May grace (God’s favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in [the full, personal, precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. – 2 Peter 1:2, Amplified Bible, (AMP)

One of the components of having “peace,” as defined in 2 Peter 1:2, is to be “spiritually prosperous.” “Prosperous,” according to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, means to be “marked by success or economic well-being; enjoying vigorous and healthy growth; flourishing.” So, to be spiritually prosperous means to be successful, well, vigorous, growing, and flourishing in our spiritual lives.

How do we grow and flourish in our spiritual lives? By taking the divine promises of God and applying them to our lives. As God (through Peter) teaches us in 2 Peter 1:2-9:

1) God has given us everything we need to be spiritually prosperous (v. 3).

2) Through His promises God has given us the means to escape moral rottenous and, instead, share in God’s divine nature (v. 4). This is the first step towards spiritual prosperity: repenting of sin and embracing God’s free gift of salvation.

3) By applying God’s promises to our lives – by actively claiming them and using them to combat temptation, fear, and doubt – we will develop the characteristics of virtue (excellence, resolution, and Christian energy), knowledge (intelligence), self-control, steadfastness (patience, endurance), godliness (piety), brotherly affection, and Christian love (verses 5-7).

4) By developing these character traits, we will not be idle and unfruitful for Christ, but rather diligently fruitful – and growing – in the work He has given us (v. 8).

5) By NOT developing these traits, we are NOT spiritually prosperous, which means we are not at peace. Without these traits, we will be so focused on our present circumstances and desires that we will fail to see how every action we take has an eternal impact on both ourselves and on those around us. Being able to see things in an eternal light is a necessary skill for someone to be spiritually prosperous.

The key to applying 2 Peter 1:2-9 to our lives is – us!  We can’t be just hearers of the Word. We have to be doers, too. If we have muscle pain and someone tells us that, if we take some Ibuprofen, the pain will go away, the advice is worthless unless we actually swallow the Ibuprofen and make it part of ourselves. If we just stare at the pill, never taking it, we will continue in our pain.  Likewise, unless we take God’s promises and “swallow” them to make them part of ourselves, they will sound lovely and encouraging, but they will have no ability to bring us spiritual prosperity.

Before you can apply God’s promises to your life, you have to know what His promises are. The only way you can know what His promises are is to dive into the study of His Word, the Holy Bible. Until you make God’s Word as important to you as your necessary food – devouring it each day, chewing on it, and digesting it with your spiritual stomach – you will never experience the peace that God so very much wants you to have.

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