Add To Your Faith

Life is full of growth—physical, emotional, and spiritual. But spiritual growth doesn’t always come easily. It requires effort, patience, and sometimes a willingness to press on even when the results aren’t immediately visible.

In 2 Peter 1:3-9, Peter reminds us that God gives us His presence, His strength, and His promises to empower our growth. This means that growth is not about our own ability to perform; it’s about relying on His power and working alongside Him.

Peter encourages us to actively pursue growth by adding specific qualities to our faith.

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.” (2 Peter 1:5-7)

Lets define these qualities:

• Virtue is about living a life that reflects God’s goodness with integrity and honor.

• Knowledge isn’t just head knowledge, but understanding in relationship with God.

• Self-control is the ability to say no to the things that pull us away from God and say yes to the things that align with His will.

• Steadfastness is the strength, patience, and trust in God to keep going when life is hard.

• Godliness is prioritizing His will and living with reverence and respect for God.

• Brotherly affection is the love we show to fellow believers with kindness and patience.

• Love is the foundation of all the virtues listed above. It’s selfless and sacrificial, following Christ’s example of love for others.

God promises that when we grow in these qualities, we will be fruitful and effective in our knowledge of Jesus. This kind of fruitfulness is the experience of the blessing we have received through knowing Jesus. If we are not experiencing blessing it may be true that we know facts, but are not acting on them through pursuing growth.

These qualities will guard our hearts and minds, making us more like Christ and strengthening our faith. Adding these qualities to our faith is the evidence of a true disciple and leads to the abundant life Jesus intends for us.

Pray with your own words, or try these:

Lord, Thank You for granting me everything I need for life and godliness. I praise You for Your divine power, Your promises, and Your presence in my life. Help me to make every effort to grow in virtue, knowledge, self-control, and love. I want to bear fruit in my faith and reflect Your character to the world around me. When I feel discouraged in my growth, remind me of Your grace and the strength You provide. In Jesus’ name, amen.