God is eagerly waiting for you to become qualified to carry out the tasks He has for you. If you don’t meet the qualifications, you won’t be able to receive what He has prepared for you. God desires your growth so that you can fulfill the assignments He has in store for you, as mentioned in Hebrews 1:14.
Esther’s journey involved surpassing her role as a beauty queen and developing into a woman of faith. It was when she declared, “If I perish, I perish!” and entrusted her situation to God that she matured.
Hannah prayed, but it was when she made a commitment to dedicate her child to God that she became ready. She agreed to partner with God in raising her child.
You need to reach a point where you surrender your own desires and make it all about God. This is discussed in 2 Peter 1:3-10. What are the actions we need to take to ensure we never stumble?
While salvation is the initial step, there is more to be done. Galatians 2:20 asks if you are truly living in Christ and if you have undergone a spiritual transformation. Being in Christ means moving away from your old ways and avoiding copying the actions of others. Instead, you need to progress and grow. To access and utilize the power that has been ordained for you, you must grow to that level.
1 John 4:4 reminds us that the power available to us remains stagnant until we build ourselves up and grow.
The passage in 2 Peter 1:14 and 2 Peter 1:1-8 presents several steps to follow:
- Becoming partakers of God’s divine nature goes beyond mere professions of faith. It requires continuous growth. Moses and Abraham were products of their encounters with God. The more they encountered Him, the more they grew (Exodus 7:1). You can provoke encounters with God through acts of service.
- Escaping the corruption in the world through lust involves placing your needs in Christ. Divine understanding is necessary to overcome the lust introduced by the world, as it leads to corruption (1 Corinthians 15:19; John 14:30).
- Building faith requires ongoing growth. You must continue to develop your faith (Jude 1:20-21). While encounters can initiate growth, faith grows through action. Your faith should not remain stagnant; it must continually expand.
- Adding virtue to your faith means exhibiting a behavior that reflects high moral standards. It can also refer to the excellence given by the Holy Spirit (Luke 8:46). You must recognize the virtue within you by building yourself up (Acts 10:38). The disciples possessed overflowing virtue, to the extent that their shadows could heal people.
- Seeking knowledge involves understanding why you serve God and deepening your knowledge of the Holy Trinity. Digging deep and learning beyond your intellectual capacity is important. Seek inspiration and teachings from God. Knowledge and understanding are provided by the Spirit of God, and they can be found in His Word (Jeremiah 15:16; Luke 2:40; Psalm 119:104-105).
- Temperance refers to self-restraint and moderation in all things. You must have control over your emotions and not allow anger to overpower you. As much as possible, live peaceably with everyone (1 Corinthians 9:25-27). Exercise self-control.
- Patience involves waiting for God’s timing.
- Godliness means conforming to the ways of Christ. Simply giving your life to Christ is not enough; you must strive to align yourself with His will (Romans 12:1-2). The world may try to pull you away, but you must stand firm and remain with God.
- Brotherly kindness entails showing compassion and kindness, empathizing with others.
- Charity represents loving God with all your heart. It reflects in how you treat anything related to God (John 3:16). You must cultivate a love that extends beyond yourself, a love that compels you to serve God without hesitation. This love will also motivate you to love and care for others (1 John 4:8-9).