What is Faith?
Faith is a gift that God gives to us so that we can accomplish wonderful things on this earth and show people that God is real. Faith is the ability to believe that God is going to do what He says He is going to do.
Hebrews 11:1 gives us the classic definition of faith: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
So we see the first step to building faith is to have hope. Hope allows you to believe that everything is going to work out, even when it doesn’t seems that way.
Now the next step is actually knowing what it is you are asking and trusting God for. This is important because how you apply your faith depends on what it is that you are believing Him for. You may have a general idea of what you want in your life, but if you want faith that moves mountains, you need to start by believing God for specific things so that you can clearly see what He has accomplished.
Now maybe you know your need. You know that you need healing in a specific area or that you need finances for something, but what if you aren’t sure? What if there is so much need that you are feeling overwhelmed?
Ask God; He knows what is best for you. Trusting Him to tell you what to pray for can be the first need on your list. In fact, even if you think you know your need, it’s best to ask Him anyway to ensure your motives are pure. James 4:3 warns us, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
The Faith-Building Process
Now the process begins. Did I forget to tell you that this is a process? Well it is. You start by believing God for small things and over time you will be able to believe Him for bigger and bigger things.
Faith is like a muscle. You have to use it to keep it at the level it already is, but you have to challenge it with harder and harder things if you want it to grow. Faith grows with use and shrinks when you don’t use it.
Faith is also like a farmer planting seeds. There are things that you must do if you want to see a harvest, but it takes time. You have to plant the seeds, water them, keep the weeds out, and then wait… a lot.
Below are some tools you need to build faith, but be forewarned: this is not a step-by-step process. We are all individuals with unique personalities and maturity levels and God deals with us all that way. With God’s help, you will need to decide for yourself which tools to use at what time, and then you will need to keep trusting God to build your faith in His perfect timing.
The Word of God
In Romans 10:17 we read, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” This is one of the main tools that you are going to use to build your faith. The Bible is not just words, it has God’s Spirit and His very breath flowing through it.
So find scriptures that apply to your situation. Read them over and over again. Post them all over your house as a reminder. Think about what each one means and most importantly say them out loud. The passage says that faith comes by hearing ; for you to hear the Word, it must be spoken, and the best person to speak it is you.
Expectation, Trust and Patience
This is probably the hardest part, keeping up your trust and expectation while patiently waiting for your answer to come. But this is the important part. This is the part that grows your faith and stretches your muscle.
This is where discouragement tries to creep in and you have to keep reminding yourself that God is on the throne and that tr.
Obedience
At some point in the process your faith will be tested. I can promise you that. God will ask you to do something that seems so opposite to what you are trusting God for and He is looking to see if obedience to Him is more important to your own needs, wants and desires.
As much as faith is important and believing Him for things is good, your relationship with God comes first. God is not a sugar Daddy where you do the right things and out pops your reward. Your faith grows out of relationship, not rules and regulations.
Also, obedience can be a fertilizer that causes the seed you planted to grow a lot faster. For example, perhaps you are trusting God for finances, but He asks you to take the little bit that you have and give it to someone else. You think that God is crazy, but you do it because He asked you to. What you don’t realize is that the act of obedience is what opens the door spiritually for your own needs to be fulfilled.
Thankfulness and Worship
When you spend time in thankfulness and worship you take your eyes off of the problem and place them on the One who can solve the problem. The more we focus on the problem the bigger it gets and the harder it is to overcome. When we focus on Him, the problems get smaller, our trust is built and it is dealt with sooner.
I can’t stress this enough. Faith is about getting to know who God is in relation to your problem. Spend time with Him everyday. Love Him and let Jesus love you back. Ask Him to heal your heart of things that are holding you back and trust Him to do it in the best way.
God has extraordinary plans for us and great things that He wants accomplished on this earth. The amazing thing is that He allows us the privilege of being His hands and feet on this earth to get them done. One of the things it requires is faith.
So I challenge you today to trust God for something. Something that is just beyond what you know can be done in the natural. Something only God can do—and then be amazed as He does it, and watch your faith grow. Watch out mountain, here we come!
Related Posts
Living By Faith – free eBookFaithworks Centre, Prince Edward Island is a church where people from all walks of life join to grow in faith. It’s not easy to live a life of faith in today’s fast-paced world. That’s why we’ve created a 17-page, 3-part guide to Living By Faith. Learn about how to strengthen your faith, follow Jesus’ command to love and serve others, and understand how love casts out fear. Get your free guide by just entering your email address below! |
Comments(11)
Patricia Lutes says
February 24, 2016 at 9:24 pmFaith and hope work together
Akaninwo Gift Wobo says
September 23, 2023 at 10:16 amI find this material very insightful,helpful and like it. More of it please.
Patricia Lutes says
March 8, 2016 at 6:42 pmI have faith and love and hope
Dawn Levesque says
April 8, 2018 at 6:05 pmThank you for this great blog. I relate to so much as I have committed my life to Christ 6 years ago. It truly is a process and when we are in His Word, building faith He helps us to trust and keep coming to Him for guidance and strength.
urchman says
July 18, 2019 at 11:15 amIts a practical deal ,not just a spoken word. The true life of a believer manifest when things are difficult. If Jesus can live by faith we likewise can do the same. Thank you for finding time to explain in detail the word and application of faith
Ibe Stella says
August 28, 2019 at 7:35 pmAm truly encourage by this pieces of information coincerining faith. I
Now and then i hang my all my challenges on GOD shoulders.
my good is one says
January 19, 2020 at 8:42 amLet our faith ask water today and grow as big as the greatest tree and will harden to be chopped from sin
Suzy says
March 14, 2020 at 7:10 amThank you! This is so true and no matter how many times you experience God, it is like it is the very first time. He is infinitely loving!
Lola says
October 2, 2020 at 8:09 amNothing must tamper with our faith/our relationship with God because it’s the key to live victoriously in life!
Pastor Philip Aguer says
August 24, 2022 at 2:51 pmAm truly bless through this message of faith,God bless you
Moses Dura says
July 12, 2023 at 1:25 amThese articles are truly inaluable to me because I stared reading the bible recently but I really don’t understand most of the things that are written in it but now I get more insight by reading these articles. I am thankful to you because you have done a lot for me in this journey with your articles.