HOW TO ACTIVATE YOUR FAITH - PART III - Growing your seed

(First read the Introduction and Part I and Part II)

Congratulations! You have done the hardest part: you have surrendered! (or, more correctly, you are in the process of surrendering...😉)

Right now you may still experience the aches and pains associated to "dying to self", but soon you won't notice them anymore. When that little seed pushes through the soil and feels the sunlight...🌱... that is the point of no return: you will not WANT to go back to your old life! Ever! 😌

Now before I get ahead of myself, let's quickly look at the germination process:

First our seed is going to develop roots that will be dependant on the nutrients and water in the soil to speed up the growing process.

Romans 10:17 

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ."

We desperately need to feed on the Word of God and thirst after His Spirit to grow the spiritual roots of our faith-seed. Reading the Bible may sound super boring to you, it may yet surprise you, though. I have come to discover that studying the mysteries of the Word is super intriguing and exciting. I can spend hours on it! But if this is not your "thing", then there are other solutions to get the nutrients in your system. If my kids don't like pumpkin soup, I make them pumpkin pies! 😉

You can subscribe for a daily Word in your mailbox. There are many websites out there to choose from (you will find a few options here).

There are also many amazing (and entertaining) teachers of the Word out there with ready-to-digest spiritual meals on youtube or on their websites. Louis Giglio, Bill Johnson, Joyce Meyer, to name but a few (you will find a few options here). There are so many to choose from, in fact, that we initially might need some advice of confirmed believers. Sadly there are false teachers out there too 😢, so we need to be discerning! It is, however, important to remember that everything we don't agree with isn't necessarily a heresy! Sometimes the Word being taught does not correspond to our current level of maturity. You simply need to find the teachings that correspond to where YOU are at on YOUR individual journey. Some people love Joyce Meyer, others can't stand her. Some can't get enough of Ian Clayton while others think that he has lost his marbles. 😆

Whatever it is that you find yourself listening to, must line up with what the Bible teaches - Scripture is your best measuring rod. And if you are not sure, ask the Holy Spirit to show you. Speaking of which... 

The Spirit of God is the constant water supply that any faith seed or -plant need to survive and grow. A day, or even a few hours, without Him, can really set you back alot!

If you are not in a habit of conversing with Holy Spirit, then I suggest that you start straight away! It is just like talking to a friend... or rather, an imaginary friend 😜. Indeed, your imagination is going to play a big role in your first steps of building relationship with God, because you need to "picture Him".

A regular slot will help you set the pace. I, for instance, like to go hiking and to talk out loud to God while I'm out there in nature. In the beginning of my walk with God, I would spend a lot of time with Him over weekends, but then the week would just roll by without really conversing with Him all that much. At some point I sensed that He wanted more, so I started by giving Him a little time every day. After a while He got greedy 😆... and I ended up spending time with Him twice a day. At some point I realized that it would be easier to simply converse with Him all day long, in the gaps, because that was clearly what He was after: to have all of me for all of Him all of the time! 😂

And no, it's not a burden - it is FUN! I am totally incapable and definitely unwilling to live without His constant companionship ever again. He is the best kinda drug there is!

Back to our seed: once your little seedling breaks through the soil, you get the benefit of sunlight. It's that "aha" moment when things simply start to make sense. You suddenly read a familiar scripture and see it in a completely different...Light!

Some people have experienced this after being baptized, others simply seem to grow into it in a non-specific way. Either way, it takes constant growth to get you there, and constant growth requires constant nutrition and water!

The growing process does bring its fair share of challenges, but also many many beautiful rewards that inspire you to keep on keeping on!

If you aren't doing it yet, you should really start to have a bit of food and water every day...😜. Subscribe to that daily Word, or download teachings to listen to during your 15 min drive to work. And don't forget to make time for conversation with Holy Spirit! (Have your early morning coffee with Him...) 

John 5:19 reveals a mysterious truth. Jesus said:

“I assure you... the Son can do nothing of Himself [of His own accord], unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever things the Father does, the Son[in His turn] also does in the same way. (AMPLIFIED)

In as much as Jesus needed to follow God's example, we also need a constant example. Holy Spirit has been given to us to do just that, but we need to CHOOSE to spend time with Him. (Mmmm... again that "power of choice" thing...🤔) If you meet with Him regularly, you will start hearing Him guide you in your choices.

Start today. Start with baby steps. 10 minutes a day. I have no doubt you'll get hooked and will end up giving Him more and more of your time 😏, but even a little bit on a regular basis really goes a long way!

In Part IV we are going to take another quick look at the process, and discuss THE activation button that each one of us needs to push at some point or another: stepping out in faith...!

Go to Part IV