How to strengthen your faith
It’s more important than ever that you strengthen your faith. We all need to develop and grow in our faith, so we can stay strong in the face of the increased opposition we face in the world today. There is no question we are living in an era of radical skepticism, especially in the area of morality and religion. As a result, moral standards within our culture have changed dramatically. Right has become wrong and wrong right. The greatest challenge we face is not from outside the church, but from within. The skepticism we are confronted with exist as much within the church as outside. Every month some Christian denomination or church leader decides that one doctrine or another is outdated and in need of revision. The authenticity of the Bible is challenged not only from outside the church, but even within the class rooms of leading seminaries. The push toward moral relativism within our society and the church has created confusion in the minds of many believers. If not prepared you can easily begin to question or doubt some of your beliefs. I want to encourage you, faith in God and His Word is based on undeniable truth. You can stand firmly in your faith. Just because someone chooses not to believe (and they have the freedom to believe or not believe that’s not the issue) or criticize or demean our beliefs does not change or invalidate the truth. This is why it is important that you strengthen your faith.
Contend for the Faith
You need to strengthen your faith, so you can contend (defend) your faith. (Jude 1:3) When people question or criticize your beliefs you need to know why you believe what you believe. Not so you can effectively debate and convince them of what you believe, but so you don’t become skeptical of your faith. One of the main strategies used to attack Christianity is that of tolerance. You need to understand what is at the root of their criticism. It’s they don’t want anyone telling them how to live. They want to set their own standards of behavior. So, when someone stands up for absolute truth and righteousness and opposes behavior that is morally unacceptable they label you as being intolerant. There are several problems with this criticism. First, evil should never be tolerated. Should we tolerate a rapist’s view that women are just objects of personal abuse and gratification? Certainly not! Second, their position is hypocritical. Relativists do not tolerate intolerance or absolutism. The so called moral relativist is probably the most intolerant group there is. Thirdly, just because some disagrees with a persons opinion or position does not necessarily equate to being intolerant. Finally, we are not trying to force our beliefs on anyone. It is each individuals choice rather to reject or believe in Christ. As Christians we are called to love people and be merciful. We have a responsibility to share our faith, but not to force it on anyone. I don’t want to force anyone to live by the standards I believe in nor do I want to be forced to accept their standards of morality and life style. To contend for the faith doesn’t mean to be contentious. The point being this, we need to sure up and strengthen the foundations of our faith, so when confront with attacks against our faith we’re not shaken.
Four Ways to Strengthen Your Faith
So, here are four things you can do to help strengthen your faith and overcome any doubts:
- Be on guard. The apostle Paul said, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” (1corinthians 16:13) You need to diligently keep on guard day and night about what you BELIEVE. Faith is a fight. ( 1Timothy 6:12 ) The enemy is out to shipwreck your faith. He wants to get you into doubt, fear and unbelief. He wants to steal your faith. You need to be aware of His devices (2Corinthians 2:11) and be prepared to resist them. This is not a time to relax and let your guard down. Strengthen your faith by staying alert and on guard.
- Stay focused on Jesus. This may sound overly simple or religious, but it is huge. Jesus is the author and finisher of your faith. (Hebrews 12:2) Your faith began with Jesus and it will be completed with Jesus. The only way doubt can take root in your life is to get your focus off Jesus. There are all kinds of distractions in this world that are constantly trying to grab our attention. If you’re going to remain strong in faith you will need to learn how to keep your focus on Jesus.
- Know the Truth. This is at the very crux of our faith. Your faith is built upon your knowledge of God’s Word. You can not have faith for what you do not know. On the other hand there is no way your faith can be shaken if you know the truth. In other words you can not be duped (tricked) by some counterfeit that is presented as “another truth or way”. Jesus said, “I am THE truth.” (John 14:6) There are not many truths or alternate truths. There is only one truth. The best way to identify something that is fake is to know what the real is. When banks train their tellers how to identify counterfeit money they don’t show them the counterfeit they show them real money. They have them hold it, smell it, feel it, look at it, and study it. If the teller knows what real money looks like, feels like, etc they will immediately recognize a fake. When you know the real truth you will easily recognized the counterfeit. Truth is revealed in His Word. Romans 10:17 tells us, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word.” It is important to read, hear, and meditate on God’s Word. That’s how you get to really know the truth. When you know the truth your faith will be strong.
- Speak God’s Word. One of the keys to keeping your faith strong when it is being attacked is to continually confess God’s Word. Speaking God’s Word will release the power of God into your life and build faith into your heart. 2 Corinthians 4:13 says, “the spirit of faith is I believe therefore I speak.” We have a tendency to speak words of doubt and unbelief when we are weak in our faith. We need to hold fast our faith and continually declare what God’s Word says. To be able speak God’s Word you need to know what it says, (see #3). To keep your faith strong speak God’s Word.
In the midst of it all praise the Lord. Your fight of faith is not one you do by yourself. No matter what may be trying to challenge your faith, He is there! God goes where you go. The apostle Paul called our fight of faith a “good” fight. A good fight is one we win. The good news if you don’t quit you win. It is time to “strengthen your faith so you contend for your faith”! Be encouraged! We are living in the greatest time ever.