It’s February
Dear Patheos Friends: This is my first post in February! One of my Patheos friends said it is still February, so she is looking forward to the post- appreciate that! February is the month we celebrate all things love with Valentine’s Day, Black History, Groundhog Day, Superbowl Champions, Presidents’ Day, National Clam Chowder Day, National Inventors Day, International Day of Women and Girls in Science and the list goes on and on. Shoutout to everyone that has a birthday during this month of all things love. Congratulations to the 2025 Superbowl Champions – the Philadelphia Eagles! And for many of us, our teams did not make it this year, but we had a good time cheering for the teams during the game. Great game by the Philadelphia Eagles-from the beginning to the end.
Feedback
Some feedback from the last post on Biblical Community; one being a question on how to navigate spiritual abuse in a Biblical Community. We are currently in a time within the church collective that everything that has been hidden and destructive for years is coming to light as part of God’s plan for repentance, redemption and restoration. Every form of abuse in any community is unacceptable, not just in the Biblical Community. My post last year “Beware of Spiritual Abuse” provides insights and guidance on this question.
Feed Your Faith
Helping our new believers in Christ in their growth journey, in this post we will examine the value of faith in walking with God (discipleship journey). Now, you have a solid Bible reading plan in place for this year, and you have a Biblical community to enable you to live in the light as commanded by the scriptures ((1 John 1: 7). I want to commend you on making your spiritual growth a priority. Discipleship is intentional and never automatic or by osmosis. We see this well stated in James 4:8a, with an open invitation to fellowship with God, “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.”
To best understand how vital your faith is in your discipleship journey, think of the journey as a vehicle and your faith as the steering wheel of the vehicle. A vehicle without a steering wheel is stagnant. Your faith is what keeps the vehicle (discipleship journey) moving.
Pleasing God
Hebrew 11:6a, says the same thing (your faith is your steering wheel) in another way, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that comes to God must believe that He is.” Simply put, faith is the propeller of your spiritual growth. Faith gives your discipleship journey kinetic energy. Physics calls kinetic energy the form of energy an object has due to its motion. This is exactly what your faith does in your walk with God.
Big Deal
New believers in Christ; your faith is a big deal– never take it for granted or underestimate its purpose, impact and value. Because God is a Master Architect, He made sure everything in His plan of redemption is inter-connected. Your faith is dependent on God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. Romans 10:17 shows us exactly this inter-connection, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” John 14:26, shows us how the Holy Spirit helps believers with understanding the word of God; “But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
Doers of God’s Word
The value of your faith hinges on three things: (1) The word of God. (2) Prayer (next post) and (3) Action. This third one is where you get to “practice” and “live out” the word of God. This is what authenticates your walk with God as you obey His Word. James 1:22-25 says it very well so believers can fully understand that the blessing is not in the head knowledge of God’s Word. Rather is in the actual doing and living out the Word of God that unlocks the anointing and blessing that is in God’s Word upon your life. The value of your faith in God is priceless!
James 1:22-25
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straight way forgetting what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” (James 1: 22-25, KJV).
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