His heart is at. Knowledge about our Lord is thankfully found in one faithful place- the Bible. He makes it very simple to get to know Him more. We don’t have to go out and buy the 47 disc set of ‘Getting to know God more’ DVDs, no, everything we need to know about God can be found directly from His living Word. So to increase our faith, we need to know more about God and His Word. This will give us the confidence that we need in God and also provides us with ready hearts to show forth the knowledge that is in Him to help others! Okay, so dig deeper into Scripture to know the Word of God, check. What else can we add to our faith?
Temperance. This means letting everything in your life be brought under the sovereign control of God. Having self-restraint when it comes to the flesh, and demonstrating to God and to others that He is in control of your life; that you yield to Him and Him alone; not your lusts or the world. Showing temperance is a fruit of the Spirit that comes through faith and prayer and through the power of God alone!
Next up is patience. Being patient in times of tribulation can be some of the most fruit-producing times in your life! Embrace it and embrace your Lord and Savior’s promises about your life. Sometimes we get impatient waiting for God’s promises and perfect timing (Abraham and Sarah are biblical examples of what happens when we dont wait for God) and try to take matters into our own hands to “help” God’s plan out, but at the end of the day, that is not what God wants us to do; He just wants us to be patient and have faith. And I’m telling you what, if you lean on your Savior to get you through the times of trial, and be patient with His timing, and praise Him through it all, it will indefinitely increase your faith, because God will come through for you, (His plans never fail) and you will be able to sit back and watch the power of God be demonstrated in your life. Please don’t rob yourself of this experience, it is one of the coolest things to witness in life! Wait, there’s more ways to add to your faith? Indeed, much more!
Godliness. Becoming more like God happens only after we know who God is, and that comes through reading the Word. Becoming devoted to God’s will for our lives is an extremely beneficial and rewarding way to live life. It will produce great faith as we see God unfolding His plan for our life right before our eyes. Being holy is not something we can attain on our own, so when we bare that fruit in our lives, it is undeniably the power of God at work and can not be denied! We can also show,
Brotherly kindness. This is essential to live a life like Christ did. Jesus was always more concerned about the needs of others rather than himself. Remember, the first shall be last and the last shall be first according to God (Matthew 20:16).
Lastly, charity can and will increase our faith. This means love! Loving God and loving others around you is the single-handed most important thing that God asks of us. Loving on God and people does not only benefit then, it benefits you as well! Let love reign and change your heart. It should be the driving motive behind all that you do.
All of these things are profitable to increase your faith and ultimately, are pleasing and acceptable to God. Let’s finish up the rest of what Peter was saying,
2 Peter 1: 9-11 (KJV)
“But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
Having more faith is essential to Christian life. If you have accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your Savior through faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8), then you have been renewed afresh by the power of God, who has transformed our lives and our hearts through His great mercy and power. We are new creations in Christ and through Him we have the power to have more faith and hope in Him and what He is doing for our lives. I pray you all consider your faith as something that can be constantly improved and have fun getting to know God more in your journey!
Be blessed friends💕
Lifted Vision Ministry 