Once you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, your spiritual journey truly begins. As you seek the Kingdom of God and pursue holiness, the power of the Holy Spirit guards and guides you through every season—good and bad—with the goal of someday reflecting the image of Jesus.
Spiritual growth doesn't happen overnight. It comes through trials. No one is exempt—not Jesus during His earthly ministry, not His twelve disciples, not the prophets of the Old Testament, and not His followers today. We must grow “faith by faith.” If you want to deepen your walk with God, you must surrender your life fully to Him.
Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) says:
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
I trust God with my whole heart. I believe in every promise written in the Bible. I don’t need to see God to believe—I'm more certain of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit than I am of the air in my lungs.
No one can convince me that God didn’t send His only begotten Son to die on the cross for sinners and rise again three days later in resurrection power. Romans 10:9–10 (NIV) reminds us:
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
But many choose not to grow in faith. Why? Some don’t want to surrender their will. Others are too busy, too distracted, or too tied to the world. Deep down, some want God to align with their beliefs and lifestyles instead of surrendering to His truth. Passages like “Pick up your cross daily,” “Remain connected to the Vine,” and “Pray without ceasing” feel like too much. They want God on their terms—not His.
I remember when I surrendered my entire being to God. I became focused on prayer, fasting, reading the Word, and meditating on His goodness. My relationship with God moved from love to intimate love. I’ve never been more at peace or more fulfilled. I can’t believe the Creator of the universe keeps revealing more of His character to me. I treasure His holiness and value our relationship. I love honoring Him with my life. I’m not just writing this—I feel it to the core of my being.
I’ve said before—and it’s true—I fight daily to stay in the faith. I repent constantly and surrender again at night. It’s not easy following Jesus. But when we depend on God in every part of our lives, we experience Him in powerful, unexpected ways.
1 Peter 1:6–7 (NKJV) says:
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith—being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire—may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
Peter makes it clear: Faith is more valuable than even gold. The phrase “refined by fire” reminds us that trials have a purpose. When we remain faithful, the Holy Spirit walks beside us—we are never alone.
Just like gold is purified by fire, God removes spiritual impurities—pride, bitterness, selfishness, anger—from our lives through trials. To be refined is to become more like Christ.
The “fire” represents the hard times, crossroads, setbacks, and unknowns we face. But those flames forge strength, deepen character, and bring us closer to God.
Once we understand that following Jesus doesn’t mean an easy path, we won’t be blindsided. We’ll be ready to fight the good fight.
James 1:2–4 (NIV) says:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
We shouldn’t walk around looking defeated. Even in trials, we can walk upright helped by the Holy Spirit. Just like the world is temporary, so are our trials. We may not avoid hardships, but we can endure them with peace.
"When we let God’s Word influence our hearts, spiritual maturity begins to take root—not because we claim to be perfect, but because we are being perfected."