Motivations for Staying Grounded

Dannah Gresh: Kids sometimes look at adulthood with rose-colored glasses. Here’s Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: I remember when I was a kid I’d look at these older Christians and think, Boy, I can’t wait to be old because then the Christian life will be so easy. What made me think that!?

There’s still temptation. There’s still pressure. There’s still squeezing. There’s still challenges. And it still takes effort.

Dannah: This is the Revive Our Hearts podcast, with Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, author of Holiness: The heart God Purifies, for November 15, 2021. I’m Dannah Gresh.

Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, “Let go and let God.” There are times when we do need to counsel our hearts to surrender and let God worry about the outcome. But a lot of the Christian life is actually the opposite of “let go and let God.” There’s work involved. We’ll hear about that today.

The recent Revive ’21 conference was all about how we can stand firm in a shaking world. Nancy closed our time at Revive ’21 with a message on some of the things we need to do to stay grounded. Let’s listen.

Nancy: Standing firm in a shaking world. Scripture tells us, “Continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting, not moving away from the hope of the gospel.” (Col. 1:23 paraphrase)

So when we close in a few moments, we’re going to leave here. We’re going home. We’re going back to the same family, the same church, the same job, the same people, the same problems, the same challenges. And while we’ve been here, the world has not stopped shaking. It’s still shaking.

So the question I have for us is: How can we stay grounded? Not just while we’re here singing and our hearts full and our eyes weeping, and just hearing magnificent treatment of the Word of God, but how can we stay grounded back where we normally live?

I want to ask you to open your Bibles or scroll on your phone to the book of 2 Peter—2 Peter, chapter 1. We’re going to park in this chapter for the remaining moments we have together.

The first eleven verses of this chapter is a foundational passage. The principles in this passage will help you stay grounded. It will help you grow after you leave here in your Christian life.

In fact, I want to encourage you to take these eleven verses and read them, maybe every day for the rest of this month, maybe even memorize at least a portion of this passage. But I want you to soak in it. I’m hoping to just whet your appetite, and that you will spend concentrated time in this passage in the weeks to come.

Simeon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith equal to ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. (v. 1)

Now, let me just pause there and repeat what Peter just said, but maybe paraphrase it in my own words. Peter is saying that the faith that we have received by God’s divine grace is equal to that of the apostles.

You may feel very weak in faith, very poor in faith, very limited in faith. Like, “Oh, those apostles, they were great men of faith . . . and then there’s us.” No. Peter says, “You have received a faith equal to ours.”

There are not different classes of believers. I don’t have anything as it relates to faith that you don’t have. I have not received more grace or more goodness of God or more righteousness of Christ or more faith than you have. If you are in Christ, you have received a faith equal to that of every other believer.

And so Peter says, “May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

Now, that word knowledge is a key word in the book of 2 Peter. If you were to read through the whole book, you’d find it in various forms—know and knowledge and knowing—sixteen times, I believe.

Do you want more grace and peace in your life? He says, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you.” Do you want multiplied grace? Do you want multiplied peace?

What’s the key? Knowing God. The greater, the deeper your knowledge of Him, the more grace and peace you will have.

If you fail to know God, you will not have grace and peace. In fact, I believe that the failure to know God, really know God, is at the heart of every problem we have—in our lives, in our families, in our churches, and in our culture. And, conversely, knowing God is the key to every blessing of God in our lives.

So what does it mean to know God? It has to do with having an intimate, experiential, firsthand knowledge of God. To know Him by experience. Not just knowing about Him, but knowing Him personally.

The word used here is not a casual, surface knowledge like you might have of a distant relative or a distant acquaintance. But it’s oneness and union with the one you’re knowing, the object of your knowledge.

In fact, this word is used in the Scripture to refer to sexual intercourse. That’s why marriage is intended to reflect and represent the oneness and the union that we can have in Christ. To know God, to know Christ is to live in union with Him. And that is the source of grace and peace being multiplied in our lives.

Now, if I were you, and I heard that verse, I’m wanting more grace, I’m wanting more peace, I would say, “Self, you better get to know God.” And I hope when you leave here today that you will have a passionate longing to know God. I want more of a longing to know God.

Now, as we move into verse 3 and following, Peter is going to exhort these believers about their responsibilities in the Christian life, but he doesn’t start with their responsibilities. He doesn’t start with what we’re supposed to do to stay grounded. He starts by encouraging us before he exhorts us.

How does he encourage us? He encourages us with what God has already done for us before he exhorts us about what we’re supposed to do.

So, verses 3 and 4, we have resources that God has provided for every believer. This is God’s part. And the key phrase in these verses is, “He has given to us.” Just underline that phrase when you see it as I read these verses.

His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him [there’s that word again!] who called us by his own glory and goodness, by these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire. (vv. 3–4)

So before Peter tells us we’re supposed to do anything, before he outlines our responsibilities, he reminds us of what God has done for us, what God has given to us.

• Grace and peace multiplied to us. That’s a gift from God. (v. 2)
• His divine power is ours. (v. 3)
• He has given us everything required for life and godliness. (v. 3)
• He has called us by His own glory and excellence. (v. 3)
• He has given us very great and precious promises that enable us to share in His divine nature. (v. 4)
• He has caused us to escape from corruption that is in the world caused by evil desires. (v. 4)

What a treasure have we been given in Christ! What resources are ours!

So when we go on in the rest of this passage, and we see what we’re supposed to do, what our part is, our responsibility in staying grounded, remember the context. Remember the backdrop. Before you go out of here and say, “I’m going to be a growing, good, flourishing Christian. I’m going to be like that tree if it kills me,” listen, if you try to do it without the resources God has given you, it may kill you because you can’t live the Christian life. Nor can I. Nor could Peter.

So we start with the ground of the cross, the work of Christ on our behalf, and the promises and the grace He has given us. His power and His promises have given us everything we need for our spiritual well-being.

But there are some things that God is not going to do for us. Spiritual vitality and growth rest on our shoulders as well. We do have a responsibility in becoming mature, true women of God. And verses 5 to 7 talk about our responsibility.

Verses 3 and 4, God’s resources that He has given us. Verses 5 through 7, here’s our responsibility, what we are to do as a result of what God has done for us. This is our part. And the key phrase in this section is, “Make every effort.”

Now, I’ve just told us God has done all this stuff for you. And you say, “Whew! What a relief! I don’t have to do anything.” No! Now he says, “Make every effort.”

Some of your translations say, “be diligent.” There’s work involved. There’s work ahead. So he says in verse 5: 

For this very reason [because of all that God has done for you, all He has poured into, all He has given to you, for this very reason], make every effort to supplement your faith.

Some translations say to add to your faith. Now, we’ll look in a moment what we’re to add, but he says, “Be diligent.” That word means “to make haste, to be eager, to exert oneself.” This is not a lackadaisical attempt to drift into being a godly, old lady. It’s not going to happen. It’s an intense effort on our part.

I remember when I was a kid I’d look at these older Christians, and I’d think, “Boy, I can’t wait to be old because then the Christian life will be so easy.” What made me think that!? I don’t know what made me think about it, but it’s not true.

Because now I am that old—older—woman, I’ve realized: There’s still temptation. There’s still pressure. There’s still squeezing. There’s still challenges. It still takes effort. Not effort on my own, but effort enabled by the Spirit and the grace of God that lives within me.

Spiritual growth does not happen by accident. It is a lifelong pursuit that requires careful planning and intentional effort. You don’t get to eighty-one like Susan Hunt and be filled with the Scripture, filled with grace, a woman that people want to sit at her feet and listen to what she says. That doesn’t happen by just carrying your Bible around. It’s years of faithfully soaking and meditating and living in God’s Word. Effort. We have to cooperate with Him. We have to be diligent in dependence on the life, the divine life, that He has placed within us.

It’s not enough just to have this faith of equal standing with the apostles. 

• We need to grow. 
• We need to add to that faith. 
• We need to increase. 
• We need to safeguard that faith. 
• We need to not drift.

“Make every effort to supplement your faith.”

Most of us take some kind of supplements or vitamins to maintain our physical health. And what I love about supplements and vitamins now is that you can get them all in gummies. So you can live by gummies.

Now, I know there are all kinds of things in those you shouldn’t have, but supplements. And now with all the pandemic, people are talking about that you need vitamin D. You need vitamin C. Ummm, I forget what else . . . Zinc, thank you—A to Z. So we take our supplements

But 2 Peter 1 gives us seven supplements, “supplement your faith,” that will help you stay grounded and maintain spiritual health. So you want to know what those are? If I were to tell you, “I’ve got seven things if you take them you will always be physical healthy,” we could sell a lot of that here.

But I’m going to give you from God’s Word right here seven spiritual vitamins, seven spiritual supplements.

Verse 5: “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith”—to add to your faith. What are those supplements?

1. Goodness, (or some of your translations: Virtue).
2. Then supplement goodness with knowledge.
3.  Knowledge with self-control.
4.  Self-control with endurance.
5.  Endurance with godliness.
6.  Godliness with brotherly affection.
7.  Brotherly affection with love. (see vv. 5–7)

So Peter is saying, in light of all God has done for you, be intentional about spiritual growth. Add these seven qualities and graces to your faith.

Now, you’ve got to start with faith—faith in Christ, faith in the gospel. This is foundational. This undergirds the whole structure of your Christian life. It’s the starting place. You can’t go on and add these supplements if you haven’t started with the foundational faith.

But faith in Christ, faith in the gospel is only the starting place. It’s the foundation. You don’t ever leave it, but you’ve got to build on it. You have to go on and build the house and the structure on that foundation.

“Add to your faith.” “Make every effort.” So each of these seven qualities is built on the other. That’s why it says, “add to your faith (supplement your faith) with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control,” etc. They’re like floors of a building. You can’t build the top floor if you haven’t built the lower floors. And you don’t want to try and build the lower floors if you don’t have that foundation of faith.

So let’s take the remaining moments we have to explore these seven graces that the apostle Peter tells us to add to our faith.

So what’s the first one? “Add to your faith (supplement your faith) with goodness (or virtue, depending on your translation).”

This is moral excellence and moral energy. Now, goodness (or virtue). Virtue, what an old-fashioned word. To some it may sound boring. Like, “Yes, I know that. Yes, whatever.” But in Scripture, this word goodness, virtue, describes something that is strong. It is dynamic. It is full of energy. It’s like spiritual muscle. It’s the energy or the strength to live a life that is pleasing to God.

In verse 3 we read that God had called us by His own glory and goodness. He has goodness. And now He urges us to put on goodness, virtue, to reflect His excellent character, to add His moral excellence to the faith that He has given us.

So a few kinds of questions we could ask ourselves:

• Do you have a heart and an appetite for things that are excellent, good, and pure?
• Do you have an energetic, vigorous faith? Or are you relying on other people’s spiritual muscles to carry you?
• Is your faith active and alive and growing?
• Are you fulfilling your creative purpose?
• How well does your life reflect the goodness, the character, the virtue, the nature of God?

Then he says, “Add to goodness (supplement that) with knowledge.” Moral discernment, the ability to discern right from wrong. In order to stay grounded, we need wisdom to know how to live out our faith in real-life-every-day circumstances. This comes from the diligent study of God’s Word.

I hope you never leave a Revive Our Hearts podcast or episode or blog post or conference or session without being challenged to get into this Book and get this Book into you. That’s where this knowledge comes from.

But it’s not just knowing it academically. It’s letting God’s Word show us how to act in a wise and godly way in each circumstance and situation of life.

Adding knowledge to our faith will give us the ability to use His Word to minister to our own needs, our own problems, and to the needs of others.

• Are you growing in your knowledge of God’s Word?
• Do you actively apply the Word of God to your life circumstances?
• Do you find yourself using the Word to minister to others?

Add to your faith goodness (supplement it with goodness). Add to goodness, knowledge, and then add to knowledge—what’s the next one? Self-control. Mastery over self. He’s saying instead of living excessively or intemperately, letting your emotions control you or your passions control you, he’s saying, “Remain under the Spirit’s control in every area of your life.” He will empower us to say “no” to our flesh and, “Yes, Lord. Si, Señor.”

We’re not talking here self-control about sheer human effort or will power, but about drawing on the supernatural power of the Spirit to control our natural passions and drives and desires.

So let me ask you:

• Is there any area of your life where you habitually give in to sinful or fleshly desires and passions?
• Do you exercise self-control with your tongue?
• Do you exercise self-control with your moods?
• Do you exercise self-control with your emotions?
• Do you exercise self-control with your time?
• Do you exercise self-control with your spending?
• Do you exercise self-control with your sexuality? 

Have you been mastered in each of these areas? Are you being mastered in each of these areas by Christ?

Add to self-control—here’s another supplement—endurance. Or some translations say steadfastness. This means staying power, perseverance. The steadfast person doesn’t crater under stressful circumstances, doesn’t give up when faced with trials. The steadfast person cannot be strayed from confidence and hope in God.

’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His Word;
Just to lean upon His promise; just to know, “Thus says the Lord.”

That’s steadfastness. That’s endurance.

Now, one of the ways we develop endurance is by going through trials. Steadfastness is not just passively surviving our difficulties but actively overcoming them, by responding to them with faith, gratitude, and joy. How do we do that? By keeping our eyes on Jesus who steadfastly persevered, endured the cross for us.

What trials are you experiencing at this time? Are you enduring them steadfastly? We’ve seen some beautiful examples of that this weekend.

Or have you grown weary and fainthearted?

Do you keep trusting, loving, and obeying God even when His choices for your life are not what you would choose?

Dannah: Isn’t it amazing how God’s Word can be both practical and convicting at the same time?

We’ve been listening to part 1 of a message Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth shared this fall at Revive ’21. She’s helping us see why it’s important for us to stay grounded.

Now, Nancy mentioned a PDF based on this passage in 2 Peter that we’ve been walking through, and I want to let you know that resource us available to you as a free download. It’s called “Strengthen Your Faith.” And you’ll find a link to that in today’s transcript at ReviveOurHearts.com.

The theme of that conference where Nancy was speaking was “Grounded: Standing Firm in a Shaking World.” And that’s also the theme of the new wall calendar from Revive Our Hearts.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I think it’s a great idea to hang reminders on the wall to help us find stability when everything around us seems unstable. That stability, of course, comes from God and His Word. So the calendar has quotes and Bible verses that are artistically designed to help you stand firm in your faith. This month, it’s our thank you to you for your donation to help support Revive Our Hearts.

To see the photos of the 2022 Revive Our Hearts Wall Calendar or to receive one for your donation of any size, head on over to ReviveOurHearts.com right now.

You can also order extra copies there. I think the wall calendar would be such a great gift to share with others this Christmas, like teachers or neighbors. Again, the information about the wall calendar is at ReviveOurHearts.com, or call us at 1–800–569–5959.

Tomorrow, we’ll hear part 2 of Nancy’s message from Revive ’21, and she’ll continue in the list of seven supplements to help us grow in our spiritual health.

Nancy: The Scripture challenges us to live each day here on earth in the light of eternity rather than for the immediate moment. During our days here on earth, however many or few they may be, we’re not just marking days, weeks, years off the calendar. We are making decisions that will affect us forever.

How serious are you about becoming a grounded woman of God? Let me assure you that you will never drift into spiritual maturity.

Dannah: Please be back for Revive Our Hearts. 

Revive Our Hearts with Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth wants you to stay steadfast as you find freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.

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