The Faith Seriesਨਮੂਨਾ

Day 2: A Faith That Matures

God’s Word reveals His purposes—and once you understand those purposes, the Scriptures come alive with new clarity and meaning. You cannot rightly interpret the Bible without understanding what God is ultimately after. It is not His desire to take us to Heaven unprepared, immature, and unable to experience real victory here on earth. Put simply, it is God’s will that we grow up and mature in our faith!

Despite our preference for ease, most growth and maturity happen at the point of conflict or in the midst of challenge. Salvation indeed brings new joy and freedom, yet we still live in a fallen world rife with difficulties. It’s tempting to think that Jesus wants to rescue us from our problems, but the opposite is true: He wants us to live as He lived, surrendered to the Father and shaped through His sufferings (Hebrews 5:8).

Jesus is a mountain climber, not a flatlander. He ascended the mountain of life and was victorious in every circumstance. Hebrews 2 tells us that Jesus took on the very nature of humanity so He could experience our struggles firsthand and learn—just as we do—to resist the attacks of the enemy.

This awareness changes how we pray. Our prayer life shifts from “Lord, deliver me” to “Lord, teach me how to fight and take ground.” Embracing the idea that God equips us for battle rather than removing us from it can stir up unbelief—deep-seated doubt that whispers, “That might work for Jesus, or Paul, or someone else, but not for me. You don’t understand my life. I can’t get victory over this. I can’t forgive. I can’t let go.” But it is exactly this unbelief that keeps us from learning the very defenses God intends for us to develop.

The flatlander’s goal is to avoid pain; it’s an instinct that lives in all of us. By nature, we want to minimize pain and risk—but you cannot ascend the mountain of the Lord with that mindset. The moment we begin to pursue comfort over calling, we jeopardize becoming who God created us to be. Mountain climbing is inherently filled with challenges and difficulties, and the climb exposes what’s inside. It reveals corrupt motives, broken perspectives, and ungodly desires. This kind of self-revelation is painful but necessary for healing and transformation.

Yet, that’s not all it reveals! The climb also uncovers the beauty God has already placed within us. It reveals the new heart He has given you (Ezekiel 36:26), the renewed mind formed in Christ (Romans 12:2), and the soul sanctified through the New Covenant and made alive by His Spirit. Pain and risk don’t just reveal what is ugly; they expose the holy work God has done within you.

Without the climb, nothing is revealed. And without revelation, we cannot mature in Christ.