And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature[i] and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:52

Every baby in Christ has a weak spiritual stamina that needs to be developed. That is why some people continue struggling with sins, such as lying. God knows this. And that is why He has made provision for everybody to grow spiritually in Christ. Even Jesus didn’t skip this process in His time as a man.

Although Jesus was (and is still) God, He came to the world as a baby and grew up as a child till He became mature enough to start His ministry. As He grew, the Bible says that He waxed strong in spirit (see Luke 2:40). That means He became strong, not just physically but also spiritually. That was why Jesus did ministry with so much strength. Not once is it written in any of the four gospel books (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that He got sick or weak in Spirit.

Just like Jesus, when you grow spiritually, you’ll also wax strong in spirit. You’ll be able to pray well and be on top of life by grace, basking in the peace of God despite life’s circumstances. But you cannot live like this without knowing God. And that is why you must prioritize your daily acts of spiritual growth. Do not skip practicing the various spiritual disciplines that help you mature spiritually – Bible readings, daily devotions, prayer walks, etc. Nobody may be there to cheer you on as you do it. But it’ll yield maturity in you.

and the grace of God was upon Him” (Luke 2:52).

What is grace? It’s the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in life. When Jesus grew spiritually, the Bible says, “… and the grace of God was upon Him” (Luke 2:52). That means the Father’s influence on Jesus’ heart was so evident that He (Jesus) lived just as the Father would have lived if He was the One to come to the Earth. For it’s written that Jesus is the express image of the person of the Father (see 2 Corinthians 1:3).

As Jesus grew, the Bible says he increased in many things, one of them is favor with God (Luke 2:52). Jesus was favored by God in such a way that He never struggled to receive help from people, even after His death. There was no hint of financial struggles. And that favor even spread across the whole team.

In Luke 9:1-6 when He sent the twelve to preach the gospel, He told them not to take any provision as they went. The disciples obeyed Him, and they lacked nothing on their ministerial journey (Luke 22:35).

It’s only God’s favor that will open doors for you in life without your stress. And even though you can pray for it, growing spiritually will cause Him to release that grace upon your life supernaturally. Focus on growth, child of God.

“Grace means undeserved kindness. It is the gift of God to man the moment he sees he is unworthy of God’s favor.”  – Dwight L. Moody