CONSTANT IN FAITH 2

“Patience is power.
Patience is not an absence of action;
rather it is "timing"
it waits on the right time to act,
for the right principles
and in the right way.”
― Fulton J. Sheen




 TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH : JAMES 1:3-4

Another way that patience can be developed is through the trial of our faith,you can not tell if you have patience until you have been tested and tried.Our faith is precious even more precious than gold.when gold is passed through fire it only comes out better and nothing less than that,so the trial of our faith is essential if we will get better and grow in the faith that we received through christ Jesus.

Trial is very important,James teaches us to “count it all joy,when you fall into divers temptations” we must realise temptation is not from God,the word here is Peirasmos in greek,which means an experiment,attempt,trial,proving.
So God can not prove you with evil,but for good,he may allow it but doesn’t mean its from him.

James said Rejoice when you fall into divers tests,or trials,because the trying of your faith worketh (accomplishes,produces,works out.) patience.Trials is very important in bringing out and developing patience in you.

The word trial is a tentative experimental action in order to ascertain results-that means that the result is already known but to confirm the result then you put up a test.

Nobody gives you a test in school on something you were never taught on,we receive tests on what you have been taught.So when God brings a trial he knows you should and will pass because you have been prepared for it.

Some says God knows you will fail,no he doesn’t,he knew you would pass,because he taught you all you should know before giving you the test,that’s why when satan came he boasted about Job,God wasn’t worried about Job he knew Job would hold on.1corinthians 10:13 explains it better,”there is no test,that has befallen you that is not common to man,but through the test God will make a way,so that you can stand up under it” this tells us that God wants us and he has created it in such a way that no matter what you will pass.

Trials works out the patience in us,it goes further to say, “But,let patience have her perfect work,so that you will be perfect and entire wanting nothing”It said But,because some times people give up in the waiting period and miss it.

When you are faced with a trial of your faith,know the result of patience,which is that you will come out perfect and entire wanting nothing,and let that keep you patient,waiting,like Job said “I will wait until my change comes”,because it will come but you must be resolved in your mind to wait.

There is a time for waiting and that’s the time that patience works in you and makes you,because trial is a process and in the process of been in the fire,you go through pain and hurts but you still hold on to the word of God,patience is working in you,in the pain as you worship and praise God patience is working in you,making you to become perfect and entire wanting nothing.

The word Perfect and entire are king James version words but lets look a bit into those words;
Perfect is Teleios in the greek which means ‘brought to its end,finished’ and ‘full grown,adult,of full age,matured’ and the word Entire – in the greek is Holokleros which means ‘complete in all its parts,in no part wanting or unsound,complete,entire,whole’.
In other words patience is working in you so that you will be full grown,be matured and whole.Complete in all parts,wanting nothing,to be full grown.Someone said you are growing but not developing but when patience has its perfect work in you,you will not only grow,you will develop in all sides and be entire lacking nothing,perfect.

The best way to stay updated and upgraded is to let patience have her perfect work in you,because you will come out wanting nothing,you will not be lagging behind,left behind and feel out dated or obsolete,but you will be complete and lacking nothing.In your health,in your finances,in your career,in your relationships let patience have her work in you,and you will be perfect and wanting nothing.

HOPE IN PATIENCE – ROMANS 5:3-5
We hope for what we desire to have that we don’t already have,our expectations,our desires.
Faith is the substance of the things we hope for, Hebrews 11:1; So faith is the substance ‘the word substance is hypostasis in the greek-which means, ‘a setting or placing under,substructure,foundation’.In other words faith gives our hope structure.Hope in itself has no substance,you can hope till you die,hoping without faith is nothing,but faith gives hope weight.

Faith is the substance of the things we hope for,so if we will see result on what we hope for we must add faith to it.
Now in the process of waiting we must know that patience is vital for faith to work,Paul begins with saying that we are justified(declared free and righteous) by faith and not works which produces peace with God through christ and because of christ we have access to grace through faith and also through faith we hope for Gods glory,its all through faith and through faith we also glory in tribulations.

Justified by faith,access grace in christ by faith,hope by faith and glory in tribulations by faith,knowing that tribulations worketh patience,but it does stop there and patience experience and experience hope,and hope maketh not ashamed(that is hope that is powered by faith) because the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the holy spirit.

Hope maketh not ashamed,because when we hope in faith we will certainly get the result of our hope,patiently wait in hope,and let patience work in you,so Gods intent is that through the trial of your faith you will produce patience and experience and hope that maketh not ashamed.Experience here is dokime in greek meaning tried character,when you are patient in trials you come out with a character that has been proven,which is called experience.

God is not just concerned about giving us our dreams and desires he uses your desires to bring you to a place of pursuit so he can make you a developed person,so that you can be perfect and mature wanting nothing,so while you are in that trial and waiting,God is busy working in you,working in you patience and character or experience,so that you can have hope that maketh not ashamed,that produces result.

Waiting in faith not wavering like father Abraham,who believed Gods promises and waited until he saw the result,he didn’t waver but he held on to his believe in God and he was credited unto him for righteousness,because he believed and waited patiently for the promise to come to pass,he hoped against hope the Bible says,but hope in faith brought the result.

If we hope for what we do not see we eagerly wait for it with patience..Romans 8:25,so patience is essential in the process of waiting for what we hope for but know that when we hope in faith we will not be put to shame.

The hope that brings results can only be produced through patience and comfort of the scriptures,in other words to keep hope alive,we need to keep the word of God before us and hold on to it patiently.
There are things written for our learning before time,so that we can also like the people of the past who held on to the word of God and got results we also can patiently hold on to the word,so we will see the desires of our hearts come to reality. Romans 15:4-5.

Our calling is proven through patience,as ministers of God we will go through persecution and trials but paul admonishes us to hold on patiently.Sometimes we will be tempted so we can react,but paul says patiently wait for what you hope for,don’t respond to people,you don’t have to prove anything,wait on God and he will prove himself strong in your behalf. 2Corinthians 6:4-10;2Corinthians 12:12

THROUGH PATIENCE INHERIT THE PROMISES – HEBREW 6:12
The promises of God over your life can only be inherited through patience,so does Hebrews 6:12 says.God promised Abraham a child,if he had not been patient he would not have received the promise.
The waiting only begins after you have done the word of God.Having done all to 

stand,stand.You believe God that he will do it,you have sown all the seed of faith but the waiting actually starts after you have taken the step of faith,after you have done the will of God.The promise is sure and certain but you must patiently wait till you receive,the promise is for those who after doing the will of God still wait patiently.Hebrews 10:36.

There is a race set before us,but to receive the prize we must run with patience,not giving up in the process but running till we get the crown,without patience you can not receive the prize,just having faith and not with patience,you might fall.The cloud of witnesses are watching,the heroes of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11,have passed on the baton and watching to make sure we run to finish and get the prize,but we cannot give up if we must get the prize.Hebrews 12:1

For us to be able to run with patience and win we must put aside every sin and weight that so easily beset us.we must put aside anything thing in our life that will make us miss the mark,no matter what it is we know it,that will get us off track and out of Gods plan and purpose and everything that burdens us and makes us not to move faster.

Patience can be more effective when we put aside the weight and the sin,only the man that runs with patience can get the prize.

Add to your faith,virtue and to virtue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience…?


watch out for the continuation.

CONSTANT IN FAITH 1

“Patience is power.
Patience is not an absence of action;
rather it is "timing"
it waits on the right time to act,
for the right principles
and in the right way.”
― Fulton J. Sheen



Faith is the base of our christian walk,it holds together our relationship with God,if there is anything the devil will like to destroy is your faith.That’s why the Bible teaches us to hold on to our faith that is more precious than gold.
Jude tells us to “contend for the faith”.

The fight for the faith is the fight for life,without faith it is impossible to please God,and knowing that the just shall live by his faith,this shows us that the faith is most important,if we must have a successful life that would please God.

We have come to see,its important to grow the measure of faith we have received in salvation,so the Bible teaches us to “make every effort add to our faith virtue and to virtue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience..” we will be looking the word patience today and how it affects our faith walk.

It is your responsibility to make effort to add these virtues to your faith,waiting for God to add them is a wait of a life time,we must make every effort to add them to our lives,as we study and apply the word of God.

WHAT IS PATIENCE
The word patience according to the free online dictionary is defined as :
Bearing or enduring pain,difficulty,provocation or annoyance with calmness. and Capable of calmly awaiting an outcome or result:not hasty or impulsive.

The greek word translated patience in 2Peter 1:6 is Hypomone -  which means steadfastness,constancy and endurance.In the new testament it is the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.

By these definitions we can see why we need to add patience to our faith,because the virtue of patience in our faith gives us the ability to hold on to what we believe even in the midst of pain and trial till we see the result,it gives us the ability to hold on while waiting for the outcome of our prayers and desires.

HOW IS PATIENCE DEVELOPED
You don’t receive patience by the laying on of hands,you make effort in developing patience.Knowing the following;

• Patience is one of the fruit of the Holy spirit: Galatians 5:22 – In the book of Galatians 5:22,the bible says “but the fruit of the Spirit” here it is talking about the regenerated spirit,the born again spirit – when you accept Jesus as your lord and saviour,the holy spirit does the work of recreation in you by the word of God that you received,then you become born again,a new man.

That’s why the bible says “any man in christ is a new creature,the old things are passed away and everything becomes new”,you are reborn,recreated.

To be recreated means to be reborn,to be born of God,scriptures says we have been born of God,not of the flesh but of the spirit,so the minute you accept Christ as your personal saviour your spirit is recreated,reborn,then you become another man entirely different from what you were.

Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again,he asked how can a man be born again,does he have to go back into his mothers womb?,that’s practically impossible.Jesus begins to explain to him what it means to be born again;
 “ Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’  the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus could not understand the idea because it doesn’t make sense physically,so Jesus explains to him that this is a spiritual event not physical.”that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit”,but you must be born of the water and the spirit,water speaks of the word of God and the Spirit there is the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 5:26. Two major agents for salvation,without the hearing of the word,salvation is not possible and the holy spirit uses that word to finish the process of recreation.

But Nicodemus in his curiosity asked Jesus how then can I be born again,Jesus in speaking to him finally said “whosoever believes in the son of man,shall not perish but receive eternal life” John 3:15; that’s the key,whosoever believes; so you become born again when you believe and accept Jesus.

So the fruit of the born again spirit is patience,in other words I have patience as a potential already in my new life,it shouldn’t be a struggle,all I need to do is exercise it and put it to work.

Some born again christians who still struggle in the area of patience are those who are still living in the old self,and not in the new self,that’s why Paul in Colossians say “put on the new man that is renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created him”Colossians 3:10; In other words your recreated spirit only gets better and not old like your natural self,as you get to know christ,as you walk in the word of God.

Also Ephesians 4:24 explains further by saying “put on the new self created to be like God in true righteousness and Holiness” the new man is created to be like God,his resemblance in every way,so if God is a God of patience,you also have the ability to walk in patience.So patience is already in you,stop praying and fasting for it,just start walking in it and exercising it.

TO BE CONTINUED..

TEMPERANCE–self control 2

“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.”
― Lao Tzu

 

 

The greatest enemy to us is not the devil but self,the greatest battle we need to fight is not that against the devil because he is already a defeated foe but it’s the battle against self,for if you can defeat yourself and put yourself under control every other thing about your life would be settled.

 

THE PRODUCT OF A SELF CONTROLLED LIFE AND A LIFE OF LACK OF SELF CONTROL.

• Moses was a man who was called by God to lead the children out of egypt,but he allowed the lack of control of anger to make him miss out from entering the promise land – God asked Moses to speak to the rock but the children of Israel vexed Moses and because he couldn’t control himself at that time,he struck the rock,and brought the anger of God on himself. Numbers 20:1-13.

Moses didn’t enter the promise land because he lost his temper and disobeyed God in the wilderness of Zin.

If we loose control we can loose something we may never get back during our life time.

Anger in itself is not sin,but when in our anger we loose control we can do things that we will regret and sin against God.Moses' lack of control kept him from the promise land.The bible says “be angry and sin not,do not let the sun go down on your wrath” Ephesians 4:26.

The bible uses two words in Ephesians 4:26 "be angry and sin not,don't let the sun go down on your wrath”.

Anger is a strong feeling of displeasure and the word translated anger here is “orgizo” meaning to provoke to anger,to arouse to anger,to bring a feeling of displeasure,that alone is not sin,but wrath on the other hand means vengeance or punishment as the consequence of anger,so wrath goes a step further to take actions on your anger that’s when it becomes sin,the word translated wrath here is “parorgismos” meaning indignation,exasperation,when anger grows to wrath its sin.

Proverbs 16:32 declares “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty;and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city” this tells you that self control is much better than been a warrior,a warrior that cannot control himself is certainly going to fall,samson is a clear example of a warrior who could not control his lust and he lost his glory.

• David a king that could not control his lust for sex – 2Samuel 11-12.

This is a very profound story,when kings were supposed to go to war King David stayed back and sent his men to go for battle,David was at the wrong place at the wrong time,he was supposed to be at the battle field and not at home,we must understand timing,we should be at the right place at the right time doing the right thing.

This was a sign of laxity,woe unto him that is at ease in zion,the bible teaches us to be sober and watchful,be at alert for our adversary the Devil moves around like a roaring lion seeking whom to devour,the period of laxity is the period of vulnerabilty,and now satan knew when to strike,David was alone and just woke up from sleep in the cool of the evening,the time,the place and the settings.

The common english bible said “David woke up from sleep on his couch,and he was pacing back and forth on the roof of the palace,from the roof he saw a woman bathing and she was beautiful and good to look upon” David was pacing back and forth,the king was alone and bored,also very vulnerable and he lost control the minute he saw the woman bathing from the roof of the palace.

This tells you that then,their bathrooms had no roof,for david to have seen her that much and of course the kings palace was huge,he sent for her and he had sex with her.The king lost control of himself and also used the control as king to get her to sleep with him,even when he knew she was married,who is she to say no to the king?

David had committed sin against God and against Urial the husband of the woman David slept with Bathsheba.David in his bid to cover the sin from the man Urial asked Joab to put Urial in the hottest part of the battle,where Urial was killed,this was a king out of control,one sin leading to another sin,now God who sees everything was angry,David thought his sin was covered,yes from man but not from God,how sometimes we commit a sin and try to cover it from man,but we cannot cover it from God,he will expose it in time.

Because of lack of self control David incurred the wrath of God.But was forgiven after he cried in repentance for mercy,but the son that was born from the Adultery was killed by God and also Rebellion was birth as a result of the sin,God had to judge the sin,there was no record of David indulging in that sin again.

• Joseph a man called the dreamer,who was hated by his brothers because of the dreams that God gave him,he was sold and traded to a rich man in egypt called portiphar,pharoahs chief officer and a commander of the royal guard,a man of influence in egypt,we will see how Potiphar's wife had eyes on Joseph and asked Joseph to have sex with her – Genesis 39.

Joseph had grown to become a successful man,even in egypt as a slave to Portiphar and knowing that God was with Joseph,he made him, head over his household,Joseph was his direct personal assistant,and God blessed portiphar because of Joseph.The bible records that Joseph was well built a very handsome man and good to look upon also.

Potiphar's wife had taken notice of Joseph and got attracted to him,she wanted him to have sex with her, “sleep with me Joseph,she said” but Joseph been a man who feared God and had respect for his master refused,to sleep with her,saying “how can I commit this great sin before God” it would have been a good opportunity for Joseph to have fun,at least there was no record of him having sex before now.

She continually stressed Joseph with the request to sleep with her and am sure she made him promises,but Joseph continually refused,then she nursed a plan against him,on a particular day,she sent all the other servants away,such that Joseph was left alone in the house with her,she tried to force herself on Joseph but Joseph struggled his way out of her hold,but she had his garment with her,he ran off almost naked.

On the return of portiphar,she accused Joseph of trying to rape her,this was what led to Joseph been imprisoned,imagine if Joseph had slept with Potiphar's wife,he probably would have missed out of Gods purpose for his life.He put himself under control and he kept his eyes on where he was going,I wonder what you would do,if you were in Josephs shoes?

• Achans lust for material things cost him the wiping out of his lineage – Joshua 7:1-12,19-26

Achan took what belongs to God for himself,what was reserved for God,out of his lust for material things,this brought the anger of God on the children of Israel,that they were defeated in their battles.Joshua inquired of God why and God told him there was sin in the camp,Achan was searched out and discovered that he took a sacred thing,what belong to God,though he asked for mercy but the sin had to be dealt with and the camp cleansed.

How sometimes we toil with sacred things,that belongs to God,we attract Gods judgement on ourselves,because Achan could not control his lust, he and all that he had and all that was with him was stoned to death as judgement for his sin.God will always Judge the sin,the fact that you are forgiven does not mean that the sin will not be judged.

• Even Jesus was tempted by the devil,Jesus just ended his fast and the bible says he was hungry,satan showed up and tempted him but Jesus defeated the devil with the word of God still,though he was hungry,he didn’t allow his hunger to make him fall for the devil,he stood his ground,he had control over his stomach “Man shall not live by bread alone but by the words from the mouth of God” Matthew 4:1-11.

To be successful in our walk with God we must like Paul put ourselves under,discipline ourselves constantly,so that we will not be a cast away,after we have preached the word to others we miss the prize,God forbid.Self control is important for success in life and in our walk with God.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified 1Corinthians 9:24-27.

FAITH + VIRTUE + KNOWLEDGE

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”
― Stephen Hawking



We taught that faith is acting on what you believe and virtue to mean standing for what you believe,especially for what is right and just.
But the Bible also says “add to virtue knowledge”; lets just rest and define knowledge according to 2Peter 1:5.

WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE
Firstly lets define knowledge according to Dictionary.com “Knowledge is acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition”
Simply put knowledge is the acquisition of facts,the gathering of information,and knowledge in us is power in its potent form.
A person full of knowledge is potentially a powerful individual,and can be distinguished from his peers,sometimes the difference between two people is in what they know.
Knowledge must be acquired first before its put to use,if you don’t have knowledge how can you apply it? so its important that we acquire knowledge and it can be acquired through study and research.
In the processing of data,the first step is to gather information,then the information gathered is processed to data,then its useful.But first, information must be gathered.
The word knowledge in 2Peter 1:5 is the greek gnosis meaning general intelligence,understanding,knowledge of the christian religion,deep and perfect knowledge of this religion.It is gotten from the root word ginosko meaning to learn to know,come to know,perceive,feel,to have knowledge of.
I have met christians who claim to be christians without the basic knowledge of salvation.Knowledge is vital for success in the christian work and here I am talking about general knowledge about the christian faith,not revelation knowledge.When you become saved at first,you need the knowledge about your faith,to be able to stay in the faith.
In the book of Hebrews paul in his writing shows us some very basic foundational information that every child of God should have in their walk with God.The very elementary principles of the christian faith,things every new christian should know,I would state them below as paul listed them,Hebrews 6:1-2;

1. Foundation of repentance from dead works
2. Faith towards God
3. Doctrine of baptism
4. Doctrine of laying on of hands
5. Resurrection of the dead
6. Eternal Judgment

These are the elementary knowledge every believer should know,they are basic and it’s the foundational knowledge of every child of God.Some of us have been saved for many years without any solid foundational information on all that is stated in Hebrews 6:1-2.
The understanding of repentance from dead works,understanding our faith and some of the doctrinal issues that is the dividing issue between different denomination today.No information is useless,you cannot be a mature christian without the knowledge of the issues above,issues about the rapture and the ressurection of the dead,and eternal judgement.
The reason is that so that we can grow unto maturity and no longer be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine,by the trickery of men,in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,this is why we have the five fold to teach us,so that we will become solid in our knowledge of God.Ephesins 4:14.
There are all kinds of doctrines out there that teaches us something entirely different from the truth,if we lack knowledge how can we speak the truth in boldness.Ephesians 4:15
In the last days many will be deceived from the truth,even the elect the bible says will be deceived from the truth.The bible speaks of false teachers who will show up in the last days teaching deceptions and drawing many away from the truth,we see that even in our days many are deceived and drawn away from the faith.
The knowledge of the faith is very vital if you will stay and stand strong,the greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge;assuming you know when in reality you don’t know.There are so much knowledge I grew to accept without checking it for example we are taught in school that there were three wise men that visited christ but in actual fact the bible never mentioned three wise men but the bible said “wise men from the east” Matthew 2:1.
So many issues that are controversial today even about the rapture and the judgement,and so on.Its important we study to show ourselves approved of God,everyday we meet people who lack the knowledge if we take time to study and gain knowledge we will be able to help those who are actually ignorant.
So add to virtue knowledge,develop an inquisitive mindset,learn to ask questions ,the more you study the more you know.
Assumed knowledge of a thing leads to foolishness and there is no excuse for that,grab every opportunity to learn and better your knowledge of God.
Many false teachers are out there but the greatest tool you have as a defense is your personal knowledge of God,that you have checked and discovered.
Faith needs knowledge so we don’t work in foolishness.

ZEAL WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE
Paul spoke to the Roman church that they had Zeal without knowledge,Romans 10:1-3; and proverbs 19:2 says “its not good to have zeal without knowledge,nor to be hasty and miss the way.” Zeal is good but should be according to knowledge,so many people have taken certain steps and made terrible mistakes because of lack of knowledge.

Knowledge is very important in the walk of faith,don’t be hasty and miss the way,we make decisions based on zeal without knowledge,add knowledge,stop assuming you know when you don’t,give time to study and research,find out all you need to know about God and the faith.You are Gods workman but you must show yourself approved of God,to remove shame.
If we must experience the very full blessing of Faith we must add knowledge to our faith work,study and study and study.

VIRTUOUS FAITH

“Add to your faith virtue” 2Peter 1:5



The Christian walk is a walk of faith,when you receive Jesus as your personal saviour you receive the measure of faith according to Romans 12:3.We all receive the same measure of faith at salvation,that’s why the bible didn’t say a measure of faith but the measure of faith apportioned to us by christ himself.
But that measure of faith is just a potential and God expects us to grow in faith,from glory to glory,your growth is important.
The bible shows us what we need to do to grow,in 1Peter 2:2 says “as new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word so that you may grow thereby” and in Romans 10:17,the bible further says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” so for us to grow our faith we must give ourselves to hearing of the word.
You cannot grow spiritually except you eat spiritual food,so if you must grow in faith walk with God you give yourself to the hearing of the word.note the bible didn’t say reading,it says hearing.Hearing by the word is what brings about your growth in faith.That's why we need to position ourselves in a church were the word is taught for real,cause this is the only way we can actually grow in God.
So when you become saved you should desire the milk,(milk is for newborn babes in christ),the sincere milk of the word,and this desire will pull you to be a part of a christian gathering.I remenber years ago when I and my brother got saved we went from place to place looking for a church since were we where the word wasn’t taught,we kept looking till we found one and that desire made out growth faster.
But just getting faith is not enough God intend that we actually leave successful lives and for that to happen there are some other important character that we must add to our faith to make it more productive.
1Peter 1:3-4 – tells us that God has given us all we need for life and Godliness and he has bestowe on us his precious promises,but for us to actually walk in those promises and see the effect in our lives we need to walk in and by faith,but having the faith isnt enough we need to add to our faith virtue,so lets find out what virtue is.

What is virtue? 1Peter 1:5;
Virtue is defined by the dictionary as “moral excellence and righteousness or an example or kind of moral excellence” the quality and practice of moral excellence is what we call virtue.
Also when translted from the text in the greek it also means moral excellence.
Morality is a character that is hard to find in our society today or the lives of individual. Morality is defined as  the quality of being in accord with the standards of right or good conduct.Morality speaks of how we live our lives according to the standards of good and bad,we know the difference of what is right and wrong.
Christianity is a way of life, a lifestyle,that’s why in Romans 1:17  the bible says “the just shall live by his faith”,so we live the christian life by faith.
The bible says further that without faith it is impossible to please God,so you can be all good and God will not be pleased with you because your morality is not based on the foundation of the God given faith,that we receive through Jesus Christ.
The word of God stands for what is good and right,and never what is bad.The bible in 1st John 1:5; teaches us that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.
Morality teaches us to live the right life,you don’t have to be a chritian to live a life of morals,before I became a born again christian I was brought up in a home with the right sense of morals,and I was taught to tell the truth all the time,taught that stealing was wrong,and to always stand for the truth.
Though being morally alright does not guarantee you eternity and a right stand with God, but its essential for a successful life.The law is essential and it teaches us morality,in the old testament they had the ten commandment,that was a guide on how they lived their lives and all of the laws we have in this world today are built out of the ten commandments.
The God given faith empowers us to live the right life without struggle,that’s why we need the God kind of faith to be successful in our walk with God and in this life.
Add to your faith virtue,God wants us to live right at all times,he wants us to be an example to the world,such that when they look at us we are a clear description of what God desires.
We no longer walk by the law but by grace and grace is powered by love,where we are not forced to do anything but because of our love for God we do what is right toward God and toward man,to live a successful life we need to work at always doing what is right,no matter the circumstance.
Tell the truthg no matter the cost,stand for what is right at all times even when it doesn’t favor us,that’s what we are talking about.
Today the moral standards in the world has dropped,things that we did not allow are now accepted all in the name of civilization,any pattern of life that is against the purpose of Gods word is totally not accepted.You can not lower our standards because of civilisation.
Morality teaches us to stand for what is right at all times,so God says add to your faith virtue,stand for what is right,don’t compromise your moral standards all in the name of “God will understand”.
The bible says when you add virtue to your faith and all the others mentioned you will not be barren and unfruitful in the knowledge of our lord Jesus Christ.
How can we prove our calling when we lower on our standards,standards at work place,standards for writing examination,right now people cheat to pass exams,pay money to get lecturers to give us grades we don’t deserve,we can not overemphasize corruption in our various countries and the lowered standards in politics.
So many have sold their birthright for just a morsel of bread.The disciples were called christians first in antioch because they were christ like,they stood for christ and lived the life.
We need to raise the moral standards,those of us that are christians have been called to show the world how to live the right life and by how lifes others will conme to the knowlkedge of christ,we need to show the world the great gain in living the right life and standing for what is right.People do wrong because they believe that been good or standing for the right brings us under oppression and slow results,but the truth is when we don’t compromise we cause God to quickly come to our rescue.
The bible calls us the light of the world and the salt of the earth,without us how will the world know the right life,we are Gods representatives here on earth,his ambassadors.

Paul in philipians 4:8 tells us further that “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things”

If there be any virtue,if there be any praise,think on this things,so the question is our decision and actions should be based on the standards of virtue is there any virtue? if you read verse 9,it says and the God of peace will be with you,so the quickest way to get the God of peace to come to you is to stand for what ius right at all times.