Seeds

Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Gal 6:6-10

Virtue is not measured by your special exertions, but by your habitual acts.

Virtue is a seed that is watered by our deeds. The life we have is a result of the seeds we have watered and the seeds we have ignored. Our habitual watering causes the seeds we've planted to grow. A one time dousing of religious exertion doesn't help the seed of faith to grow. The exhaustion from such special exertions causes more disaster than any benefit the exertion may have caused. The virtues we have present and active in our life are the virtues we water and nourish. The virtues we wish we had in our life but lack are the virtues we have spent years ignoring. Our habitual acts feed the seeds that grow into vines. The vines not only intertwine into the fabric of our life, the vines also produce the fruit we see in our life.

God doesn't want you to live in fear. 

You can get afraid but don't live there. Continual fearfulness like anything else is a practiced attitude that can shape our life if we allow it to become a part of us. There will always be things to be afraid of, but there will also always be reasons that make what we could be afraid of not a big deal. Fear is often created by us watering the reasons for fear and ignoring the reasons we know will free us. The virtue of hope is established by recognizing that there is a seed of fear that could be watered but choosing to water the reasons that those fears don't have to control us. The main reason we can live without fear is because we know that Jesus died for our sins, bought us new life, and sent us the Holy Spirit to help us walk in our new life instead of our old life of fear.

"To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling" Jude 1:24

There is no lack in God's power. When we stumble, the lack comes from our lack of trusting and using the Holy Spirit that God has given us. Our likelihood of using the Holy Spirit when faced with temptation is dependent on how often we water the mustard seed of faith. The Holy Spirit will help guide our hand so the water dripping from our watering can falls on the seed of faith instead of the seed of sin. We have to choose whether to let temptation or the holy Spirit guide our hand as we direct the can that waters our seeds.