Growth, in a positive direction, doesn’t happen by chance. It takes intention and effort.
Whether it is watering and pruning a plant, training and disciplining a toddler, or valuing and nurturing a friendship, work is needed to produce positive change.
Too much of what is needed, though, can overwhelm and counter the intended effect. This can even happen spiritually, when doing so many ‘good’ things squeezes out time spent in God’s presence through his Word, in prayer, and with praise.
Have you thought about what is needed to grow your own faith?
Do you ever feel like you are going through the motions just to check those boxes?
It is important to tend our faith and put it into practice. As faith without works is dead (James 2:26), so hearing God’s truths without heeding them is foolishness (Matthew 7:26).
Faith in not passive; godliness results from training (1 Timothy 4:7-8). “The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh” (Galatians 5:17a ESV). This tension necessitates us actively pursuing God’s will.
How do we surrender our will to the Lord?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, surrender means “to give up completely or agree to forgo especially in favor of another.” There is an action that will lead to spiritual growth: we must choose to let go of our desires and replace them with the Lord’s. We cannot do this in our own strength, but through the power of the Holy Spirit we will be transformed into Christlikeness as we surrender to him.
In order to yield our will to God’s, we need to be able to both identify (and renounce) our desires and know (and put on) God’s desires. This requires a humble heart, a sensitive spirit, and an attentive mind. We are blessed to have personal accessibility to God’s Word in written form. Not only should we treasure our copy of it, but we should read it and meditate on it in order to learn from it.
As the apostle Paul wrote, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will” (Romans 12:2 NIV). As Christians, we grow in faith according to God’s truths.
Watch your faith grow when you use a Heart Training book to help you meditate on God’s Word and put it into practice!