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Almost everyone tries to develop new habits and make improvements at the beginning of a new year. But by the time March rolls around, most of the diets have crashed and the gym memberships have gone unused. Nancy identifies the true power you need for lasting change in the series “Adding to Your Faith.” Below are follow-up questions to deepen your understanding of 2 Peter 1:5–7.
Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love” (2 Peter 1:5–7).
Faith
- Do you have genuine faith in Christ?
- Who or what are you trusting for your eternal salvation?
- What evidences are there that you have true faith: that you have believed and placed your faith in Christ? (Faith without works is dead.)
Virtue
- Is your life characterized by moral excellence?
- Do you choose to think, read, be entertained by, and look on things that are virtuous and excellent?
- Is your character (speech, actions, and choices) morally excellent?
- Do you have a heart and appetite for things that are excellent, good, and pure?
- Do you have an energetic, vigorous faith? Is it active, alive, and growing?
- Are you fulfilling your intended, created purpose? What does your life reflect to others about the nature and character of God?
Knowledge
- Are you growing in your knowledge of God’s Word and His ways?
- Are you growing in your knowledge of God, in an intimate relationship with Him?
- What are you doing to nurture your relationship with Him and to get to know Him better?
- Are you spending consistent time seeking to know Him through the study of His Word and prayer?
- What things are you most motivated and interested to learn about?
- Are you able to take the Word and apply it to your life circumstances and to use it to minister to the needs of others?
Self-control
- Do you have any recurring or besetting sinful habits or areas of bondage in your life?
- Are you enslaved or addicted to anything?
- Do you exercise self-control
- with your tongue and words
- in your moods and emotions
- with your body: food and drink
- with your time: entertainment, hobbies, and habits
- in your spending
- sexually
- with the computer and the Internet
- Is there any area where you frequently and habitually give in to sinful or fleshly desires, drives, or passions?
Steadfastness (Perseverance)
- Does your faith hold up? Do you endure under pressure and testing?
- Do you keep trusting, loving, and obeying God even when His providence and choices are not what you would choose?
- When hard times come, do you throw in the towel and give in to discouragement, fear, or resentment?
- What trials or afflictions are you facing at this time? Are you enduring them steadfastly, or have you grown weary and fainthearted?
- Are you responding to these trials with joy?
Godliness
- Is your heart orientation and inclination toward godly things?
- Is your heart devoted to God?
- Is your life God-centered? Is what you think about, dwell on, and seek after God-centered?
- Is the essential orientation of your life God-ward and heavenward? Or is it self-centered and earthly (earthbound)? Is it temporal or eternal?
- Are you training to be godly? What are you doing?
Brotherly Affection
- Do you genuinely care for the people of God? Are you fond of them?
- Do you enjoy their company? Are you cultivating rich friendships with other believers?
- Do you think of them as your brothers and sisters?
- Are you kind to and considerate of your fellow believers?
- Do you assume the best about other believers?
- Are you warmhearted toward them?
- Do you look for ways to encourage and bless them?
- Do you treat them with honor, respect, and goodwill?
- Do you speak charitably and well of other believers?
- Are you quick to serve and minister to their needs whenever possible?
- Are you hospitable? Do you welcome God’s people into your home?
- Do you receive others as Christ has received you?
Love (1 Corinthians 13)
- Is your life characterized by selfless, sacrificial, serving love?
- Do you seek the Kingdom of God and the interests of others above your own?
- Do you love God (evidenced by obeying His commands)?
- Do you love your family?
- Do you love the lost?
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