The more we grow in our relationship with God, the more we will understand the power that He has given us through the person of Jesus Christ. It is our greatest privilege to be able to increase in the Spirit with each passing day as we put on the love of Christ, because our earth experience is the only opportunity that we will have to do it. A lot of people have not understood this. They have talked about waiting until that great by and by to bask in the glory of what Heavenly Father has made available, but the testament to our faith and trust in Him is to exact His promise in our lives while we yet live.
One of the critical truths that must be in our arsenals is that we can’t be the same people we were two years ago, two months ago, or two weeks ago. God tells us in Romans 12:2 to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The kind of transformation that Heavenly Father is referring to here is a spiritual one. It’s not a one-time deal and we’re done. It’s a spiritual metamorphosis that occurs in our souls as we continually put on the mind of Christ and we are transformed by the Spirit bit by bit.
In most of our cases, for years we have been the lords of our lives. We’ve done whatever it is that we wanted to do, based on the authority we think we possess. When we switched lordship over to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, things had to change. We no longer live by our own decrees, we live by the Word of the Lord and decree his authority over everything that we do and touch. Philippians 2:10 (NIV) tells us, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” There is no other name like the name of Jesus Christ. There’s power in his name, and as we move into greater levels of faith, the expectation is that the results we achieve by using the power of his name will increase as well.
There is no question that our understanding and use of the authority that we have been given through Christ must increase, but some of us are not where we could be when it comes to walking by, with, and in a Christ-kind of faith. If we’re honest, many of us are at a standstill. The election results and the chaotic state of what we see transpiring all over the place caught us off guard. Even though God has warned us in His Word, we were not prepared for things to go so wrong, and some of us have internalized the world’s condition. We’ve not only let it into our hearts and minds, but we have allowed it to negatively impact our relationships with God.
If this is true for you in even the smallest way, a reset is exactly the medicine you need. You’ve got to remind yourself that a progressive faith is not stymied by the negativity of anything in this natural realm. We are seated in the heavenlies and hidden in Christ! We are wherever he is. If we don’t get out of this very soulish realm of operating and tap into the Holy Spirit in a major way, we will find ourselves in the middle of a very bad storm on every front.
Acts 2:17(NIV) tells us, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” This is in our time! It is the time that we are currently living in. The rich, ooey gooey goodness of God’s glory is pouring from heaven’s doors on to those Christians that are opening themselves to receive it. You can’t take it by emotion. You take it by faith. It’s almost unbelievable to say it, but many Christians have pushed it away, because they don’t have that child-like humility to just flat out believe that God will deliver on His promises.
God has told us what is available to receive. You and I are responsible for opening the door to experience this outpouring. Whether or not our arms are wide open speaks to how we are approaching our lives in the Spirit. Every morning, are you greeting God in the way that He desires to be greeted? Are you welcoming Him into your day? Many of us begin our routines without even giving Him a “Good Morning!”
Faith requires focus. This is a critical truth from God’s Word. The Master said in Matthew 6:21 (KJV), “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Our treasures are the things that occupy the brunt of our focus. Whatever we’re focusing on will grow. If the peace of God is your focus, then you’ll witness the peace of God manifesting in your life in abundance. If growing and increasing in faith is the focus of your heart, then the manifestation of an increased level of faith will show up in your life in a powerful way.
But let’s not forget that this works for both positive and negative. For instance, if someone has wronged you, and you focus on the harm or hurt they’ve caused, guess what you’re going to harvest? You are going to harvest more of what you choose to focus your attention on. In order to have your faith move progressively, you’ve got to focus on the truth of God’s Word; not emotion, but the truth! It’s just that simple!
God created this machinery that we call bodies. He knows what makes them run optimally. He knows what we need to do to preserve them and have them work the way He designed. This is why He’s given us divine and holy instructions in His Word, because His Word works best for our total well-being. When we align our hearts and minds with God’s Word, the end result is that faith is going to come and do what it does best, which is to achieve outcomes that are pleasing to God, and to us as well. More and more, you should be believing in the manifestation of things that you can’t yet see. But if we’re relegating Heavenly Father to the sidelines, if He’s not the predominate focus of our lives, then we’re not focusing our faith. We won’t be able to stand firm and sure when all else around is going to mush.
Jesus Christ is the answer! As the world becomes increasingly more confusing and chaotic, God is going to move upon those whose hearts are pure towards Him in mighty ways. It’s no longer about the new material thing we can acquire, but the new spiritual thing that God has freely made available in our day and time. A progressive environment can never exceed a progressive faith, and we have been equipped to meet and exceed the challenges that lie ahead. Continue to pray, and through the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ will help you move in a more progressive faith.■
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
“Moving in Progressive Faith” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2017. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.