Most believers claim to live by faith and not by feelings, but in everyday practice, many do measure their spiritual lives by the way they feel. You may be doing all the right things — regular Bible reading, diligent prayer — and still feel like you are not growing in the Lord.
You may be totally oblivious to the tremendous maturing process taking place inside you. Paul likens our spiritual growth to the growth of our bodies, with our souls being nourished in the same way as our physical joints, muscles and fibers. He calls this “[growing] with the increase that is from God” (Colossians 2:19). Such growth comes from the Head. Simply put, as you trust and abide in Christ, a never-ending flow of his life is pumped into your soul.
Jesus is a constant life-force in your being, a living stream that never shuts down. Therefore, his life is constantly being infused into yours, even while you are sleeping. He provides a fresh supply to you every day, no matter how you feel.
How do you think the Israelites survived forty years in the wilderness? They lived on manna, bread sent from heaven. This “angel food” had all the nutrients needed to build up their immune systems and that is why God’s people never contracted any of the diseases of Egypt.
So it is with Christ, our manna today. He is the bread sent from heaven and he builds up our spiritual immune systems against sins of all kinds. We may not see the outward signs that this manna is at work in us but God’s Word promises that all who love Jesus will grow stronger in their spiritual immunity.
Paul writes, “Rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith … abounding in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:7). The apostle is telling us, “As you abide in Christ, you will flourish and bloom like a flower budding with life. Jesus’ life will burst forth from you.”