The older I have become and more mature in my faith there are some lessons that God has slowly taught me. Each trial and struggle of life has brought with it more opportunity to learn and growth in faith. These lessons have deepened my faith and trust in a Savior who provides peace, hope and unending joy through all that life brings. Since these lessons have been so beneficial to my own faith walk, I wanted to share some of what I have learned here with all of you.
- God calls us to continuous spiritual growth
Colossians 1:10 says “Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.” Just like it is good to go into everyday life with an open mind to learn from everyone around us, it is a good thing to always be ready to learn more from God. In fact, he should be our primary source to learn from. The Holy Spirit will teach and guide in new ways every day. But we have to be prepared to listen and learn.
- Satan will try to break you
John 10:10 says, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” Satan thrives on drawing us away from what God has for us. His lies can easily become the voice inside our heads keeping us from the plan and blessings God wants to provide for us. As a Christ follower we must be prepared to see his attempts and work to combat against them. We must lean into the hope and assurance we have in Christ so that we can overcome the Devil’s tricks and stumbling blocks he throws at us.
- The Bible should always be your primary source
Matthew 4:4 says, But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ While worship music, devotional books and faith-based books are good, they cannot be our main source. We should be going to God’s Word first and using those other resources as supplementary resources to our faith walk. They can be good for quick reminders or encouragement, but our relationship with our heavenly Father needs to have a foundation in his Words and the pure truth that he provides us through scripture.