At the end of Peter's life, he wrote a letter explaining how we can shift our pattern of temptation once and for all! In 2 Peter 1:3-10, he explains how salvation isn't the finish line, it's actually the starting line!
Peter said, "The divine power of Jesus has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins." (That's how the NIV translation explains it)
Want to go a little deeper? Here's how Eugene Peterson paraphrased that same passage from Peter about breakthrough:
"Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. That's the best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust."
"So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books. So, friends, confirm God’s invitation to you, his choice of you. Don’t put it off; do it now. Do this, and you’ll have your life on a firm footing, the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ."
When you grow in your faith, God develops fruit in your life. The people around you will notice your fruit much sooner than you will. The Apostle Paul said, "you can take every one of your thoughts captive and put it under the authority of Jesus." That also means Jesus can tangibly renew your mind and transform your heart. In the passage above, Peter explained, as you grow, you add to your knowledge and that knowledge transforms your mind, while God Jesus changes your heart.
If you don't feel like you've been growing, ask Jesus to show you the fruit He's been developing!
