How to develop your faith – 2 needed ingredients
How to develop your faith. Every Christian can strengthen their faith. In fact, we should be growing our faith every day. Jesus recognized that people had different levels of faith, some with little faith and others with great faith. )Mt. 17:20; 15:23) Here’s the thing, we all have the potential to be people of great faith, but how?
We All Start with the Same Measure of Faith
The Bible tells us God has given each of us the same measure of faith. (Romans 12:2-3). God’s not blessed one person with more faith than another. We all start with the same measure of faith, yet we don’t all end up with the same level of faith. People with great faith —- grow their faith. So, how can you develop your faith and become a person of great faith?
2 Ingredients to Develop Your Faith
There are 2 main ingredients needed to effectively develop your faith. The first is –
1. Feeding on God’s Word
Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17, NKJV). If you want to grow your faith, it starts with consuming the Word of God. This means feeding yourself every day the Word of God. The Word of God is food for your spirit. It is the nutrition you need to strengthen your inward man and keep it healthy.
How Do You Feed on God’s Word
You feed on God’s Word by listening to, reading, studying, meditating, and immersing yourself in the Word of God. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Mat. 4:4) The Word of God contains the nutrients needed to grow your faith. To develop your faith, you need to saturate yourself with the Word of God. Instead of spending hours each day consuming social media and television – immerse yourself in the Word of God.
Faith is Like Our Muscles
In the natural, our muscles are much like what our faith is spiritually. We all have been given the same muscles. However, some people have bigger and stronger muscles because they have developed their muscles. One of the key things needed to develop muscles is proper nutrition.
Faith Needs the Right Diet
The same is true for your faith – it needs the proper nutrition to be healthy and grow. The nutrition your faith needs is the Word of God. 1 Peter 2:2 tells us, “newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow”. (1 Peter 2:2) As you regularly feed on God’s Word your faith will become stronger. The second key ingredient needed to develop your faith is –
2. Exercising Your Faith
It’s important to feed on God’s Word to hear, listen to, and meditate on God’s Word. However, for your faith to develop properly, you will need to put that Word into action. James 2:17-18 tells us, “Faith by itself if it does not have works, is dead…. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” If you want to grow your faith not only do you need to feed your faith you must exercise it. We must become doers of the Word not hearers only if we want to become people of great faith.
Put the Word Into Action
In the natural, for our muscles to grow they need to be exercised. If you eat the right diet but don’t exercise your muscles, they will not grow. Faith is the same way. If you only take in the Word of God, but don’t put it into action your faith will not fully develop.
Many people talk about their faith, but they seldom actually use their faith. James 2:17 tells us, “In the same way, faith by itself if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” Faith is a living thing. It cannot be dormant. Faith moves. Faith acts. Faith does. It doesn’t just sit; it produces. Develop your faith by being a doer of the Word.
You can Become a Person of Great Faith
You have the potential to be a person of great faith. May it never be said of you, “O you of little faith!” You can develop your faith by – regularly feeding on the Word and putting the Word into action. When you listen to what the Lord says, believe it in your heart, and act on it, you’ll find yourself growing in your faith like never before. In order to become a person of great faith requires the right diet and exercise.
Now more than ever it is time to focus on your faith. We live in times that require an audacious faith, a faith that is strong, unwavering, and relentless. It’s time to make a fresh commitment to take in God’s Word morning and night. (Joshua 1:8) Decide to follow through and do what God is telling you to do. Begin declaring what God’s Word says; “I am more than a conqueror…, I can do all things through Christ…, My steps are ordered of the Lord…, the Lord’s my shepherd I will fear no evil…, No weapon formed against will prosper, God will supply all my needs…, By the stripes of Jesus I am healed…….
We never come to a place where we no longer need to develop our faith. We must constantly be feeding and exercising our faith. “Without faith, it is impossible to please God”. (Hebrews 11:6) Let’s make a fresh commitment to feed our faith daily with the Word of God and daily exercise our faith by putting the Word into practice
