FAITH ADDITIVES

BY OLUFUNSO JOSEPH OMIDIRAN www.livingsord.org

"And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins
(2Pet.2:5-9).

The Christian calling is that of faith, but faith is not an isolated concept: it is the basic foundation upon which we build a strong walk with God. Without faith, nobody can please God in the first instance (Heb.11:4) and whatever is not of faith is sin (Rom.14:23).

Thus, the place of faith is most significant and basic. However, we must know that faith in itself does not have an intrinsic value until it is activated. We activate our faith through concomitant works of faith. In essence, faith is no excuse for evading responsibilities or accepting practical challenges of life. We need to be very careful so that we do not unduly spiritualise or philosophise on every matter of life. At times we are unmindful of the enormity and the gravity of our own responsibilities in the kingdom of God and this can be very costly. The Word of God reveals very clearly the unfailing principles for living in the kingdom. Faith works well as a result of certain additives that we must give room for in our lives. We must keep adding them to our lives if we are to have successful Christian life. Here they are:

#1 VIRTUE-
i.e. Goodness or good works. Goodness or virtue is the quality of seeking for the well-being of others. A good person relates in all things with good conscience. A conscientious individual will do all things taking into cognisance the fact that we will give account of our stewardship to God at the end. A common adage sounds like this "Virtue is its own reward".

#2 KNOWLEDGE-
God does not want His people to be ignorant concerning His will for them. Ignorance is costlier than knowledge. We are all going to pay for everything we ought to have known that we have not known. God’s people do perish because they lack knowledge (Hos.4:6). Those who love knowledge are bound to rule their peers. A little information can make the difference between outright success and woeful failure.

#3 TEMPERANCE-
This is the ability to hold oneself. It is the virtue of a person who is well disciplined. God wants to commit great resources and true wealth to those who are able to manage their own temper. We are to be able to stand unshaken in spite of every storm of life. Life is always filled with anxious moments, times when we need to make wise and careful decisions. A mature hand will bear the rule among men. If you are always driven by mere impulse or emotion, you may end up ruining your own life and that of others. Let us receive grace to be still in the presence of God. God is going to grant success in life to those have been enabled to manage it. He will first test you to know your ability to stand without falling into hurtful temptations.

#4 PATIENCE-
Patience is the ability to wait. Wait for your time, wait for your turn. Wait to hear from God. Do not be too hasty in decision making. One of the utmost characteristics of wise ones is patience. You cannot be a right judge if you do not listen patiently to both sides of the story. An impatient or hasty person can destroy true legacies. Patience simply says ‘Time will tell, the truth will be known’. Some matters of life will never be settled unless we take time to wait. Let us wait patiently to know what God is saying. Don’t ‘jump the gun’.

#5 GODLINESS-
This is doing all things with a heart of reverence for God. Godliness is the outworking of fear of God in our character. Who is a godly man? It is a man who has learnt of the way of the Lord and is practicing the same. Of all those who claim to be seekers or worshippers of God, God is moved only by those who fear Him and tremble at His Word (Isa.66:2).

#6 BROTHERLY KINDNESS-
Doing good to the brethren, fellow heirs of the kingdom. We need to invest our available resources to the benefit of those who have received the same gospel of salvation that we embrace. The brotherhood of all Christians is not limited by race, creed, colour, denomination or social status. We all belong to the same household of faith. The same blood-line connects us together, even the precious blood of Jesus. Halleluyah! We are to do good to all men and especially to those who belong to the household of faith. Christ died for all and we must give good attention to those who also have respect for this great love and great salvation in Christ.

#7 CHARITY (LOVE)-
This is the bond of perfection (Col. 3:14). Love is the total essence of true Christian life. Love qualifies us as well as our works for divine acceptance, as we can see in 1Corintians 13. Even if one does all laudable Christian and humanitarian services and he lacks love, he is not accepted by God. Acceptable service in Christ is the one that is built on love. We must love the Lord, we must love the brethren, we must love the truth and hate iniquity. Love is the height of Godliness. Amen.


WHAT IF YOU HAVE THESE ADDITIVES?
" For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" 2Pet.1:8
Spiritual barrenness will be ruled out of your life and you will be fruitful in all life endeavours. God is willing to make us fruitful in life, but we too must play our role: we must not fail to apply necessary spiritual additives to our faith.

WHAT IF YOU LACK THEM?
"But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and he hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins"
2Pet.1:9

The secret of our joy and liberty in Christ Jesus is the assurance of our forgiveness of sins and of salvation: we are not only forgiven but are also purged from our sins. Our confidence is in the mercy and power of God who is able to discharge and acquit the sinner. Hence, our continual cognisance of the blessing of forgiveness will keep us at applying these faith additives or principles.

A GREAT GAIN FOR YOU!
Who on earth can stand before the Most High? Those who are eternally committed to living their lives according to scriptural principles. Such ones will keep bearing fruit in their season and their fruit will abound. You are not left out of this blessed possibility. Now is the season. Go ahead and be fruitful in JESUS mighty name! Shalom.


REV. OLUFUNSO J. OMIDIRAN
LIVING SWORD MINISTRIES INT'L
(Healing unto the Nations)
E-mail: info@livingsword.org
Web: www.livingsword.org
Tel: +2348032206092; +447530963151, +447551795866
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!