Do You Want Stronger Faith?

Faith is a powerful thing. It can help us to overcome mountain-sized challenges, and achieve our goals by pushing on and overcoming impossible odds. But what if you don’t have a lot of faith? What if you’re struggling to believe in God or what He’s promised? What if doubt is starting to creep up on you?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many people struggle with their faith at some point in their lives. But the good news is that faith is a muscle that gets strengthened through workouts. With some effort, you can grow your faith and experience its benefits.

Here Are 5 Tips to Help You Grow Your Faith

Read the Bible in Search of Faith

The Bible is full of stories about people who had faith-shaking moments. Reading these stories can help you understand what faith is and how it works in your life. It can strengthen your faith and empower your confidence in Christ. Hebrews 11 is a great resource to fall back on when you have a doubting moment. You’ll see that people (regardless of their statute) were honored by their faith. In some Bibles, Hebrews 11 is named “The Hall of Faith.”

One of my favorite characters in the Bible is Samson. Like Samson, I could relate to him because I had the same issues. God granted his prayer when he asked if he could get his strength back one more time. (This part of the story alone, is a great two-part sermon.) He was counted for by his faith in God, knowing that he could and would rescue him from his bondage. In the Bible, we see time and time again that God listens, even when we don’t think He is. Remember, He’s our perfect Father and wants to be in our life. This is the whole reason for Jesus in a nutshell.

Pray For More Faith

Prayer is talking to God. When you pray, you can express your doubts, fears, and hopes to God. He’s big enough to handle them, and you can ask God for help and guidance. Guidepost has an article that is short and sweet about praying. There may be a time when you feel like God isn’t around, or listening to your prayers. Shake this off because God (as the Holy Spirit) is in us. The Holy Spirit is God’s down payment on us and confirmation that He’s living inside us. If He’s living inside us, we cannot be forsaken by God. The Holy Spirit groans in prayer talking to Jesus while He intercedes to the Father. This shows that we have backup when it comes to God hearing us.

Worship in Faith

Worship is a way of expressing your love and gratitude to God. When you worship, you can sing, pray, and listen to music that lifts your heart and soul. Worship doesn’t just stop there. Worship is doing anything that God requests of us. True worship is always sacrificial. The reason why I say this is because look at Abraham. God’s promise to him was asked to be a sacrifice (I have to put this here because there’s a lot of discussion about why God would have someone sacrificed so here are three links to dive deeper if you will. Here, here, and here,) If you read this excerpt from the original translation and put it in those terms, you’ll see that sacrifice didn’t mean killing. It’s a lot for me to unpack because I studied this for almost two weeks when I heard Pastor Joel Sikha preach about it.

Love God By Serving Faithfully

Serving others is a way of putting your faith into action. When you serve others, you are showing God’s love to the world. Remember that faith without works is dead. By serving others, you’ll show that you have an active faith. The Holy Spirit has been able to talk to me and a few others I grew in faith with.

One heart-shattering story I had was when this one woman was going through a horrible breakup with her fiance. (We’re all still human) and she wouldn’t stop playing the victim card about her future spouse leaving her for another woman. The story is heartbreaking but what was prompted by the Holy Spirit next was almost the same feeling as me jumping off a cliff. I felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to tell the woman, “So what? When are you going to finally let it go and start living your life?” As soon as the words left my mouth, I had to look away. I was scared, I felt like I just sinned so greatly. I couldn’t look at her. The embarrassed feeling I had when those words came out of my mouth was too great.

After a couple of minutes which felt like forever, she finally spoke up and thanked me. She said that she was indeed tired of living as a victim and that she realized that he was still holding her back when he wasn’t in her life anymore. I’m so glad it went the right way because I felt devasted for her.

I know if I wasn’t serving, I possibly wouldn’t have encouraged that woman with the help of the Holy Spirit. I’m not advising you to do the same thing. Pain is real and we can’t downplay anyone’s trauma. But I use this story a lot when trying to get my kids to go serve in the church. You really can’t tell if the words that are in you, can make an impact in someone’s life when they need it the most.

Don’t Give Up

Finally, growing your faith takes time and effort. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see results immediately. Remember, that we’re on God’s time, not ours. He knows what’s best and when it’s best to do anything.

If you’re at a point where you don’t see your faith growing turn down the music, turn off the screens, get in a closet, or shower. Try contemplative prayer. I guarantee you that it will work. Faith is activated by love just as the spiritual gifts are. Keep practicing these tips and you will eventually see your faith grow.

I hope these tips help you in growing your faith. Remember, faith is a gift from God. So don’t be afraid to ask for His help. He is for you, so who can be against you?

If you have any questions about contemplative prayer or need prayer, don’t hesitate to contact us here.