How to Increase Your Faith

[Chad]

2 Thessalonians 1:3-4

What are some practical steps you can take to increase your level of faith today?

1. READ THE BIBLE. Romans 10:17 explains, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” That is, you must feed your faith a steady diet of God’s Word.

2. EXERCISE YOUR FAITH. A bodybuilder doesn’t begin by lifting 500 pounds the first day. Rather, he exercises daily, gradually increasing his strength. Regularly exercising faith can bring about similar growth spiritually.

3. EMBRACE TRIALS. First Peter 1:3-9 reveals the difficult truth that adversity, when addressed in God’s power, creates greater faith. Just as a fire purifies precious metals, hardship strips away all but the pure core of faith.

4. EXAMINE THE TESTIMONIES OF OTHERS. A testimony is an individual’s own account of the Lord’s activity in his life. No one can ever deny, refute, or downplay someone else’s testimony. When you hear of God’s mighty deeds in another person’s life, your own faith grows.

5. PRAY. You get to know someone by talking to him. That’s what prayer is: your personal communication with God. But don’t just talk; be sure to spend time listening. God wants to speak to you.

6. PRACTICE OBEDIENCE. You will never grow in your faith if you consistently disobey what God tells you to do. Perfect faith is a by-product of obedience. Put yourself in a position to see God’s best for your life, and your faith will soar.

Faith does not increase by accident. Growth takes time, dedication, and intentionality. Ask the Lord to help you exercise your faith today.

Bible in One Year: 2 Chronicles 26-29

from: How to Increase Your Faith

 

[MadHermit]

Most evangelical churches preach those 6 principles with minimal impact. So my question is, "What practical suggestions make the decisive difference for faith?" I think the answer is twofold--a new holy habit and a new attitude.
(1) The holy habit is the discipline of meeting with a weekly small prayer group. Prayer chains lack monitoring and lose their effectiveness due to brief mechanical prayers addressed to a laundry list of needs; and prayer time is not the top priority that motivates most Christians to attend church. But the act of driving to church or a private home on a cold winter week night is an inconvenience that already expresses faith! Plus, the power of face-to-face unburdening and the resulting unity in love creates a holy passion and faith that can't be matched by a Sunday service. In a few hours I will attend our weekly small group prayer meeting that has met for about 4 years now and has witnessed miracles and many dramatic answers to prayer.

(2) The required new attitude is implicit in Luke 17:5-6: "The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" The Lord replied, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea," and it would obey you." After initial success, the disciples' healing ministry has encountered barriers and failure (see e. g. Mark 9:15-19, 28-29) and they have introspected and noted their lack of faith. So they ask for an increase of faith. But Jesus' answer implies that the issue is not quantitative at all; the tiniest amount of faith can make the difference. What they need to do is stop trying to believe and instead boldly act on the assumption that they have all the faith they need. Built into the very concept of trying (conscious or unconscious) is inevitable doubt that only further erodes faith!

 

[Dave M]

excellent post Chad