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Matters of Faith
Just like a dedicated gardener who diligently grows seeds until they become strong and healthy plants, God grows our faith throughout our lives.
But how does our faith grow?
Plant Yourself in the Word of God
John 20:31 tells us that there is a reason the Bible exists. God preserved His Word in the Bible so that it could guide us and help our faith grow.
Our faith starts to grow when we plant the ideas and promises of God as seeds in our very hearts.
Plant the truth about what God is like and how His love results in all the marvellous things around us.
Just as water and fertilisers nourish plants, the Word nourishes our faith.
When you are trying to grow plants, you must water them daily. Similarly, you can grow your faith when you commit to reading and learning God’s Word daily.
It may be the first thing you do when you wake up or the last thing you read before bedtime. Remember, consistency can help strengthen your faith.
Put God’s word into practice to grow your faith
Hebrews 11:8 says, “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.”
This teaches us that Abraham did not only use his faith to think according to God’s will but to act in obedience. That’s the kind of faith you want – a belief that moves you to act in accordance with God’s will, to follow His Word with no questions asked.
When your faith moves you enough to take action, you are following in the footsteps of Jesus. So remember to act with love, forgiveness, and mercy in mind. Always keep in mind how your faith can affect all aspects of your life. For example, how do you apply faith to your career, raising children, and your hobbies?
Practice deliberately asking God for guidance at every step of the day. In many of these moments, you may not hear specific guidance from Him in the day-to-day activities, but the discipline of constantly asking Him is not about getting an answer first before you do an activity; rather, it is about tuning your spiritual ear to His voice, so that you hear it when it does matter. The more you practice this, the stronger your faith will be.
It’s not about the size of your faith
In Luke 17:5-6, “the apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!'” Jesus replied by telling them that the tiniest amount of faith (a mustard seed, which is a minute seed), can achieve impossible tasks (even moving a mountain). Because faith is something God gives us and grows in us, we do not need to be caught up in discussions of how large our faith is. The more important question is whether we are living in the faith God has given us.
Trust in God in the hardest of times
You’ll also find that by putting your trust in the Lord during the harshest storms in your life, your faith will grow. It is these hardships that can strengthen you and your faith that will get you through those trials.
In the book of James, the churches are encouraged to “consider it pure joy” when we face trials because we understand that “testing your faith develops perseverance.” (James 1:2-3)
Faith needs to be an all-encompassing part of your life. Faith is not just a nice word to say to make yourself feel more holy; it is an active, powerful tool for you to use as you pursue a life focused on Christ. Whether your faith is small or large, learning to use it for God’s glory is a challenging and wonderful experience that you can enjoy throughout your life.
When we go through tough times, it can be difficult to see the silver lining. However, the book of James tells us that we should consider it pure joy when we face trials because we know that they will help us to grow in our faith.
When our faith is tested, it gives us an opportunity to persevere. And as we persevere, our faith will grow stronger. So, even though trials may be difficult at the moment, we can take comfort in knowing that they are helping us to grow closer to God. – globaldisciples.ca
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