Growing in Faith
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Posted: March 4, 2023
Author: Kerry Lytle 1 Peter 5:10, New Living Translation "So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation." |
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God designed for humans to think, feel, speak, and act in certain ways. As a race we have walked away from that and messed up things. God, through Jesus, has hit the reset button on our lives, giving us hope for a better life.
In the Garden of Eden we decided to disregard God’s ways of thinking—listening to serpents and disobeying God’s instructions for how to live life. We, and the universe, have been messed up ever since. But thanks be to God that He sent Jesus to rescue us.
One of the things God is doing through Jesus is hitting the reset button for our lives. We get a chance to start anew, with a new heart and mind that is being transformed back into the ways of thinking prior to the Fall.
Despite our best efforts, there comes a time in the life of every believer when we will need to hit the reset button on our faith. It does not matter how long you have been walking with the Lord because tests of life happen to all of us. John 16:33 (NIV) says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Trouble is not always the terrible, hard stuff life can throw at us. It is also the regular responsibility of showing up day after day, doing the work we have been called to do in the spaces we occupy. Throughout this process, the wear and tear of life can begin to pull on our faith. When we come to a point where we realize our faith needs a reset, it is not something we should be embarrassed about or feel shame over. God does not look at us as if we failed in our faith, nor does He condemn us because we may need to realign ourselves spiritually. The troubles of life will require all of us to keep hitting reset on our faith for as long as we live.
Along our Christian journey, we will experience being in a spiritual rut, hitting a faith wall, or even feeling like we are in a pit. God allows us to go through many different seasons because all are necessary to our spiritual growth and development. And yes, “troubles” in our life will try our faith. James 1:2-4 (NLT) tells us, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”
At some point in our lives the Lord will speak to our hearts that He is getting ready to “hit the reset button.” This wouldn’t just be a fresh start, but a “renewed” one. It wouldn’t just be a chance to go back to square one and give another go at it, but much more. It would involve the wiping away of all frustrations, failures, and setbacks. It would include the grace to break patterns that have been limited or sabotaged in the past. It would come with fresh vision to see situations, opportunities, and even ourselves in a renewed way. This is the “reset” – deeply knowing we are His, we are favored, protected, and provided for, and in that we can dream big and expect to prosper and succeed in all we set our hands to (Deuteronomy 28:8, Jeremiah 29:11). No matter what the past was, we are not to “dwell” in it. We are to dwell in Him. For when we do, we are perfectly positioned for Him to hit the “reset” button, wipe away the past, and launch us into a glorious future (John 15:7).
You may be wondering if you need a reset on your faith in your current life season. Here are a few things, that I have experienced myself and believe are signs that indicate it is time hit the reset button on your faith.
If you are tired all of the time. If you are at a point where you constantly feel tired no matter what you do to try and make yourself not feel this way, you probably need to hit reset on your faith. Perpetually being tired indicates that not only has your body grown weary, but so has your soul. Resetting your faith in this way is not limited to physical rest but also includes soul rest. It is not God’s design that we live our lives depleted and still running on empty. If you have experienced burnout over a prolonged period, then this is your invitation to hit the reset button now.
If you are too busy to spend time with God. Who is not busy? Everyone, on some level, has a busy lifestyle. I know I do. What is more important than being busy, however, is being fruitful. As Christians, we want to be sure we are producing the right fruit.
We can expect our faith to suffer if we have invested our time pursuing people, places, and things in our life but not made time to be with God. If we are too busy to spend time with God consistently, then we are just way too busy!
The last thing I believe is a sign that we may need to hit the reset button is that you are negative. If you notice yourself turning into Negative Nancy, it may be time for you to reach for the button and hit reset on your faith. When our first reaction is to have a pessimistic outlook about everything, we should stop and question why we are responding this way? Faith causes believers to be hopeful because Jesus is our hope.
Although we effortlessly identify present confusion in our world, we must likewise not forget what history has taught us to be true. If we pause for a moment, we will remember that God is always faithful. There has never been a time throughout our lives when God has not been faithful. When we feel like God is far from us or that we are far from God, it produces doubts in our faith. We question God’s plans for us. We may even feel abandoned or rejected because of the troubles of life staring us in the face. Yet, in the midst of it all, God remains faithful. These are times to reach out and hit your reset button....Let God reset your faith!
