We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly,

— 2 Thessalonians 1:3a

Paul was in a rejoicing mood.  He was excited and thanking God because the faith of the Thessalonians was growing exceedingly.  Faith was given to you so that it would be used and it would grow.  One way that faith increases is by constantly hearing the Word of God.  The more Word you hear, the more your faith will grow.  A little Word will produce little faith, no Word will keep faith from operating, but a lot of Word will produce great faith.  Who determines how much faith you have?  Is it God?  Does He give one person little faith and another great faith?  No, God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34).  He did not give great faith to one and a little faith to another–-He gave the measure of faith to all (Rom. 12:3).  Now that measure will grow at the rate that you hear the preached Word.  You can choose to be a faith giant or choose to live as a “natural” Christian.  If you choose to be a person who hears the Word and lives by faith, soon many of the troubles and problems you used to struggle with will no longer hold you back.  The Word will become more real to you than what you see in the natural.  Peace will start to rule in your heart and praise will begin to fill your mouth.  What is happening?  The Word of God (God and His Word are one) will begin to be Lord of every area in your life.  Worry and negative talk are a sign that your Word level is getting low.  Go back to the Word, the promises, the CD’s, the MP3's, the iPod’s, and fill up your spiritual tank again.  Speak the Word at every opportunity and stay hungry and hot for the things of God.  A life of great faith will be your result.

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby;

— 1 Peter 2:2

When you were born again, you became a spiritual baby in the things of God.  Peter compares a born-again Christian to a human baby.  A human baby is helpless.  He cannot feed himself, change himself, or care for himself.  He just cries when he is hungry so that someone will bring him a bottle of milk.  Without milk the child will never grow or be nourished and strong.  Can you imagine a 19-year-old crying and screaming because he needs a bottle of milk?  --Sound ridiculous?  Yet we have Christians all over the world who have been born again for many years, and yet are still spiritual babies in the things of God.  They have never desired or received the spiritual nourishment they need to grow thereby.  They expect someone else to feed them and to change them when they get in a mess.   The only thing that they are lacking is the sincere milk of the Word.  The Word is your spiritual food, your spiritual vitamins.  As you hear and study the Word, the Spirit of God will take it and make it alive in your life.  You will “grow thereby” to a place of sonship and maturity in God.  Soon you will taste and see that the Lord (or the Word) is gracious (1 Pet. 2:3).  The Word will start to get in your mouth and will dispel the things that do not belong in your mouth.  Doubt words will leave, worry words will go, and praise and thanksgiving will take their place.  What is happening?  You are growing thereby.  Desire the Word!  Read it even when you do not desire it.  You will still grow thereby.

But without faith it is impossible to please [God]:

— Hebrews 11:6a

You can go to church to please God, pray to please Him, give money to charity to please Him, but without faith, it is impossible to please God.  If faith is the way to please God, then it is essential to study and live by faith so that we may be God-pleasers.  When God gave you the measure of faith, He gave you the ability to please Him.  As you hear the Word and study the Word and act on the Word, your faith will grow.  As your faith grows, your ability to please God will grow with it.  Once again, you will determine how much you please God by how much you develop your faith.  Faith is pleasing to God because it is pleasing to God for you to live a victorious lifestyle.  The freer you become through faith, the more God is pleased with your life.  You are His child, the love of His life.  He desires that you live on top, full of joy, full of faith.  Faith is the victory that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).  God desires that you live as a world-overcomer.  The greater the faith you have, the greater the victory you have, the more pleasing to God you become.  If faith is pleasing to God, then doubt, worry, and fear would be displeasing to God.  Faith is having God’s Word in your heart and in your mouth.  Fear and doubt is having something other than God’s Word in your heart and mouth.  Am I walking by faith?  Am I pleasing to God today?  Just check what is coming out of your mouth and you will know if you are in faith or in fear.  Your words will tell on you if you have been hearing the wrong things.  Say it today:  I will walk by faith!  I will hear the Word!  I will live in victory!  I am pleasing to God!

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness:  by whose stripes ye were healed.

— 1 Peter 2:24

Jesus bore our sins in His body on the tree.  He did not go to the cross for His sins because He never sinned.  He took your place, was made your sin, was made the curse so He could recreate you and give you His place in life.  You now can live dead to sin and alive to righteousness, dead to the old man lifestyle, alive to the new man lifestyle–-dead to sickness and alive to health, dead to lack and alive to prosperity, dead to the curse and alive to the blessings of God.  He has equipped you and enabled you to say “no!”  “No” to sin, fear, worry, sickness, and the entire curse, because you are now a new man–-you have been redeemed from the curse (Gal. 3:13).  You can now associate and identify with either the sinner or the saint, the old man or the new man.  You can either believe what Jesus’ suffering and death paid for, or believe in your own performance.  When sin comes:  I am dead to that!  When a symptom comes:  I am free from that!  When I am tempted to get discouraged and down, that is the old man, trying to resurrect in my life–-but he is dead!  I am now alive to my right relationship with God, alive to health, alive to holiness, alive to being a new creation.  I resist the old man habits and claim my new identity in Christ!  I am righteous and I am healed!