This knowledge is extremely important—if you want to walk with Him.
Seekers of God must believe He wants them to grow. Without that faith, they remain spiritually immature, blown about like leaves in the wind. Christ has given clear commands for growth: “Abide in Me” and “Add to your faith” the seven attributes of His divine nature (II Peter 1).
These commands—and the seven additions—are explored in my books The Eleventh Commandment and The Additions to the Faith. These attributes are attainable; if Peter, Paul, and John grew into them, so can we. [Get your free copy here: Ordering My Free Books in Paperback | Immortality Road]
Some may think, “Here he goes again about becoming like Christ.” But Scripture says teachers exist to mature the saints until we reach “the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:11–13). Growth into His fullness is our calling.
This abiding is the indwelling of His heart and Spirit. “Christ in you, the hope of glory” becomes reality as we learn and practice the seventh addition—agape love.
Recognizing a command is one thing; learning how to obey it is another. We abide in Christ by believing His words about His presence through the Spirit of truth. He is the vine; we are the branches. Remaining in Him produces “much fruit.”
This aligns with the seven additions. When they are added, we are never barren but full of fruit—“much fruit.” Abiding and adding work together to make our calling and election sure.
Abiding is the sustained presence of the Spirit within us, made possible by these seven qualities, culminating in divine love.
But how do we abide? How do we add? What is the actual way forward?
Christlike Prayer
We abide in Christ through prayer—but not self-centered prayer. True prayer aligns with Christ’s own prayers and with God’s interests. Worship must be “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).
Our words to God should reflect what matters to Him. Christ taught this in the model prayer. Prayer shaped by His priorities gains His ear.
Dale Carnegie once wrote, “Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.” If this works with people, how much more with God? Self-focused prayers—“Bless me, help me get this job”—miss the mark. But if we speak with Him about His plan, His purpose, His Kingdom, He will listen.
Christ said the Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask. We ask—not command. When we pray according to His will and His plan, He abides in us.
God’s interests are revealed in the words of Christ, the prophets, and the apostles. He thinks about His Kingdom and His righteousness. Why not talk to Him about these things? Few do.
Thinking His thoughts is abiding in Him. Continuing in His teachings shapes our minds into His mind. Paul urges us, “Let this mind be in you.”
We gain His thoughts through knowledge taught by His servants, and we sustain His thoughts through prayer and study of His purpose.
Prayer becomes the rudder that keeps our minds on course toward the New Jerusalem and toward God Himself.
Abiding in Him
Love for Christ grows from gratitude for deliverance. “We love Him because He first loved us.” Because we love Him, we keep His words. Then He and the Father “make their abode” with us (John 14:23).
There is a progression: gratitude → love → obedience → abiding presence. He fulfills His promise: “I will never leave you.”
One of His commands is “pray.” Scripture emphasizes prayer repeatedly. It is essential. Praying according to His plan keeps us abiding in Him and bearing much fruit—fulfilling God’s purpose of reproducing His nature in us.
Christ promised that if we abide in Him and His words abide in us, our prayers will be answered (John 15:7). Abiding produces the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.
Spiritual Growth
Abiding in Him ensures spiritual growth. Look at Peter and Paul before and after the resurrection. If they grew into spiritual powerhouses, so can we. Their teachings—and Christ’s—center on abiding.
Conclusion
Abiding in Christ is not a mystical feeling but a deliberate walk of agreement with His mind, His words, and His purposes. As we pray according to His interests—His Kingdom, His righteousness, His plan for the nations—we open our hearts to the very thoughts of God. In that communion, His Spirit settles in us, shaping our desires and empowering our obedience. This is how Christ abides in us: through a steady exchange of His thoughts for ours, His will for ours, His love poured into our hearts. When we pray His way and think His thoughts, the vine’s life flows into the branches. Fruit appears. Growth becomes inevitable. And the Father’s purpose—to reproduce His own nature in His children—moves steadily toward fulfillment.
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