Faith …GROWS.
The faith that saves us changes us. If it is not changing you in your thinking, motives, deeds, thoughts about God and compliance and love For His Word, then you have no reason to believe you have ever been saved, delivered, rescued from the wrath of God, the authority of satan, the power and consequences to sin.
It is not perfection in your living, but a new direction in Whom you are living for!
More the Savior than self!
This new imparted faith is not Stagnant but Progressive. Like a health baby at birth has an appetite, desires food, milk so their is growth. Growth in size, weight, understanding, development into adulthood. There is growth, progression, evidenced. Indeed, go back and look at photos from a year ago, ten years ago twenty, thirty years ago of yourself and see the change!!!
Faith is a living, vibrant trust, reliance upon Him that develops as weight training develops, tones, strengthens the body in the physical realm, so, Faith In The Lord Jesus, through the knowledge and appropriation of His Word Grows the person, changing them from the inside out, how they view life.
A “World view,” where the emphasis is on self and the standards, goals of this world are what is pursued and prominent, praised as though it is an end in itself. It is the fixing the focus, the setting of your mind firmly on things of the earth. Paul wrote, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”-{Rom 8;6-8}
God’s View” where God, His Kingdom is pursued.”Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set {BE INTENT} your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ” -{Col 3:1-3}
Everyone lives in one of these two realms as the overriding pursuit, passion of their thinking and doing! The one you live for shows which realm you are living in! Genuine faith in the Lord Jesus is manifested, evidenced in spiritual growth. As an apple tree produces apples, not apricots, so a child of God produces fruit that is manifested through spiritual…growth! Growth in Christlike character,”But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” – {Galatians 5:22-23.}, Growth in faith, dependence, reliance upon the LORD. Even our troubles are opportunities to “Grow.” Paul wrote, “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; “-{2 Cor 1:8-9}. In this testings, afflictions, great pressures they were under, Paul wrote one reason was to learn not to rely on themselves BUT ON GOD, who raises the dead!
Growth in dependence upon God, means the ending, weaning off dependence upon self reliance! The weaning off self reliance to God dependency! It is a progression…it is not instantaneous… it is growth in faith in the LORD. Hebrews 11 shows us the lives of various people who lived by dependence upon Him. Not sinless or flawless people, but people who grew in their faith and are known in heaven as those approved by God because of their faith in Him.
Faith in Him does not promise a trouble free life. For like Paul, these people in Hebrew 11, experienced severe trials and suffering. Plus there are times when we fail, like David who under pressure pretended he was insane to save himself. Like Peter when we take our eyes off Him and fail to take Him at His Word, we fail and begin to SINK but even there when he cried out to the LORD TO SAVE HIM, The LORD did.
He is not out to Destroy you but to Draw you into a deeper understanding of Himself, His Love for you and Display Himself to and through you!
The more we grow in faith the more child-like we become!
Child-like dependence upon the LORD, taking Him at His Word and applying it because it is good enough that He said it! He is to be believed for He is trustworthy. “So Faith comes from and hearing by the Word of Christ”-{Rom 10;17}. His Word is the foundation, the soil that true faith is developed and like a huge Oak tree, when the storms come, the roots are deep in Christ, His Word and spiritual stability, character is developed and displayed. A growing trust in Him who is Trustworthy,reliable, who has given us “everything pertaining to life and Godliness… precious and magnificent promises..” to encourage and be applied. -{Read 2 Peter 1:3}. Faith is not blind when his Word is your foundation and He is your focus! “Looking away from all else to Jesus, the author and perfecter of your… FAITH…”-{Heb 12:2}
The Holy Spirit has been given to us “To Guide you into all truth…” -{Read John 16:13.}. His Word reveals Jesus Christ to us.{Read Luke 24:27}. The Psalmist prayed, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law ” -{Psalm 119:18}. His Word we are to “delight in and meditate upon {Psalm 1:2} and to “let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly…”-{Col 3;16}. His Spirit to teach us, His Word to guide and govern us… ourselves to submit to Him and His Word and we will grow, for only living things grow… and you having been “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ..” can grow and will grow in the grace and knowledge of Him, and grow in your faith in Him!
Having been saved by faith, we now are to live by faith in Him. And to grow in our faith, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;”- {2 Peter 1:5}; “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” -{2 Peter 3:18}; “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” – {1 Peter 2:2-3}.