In Scripture we are told that we are a new creation in Christ Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:17) What this means is that when we come to Christ we are completely changed within and without, and our lives are never the same. Yet, so many of us don’t see this truth reflected in our lives. We look at ourselves and see the same faults, flaws and failures and wonder: Is there anything happening? Am I even changing? Is all this worth it if I am not even growing? The answer to all these questions is yes. Yes, something is happening. Yes, you are changing. Yes, all of this is worth it and yes, growth is taking place.

You see, when you become a Christian you are a new creation, but the change does not come instantly. Our faith is like a seed and so growth and indeed change will happen, but it will happen in stages.

Planting the Seed

The first stage is planting the seed. At this stage you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour and you have probably been making an effort to read the Bible. You pray more often and try making a habit of reading and listening to Christian content. The seed of faith has been planted in your heart. But there isn’t necessarily anything to show for it. On the whole, you still find yourself being anxious about things or getting angry easily or doubting God’s ability to move in your life. That’s okay.

You see you’ve only just planted the seed. There is still much growth that needs to take place. On this stage it is important to stay steadfast and keep on the things of God. Why?! Nothing is happening! Actually something is! Look at Mark 4:26-27 (NKJV)

And He said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.

When this man was rising every day there must have been times when he looked at the plant and didn’t see any evidence that the seed was growing. But sure enough it sprouted and grew! It is important to note here that whilst he may not have seen any growth, he didn’t dig up the seed to monitor its progress. No. He left it in the soil and trusted it would grow. It must be the same with us. Our faith is like the natural seed, it is buried in the soil of our hearts and for us to see growth we must not dig it up. We must leave it and let it grow. But most importantly we must water and tend it daily.

Watering and Tending

To ensure your seed of faith grows you must water and tend it daily. This is the second stage. Okay? You ask. How do I do that? Well if you look to Scripture the equivalent of watering our faith is meditating on the Word daily. Psalm 1:2-3 (NKJV) says

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

While this passage refers to a tree, there is no doubt that it was a seed at one stage. But this seed only got to be a tree because of the way it was watered. The man in this passage did not just take a can and sprinkle water once in a while on his seed. Not at all. He planted the seed by the water, this way the seed (and later the tree) were always being nourished. Now look at what happens to the seed when it is watered this way. It brings forth fruit; its leaf does not wither. It grows into a tree and what’s more it prospers.

We must do the same. We must plant our seed of faith by the water. What water? You ask. If you read carefully you will notice that it says when the man meditates on the law day and night, he is like a tree planted by the rivers of water. Meditate on the law (the Word) = water. To ensure your faith is as prosperous as this seed you must keep it planted in the water of the Word. This doesn’t mean reading a five minute devotional every once in a while or only focusing on God when it’s Sunday. It means seeking God daily, praying daily, reading the Word daily. Only then can you see the kind of growth in your life that you desire to see.

Furthermore you must tend the seed. As much as the seed grows by itself it still must be tended and pruned; the unwanted weeds removed. For us this means getting rid of bad habits, negative mindsets and other tendencies that could destroy our seed of faith. This starts when we begin making an effort to apply what the Bible teaches, to match our actions and speech with what’s in the Word.

When you do these things you’ll see yourself begin to change and your faith begin to grow. But! It will take time. Just like a natural seed that takes time to grow, our seed of faith will take time to grow- weeks, months and even years. But be assured and comforted by the knowledge that it is growing. Just be patient.

Be Patient

Luke 8:15 says this of the seed that fell on good ground.

But the ones that fell on good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

The key phrase here is bear fruit with patience. To see growth in your seed of faith you must be patient. This is the final and perhaps the most vital stage. Growing a seed is not a process to be rushed; neither is growing your faith. There are still so many things you need to experience, learn and understand before some of the truths you’ve read in the Word are made evident in your life; before you can start bearing fruit. But, as you wait for that to happen you must be patient; don’t become impatient and uproot your seed. Keep it in the soil of your heart, water it with the Word, tend it and it will bear fruit.

Beloved, do not be discouraged. God has begun a good work in you and it will be completed. (Philippians 1:6) Whenever you look around at your life and see only failure and shortcomings say this scripture to yourself, it will help you remember that God is working on you. Keep taking care of your seed of faith and before you know it you’ll begin to see, in every area of your life, growth and great change.