Are you being built into a spiritual house with many storeys or stagnant at the foundation where you only confess your faith in God?Everyday we need to voluntarily make effort to add more virtues to our precious faith.Somebody might ask: Do we still need other virtues apart from simply having faith in the finished works of Christ? Yes we do! 

Does the house/office you are in now have a foundation? If yes do you demolish the house and settle your family on the foundation? Every man desires a home not just the foundation because His family will stay in the house and not the foundation.

God is a master builder.He laid the foundation of the world,created Adam and built him up in His own image.The first Adam fell and the building that was supposed to last forever fell apart,eternal life became a mirage.

God tried to rebuild again:He handpicked the children of Israel and said: “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.” But alas,Adam’s case replayed itself : “But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.”-Jer 18:4

The second Adam(Jesus Christ) came and  the old Adamic nature/house/temple was demolished within three days and we were given a new beginning/foundation. This foundation needs to be built upon because we are God’s masterpiece recreated to accomplish what the first Adam couldn’t achieve:

We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)

Halleluyah! I love the word ‘anew’ in that passage.

Now who are we in Christ?

And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.’-1Peter 2:5

Praise God! We are the temple and His Holy Priests! I am Temple Temitope,the holy priest of God in the order of Melchizedek!!! Yeah yeah yeah.I believe therefore I speak!!!

Read another exciting verse here:

“Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.”-Eph 1:4

Whaoooooo! Somebody help me!!! I am so excited. Praise God.Hallelujah. God had me in mind even before this world was created!What a great love.His plan was to build /make me whole by His love!Perfect edifice! Not an unfinished project!! Not just a foundation class Christian.

Come on!! You have stayed on this zero spot for too long.

Because of this, make every effort to add integrity(1) to your faith; and to integrity add knowledge(2);to knowledge add self-control(3); to self-control add endurance(4); to endurance add godliness(5);to godliness add Christian affection(6); and to Christian affection add love(7).-2Peter 1:5

Don’t just have faith alone,add integrity.

To your integrity,add knowledge etc.

How then do you add all these to your faith? How do you grow in the Lord? How do you add more structures to your spiritual edifice?

EAT THE WORD!

“Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment.”-1Peter 2:2

“Desire God’s pure word as newborn babies desire milk. Then you will grow in your salvation.”-1Petrr 2:2

“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up...”-Act 20:32

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught”-Col 2:7

If you desire to add more storeys to your spiritual edifice let’s make this confession together:

I am firmly rooted in Christ and established in my faith.My roots are planted in Christ who is the foundation of my life.I consciously cooperate with Christ who can build me up with the Words of His Grace.

Today,I make every effort to supplement my faith with a generous provision of moral excellence.I add moral character to my faith.Virtues and integrity of heart are built upon my faith.I am a man/woman of noble character.

To my integrity, I diligently add knowledge.I have an accurate knowledge of what to do per time.I have more insight than all my teachers because God’s Words are my meditations.

I also add self-control to my virtues.My emotions,intellect and will are put under subjection.I keep my tongue from evil and my lips from deceitful speech.My conversations are always full of grace,seasoned with salt.I do not allow any unwholesome talk come out of my mouth but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.

To self-control, I add patience and perseverance.To patience,I add Godliness and to Godliness,brotherly affection.To brotherly affection,I add unselfish love.

I am growing up in Christ…With unveiled face, I am looking on the glory of the Lord, and being transformed according to the same image from glory to glory, I am being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

Christ in me holds the building together and makes it grow into a holy temple for the Lord.Through Christ I am built in the Spirit together with others into a place where God lives.

In Jesus’ name I pray.