We define faith as trusting in Jesus- who He is, His teachings, and that His work on the cross redeemed us from the penalty of our sins. Our faith is a lifelong commitment to be in an active relationship with Him. Jesus came to give us an abundant life full of joy, peace, and strength for our body and soul. (John 10:10) But sometimes all of us feel farther away from God than we would like, or our faith seems “stale”- at a standstill. Growing our faith to become closer to Him can happen on a daily basis! The gardener in me found 5 practical ways to grow our faith that mirror how our gardens grow.
What is Your Faith?
Hebrews 11:1 describes faith this way: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Faith is being sure of things we hope for spiritually, but haven’t experienced or seen with our own eyes yet. It is trusting in Jesus Christ- who He is and what He accomplished on the cross. Faith is believing His promises to us are true.
What is Faith in the Bible?
Faith is NOT optimism, good works, church membership, baptism, or an intellectual decision.
Faith IS a gift from God to us. We don’t produce it on our own; it is our response of trusting in God.
Bible Verses about Faith
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8
“Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” Romans 12:3 (NLT)
“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20.
“For we live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7.
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13.
“For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:10.
Which one of these verses spoke to you? Comforted you? Challenged you?
Growing in Faith
The writers of Hebrews warn us about “falling away” in chapter 5. In order to grow in our faith, they explain the need to start with “milk” and move on to “solid food”, much as we do physically.
We can’t stay “babies” in our faith forever; we need to mature spiritually.
“Solid food is for those who are mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:14.
As we grow our faith and put into practice what we learn, our ability understand God’s Word grows as well.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica to encourage and affirm them for the growth in their faith:
“We ought always to thank God for you, brothers , and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.” 2 Thessalonians 1:3.
Growing in faith is a lifelong journey in our Christian life. As new believers, we are just learning what it means to follow His ways and experience spiritual growth and maturity.
As our spiritual life matures, we learn to put away the things from our old life that belong to our sinful nature and strive after the things God wants. Our goal is to become more like Jesus in our daily life.
A stronger faith shows itself in our personal relationship with Jesus, with others, and with the world around us.
Faith is a response of commitment to our heavenly Father and a desire to do his will. He wants a personal, active, strong relationship with us.
Would you like a closer relationship with Him and discover ways to build up a strong faith?
How to Grow in Faith
The power of the Holy Spirit is at work in all believers, but we have an important part to play in our spiritual growth as well. It takes spiritual discipline to listen to Him and develop better habits and growth.
Here are 5 disciplines to work on in your daily lives if you want your faith to grow.
1) Plant yourself in God’s Word
“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31.
•God preserved the Bible so that as we study the written Word, our faith would grow. Our faith grows when we plant the character and promises of Jesus as seeds in our hearts.
We are soaking in the absolute truth about what God is like and the majestic things he has done for us. Just as we water and fertilize our plants, we nourish and grow our faith by reading and studying the Word.
•Grow strong in your faith through a daily commitment to reading and studying God’s word. Find what works for you! Every minute you spend in his Word is like watering and fertilizing your plants. You will change, grow, and flower in each season.
•Be patient with your growth. It may be slow at times. God will bless you each time you turn to him. Consistency will produce a bountiful harvest!
2) Grow Your Faith by Putting His Word into Practice
“By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” Hebrews 11:8.
•Abraham didn’t use his faith to think about going where God told him to go; he used his faith to act in obedience.
I want to remember Abraham’s obedience and follow his example. Has God ever asked you to travel an unknown road to a questionable destination? I want to have the true faith of Abraham to go where He asks without question. ♥
•It is possible to go through life without growing your faith. You can read the Bible and talk about it, and even agree with what you read, but never do what it says.
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. “Do what it says.” James 1:22.
•Our faith moves us to put it into action in practical and simple ways, following the examples of Jesus. Love others as He did, showing mercy and grace to all.
Our faith can impact every part of our lives- relationships, jobs, service, and worship. The more you put it into practice, the stronger it gets, and the bigger the harvest you will have. You will see your life change for the better, and your faith increase.
What effect does your Bible study time have on your behavior and attitudes? What actions does it inspire you to put into place?
3) Grow Your Faith through Prayer
“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’” Luke 17:5
•Did you know you can pray for more faith? I did not! This was encouraging news to me. In this Luke passage, Jesus had just taught the apostles about forgiveness. It was a hard teaching, to which they responded with an urgent cry for more faith to carry it out! They wanted the faith to forgive as radically as He had taught them.
Pray for areas in your life where you need more faith and complete trust to carry out Jesus’ instructions and follow the will of God.
•The Bible urges us to pray “continually.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We know He hears our prayers. ( 1 John 5:15) Prayer is as simple as talking to God, and he has given us a direct open line of 24/7 communication. Tell Him about your worries, thanks, questions, doubts, temptations, joys, and ideas.
Come to him over and over during the day and watch your faith grow!
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4) Grow your Faith by Trusting Him in the Storms
People can go through hard times and their faith doesn’t grow at all. The winds and rain beat them down. But difficult times can strengthen and grow our faith when we lean on Jesus to comfort, guide, and protect us, and give us answers to our problems.
Hold tight to your faith and trust God, especially in the storms!
When facing trials, James encourages us this way:
“Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James 1:2-3.
The joy is not “happiness”, or pretending to be, but looking at what positives may come from the trial. Not one of us is immune to storms.
There are lessons to learn in every trial we go through. They can strengthen the unique aspects of our character and lead us into a deeper trust in Him.God walks through every trial by our side. Ask him for strength, patience, endurance, wisdom- whatever you need. He will help you grow your faith in the rough spots in life.
We water our grass, plants, and flowers through droughts. We cover up tender plants when frost is coming. Plants that get leggy and scraggly need to be pruned to produce a healthier plant. God cares for us the same way when we need watering (through the Holy Spirit), tending (loving us), and pruning (ouch!), and He always does it for a good purpose. God’s plans for us are always for good.
5) Grow your Faith through Serving
Serving is what God created us to do: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10(NLT).
“Encourage one another and build each other up…” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
“Carry each other’s burdens…” Galatians 6:2.
“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together… but let us encourage one another…” Hebrews 10: 24-25.
The Spiritual Gifts
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-6.
We each have special God-given abilities we are to use to serve others. While they all come from the Holy Spirit, the gifts are numerous and varied.
Serving others and caring for them unconditionally puts our focus on Jesus and sharing his love. You will see His power work in the lives of others as you serve, which, in turn, grows our faith in Him.
When we step out in faith and serve others in His name, He will honor our faith commitment and grow it into something we have yet to imagine!
Growing with God
An active, mature faith helps you know the character of God. It changes your life for the better, guides you through the storms of life, improves your prayer life, and leads you to serve Him. Work on growing your faith a bit each day.
Our lives should be like a rich field- fertilized by His Word, and free from the “weeds” of life; those stumbling blocks, traps, and temptations of our sinful human nature. With these perfect growing conditions exist, it produces a bountiful crop.
As your faith grows, so will your love of hearing His voice and trusting in Him. Put these 5 ways to grow your faith into practice and God will surely water them through His Holy Spirit into a strong and beautiful you that reflects His glory!
Which one of the five ways to grow your faith spoke to you today?
Blessings of Growth!
AnnMarie
Photo Credits: Canva, AnnMarie Anderson