What’s Your Next Step of Faith?

Sometimes those who believe in God wonder what the next step or lesson is for us on the journey of faith. In 2 Peter 1:5-7 some steps are laid out quite simply for us “...make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.”

The first step is quite simple, come to have faith in Jesus! If you are curious about what that means, I’d strongly encourage you to talk to a pastor in your community. If you have come to faith in Jesus the first step is to be a good person. Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving…because that is what the Lord is to you. (And honestly, the world needs a little bit more of this in it.)

If you would say you are a good person who believes in God, it is time to learn more about Him. Read the Scriptures, pray, and regularly attend a church to increase your knowledge of Him. As you gain knowledge it is only useful if you begin to apply it to your life through the discipline of self-control. Adapt, grow, and change your life to align your beliefs with your actions. 

Then it all becomes about perseverance because life is going to throw you curveballs and those situations will test the way you live out your faith in every circumstance. We also all know how easy it is to stick to something when it is new, but how it becomes more difficult as we try to establish it as a habit. (cough…New Year's Resolutions…cough.) As you continually live out your faith your life will look more and more like the God you believe in.

The danger in godliness is that we can convince ourselves that we are like God, or worse…that we are a god. We then can turn into prideful and judgemental separatists who miss out on the mission of God in the world. (just like the Pharisees) The antidote to this is mutual affection. Get to know your neighbors, make acquaintances, and invest in the people within your community. As you do this you demonstrate love, and love has a miraculous exponential growth factor. (At least the kind of love that God teaches and demonstrates.) 

I hope that 2 Peter 1:5-7 gave you some ideas of what your current growth area may be, and what may be next. So, what’s your next step of faith?

Grace and Peace,

Austin