Are You Reaching the Stature That Belongs to Christ? -FAITH IN GOD'S SUPPORT

When Peter climbed out of the boat to walk in the water, he did so in faith.  Jesus had called him, and Peter trusted that God's power would support him just as it was support Jesus.  Similarly, when we dedicated ourselves to Jehovah and got baptized, we did so because of  our faith.  Jesus called to us to be his followers, to walk in his footsteps.  We had to exercise faith in both Jesus and Jehovah, trusting that they would support us in various ways. -John 14:1; read 1 Peter 2:21.

Faith is truly a precious possession. Just as Peter's faith enabled him to walk on water, our faith enables us to do things that from a human standpoint may seem impossible.  (Matthew 21:21, 22) For instance, many of us have changed our attitudes and practices so drastically that we are almost unrecognizable to those who knew us before.  Jehovah supported our efforts because we took these steps based on our faith in him.  (Read Colossians 3:5-10)  Once our faith moved us to dedicate ourselves to Jehovah, we became his friends, something we could never have done in our own power. -Ephesians 2:8.

Our faith continues to empower us.  In faith we are able to resist the attacks  of our superhuman adversary, the Devil.  (Ephesians 6:16)  In addition, trust in Jehovah helps us to minimize our anxiety during challenging times. Jehovah says that when our faith moves us to put Kingdom interests first, he will provide for our material needs.  (Matthew 6:30-34)  More than that, because of our faith, we will receive a gift no human could ever obtain by his own efforts-everlasting life. -John 3:16. 

Next time: Are You Reaching the Stature That Belongs to Christ? - LOSS OF FOCUS CAN LEAD TO LOSS OF FAITH

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