Have you heard the statement that you need to develop your own faith? Are you working on developing it? How is that coming for you? Have you made any progress? Would you like your faith to be stronger but not seeing an increase?
We talk a lot about faith as Christians. We may say that we just need to have faith. Or we say we have faith. Or we may say we put our faith in God. We use a lot of these sayings when we don’t know what else to do.
Have you thanked God for your faith? That may seem to be a silly question. However, it is not. You see, our faith is a gift from God. His Spirit blesses us with faith. As I have mentioned in other messages, faith is not merely belief. James 2:9 states even demons believe. No, faith and belief are not equal. Hebrews 11:1 states that our faith is confidence in our hope. Our hope is in the glory of God (Romans 5:2).
Are you seeing the linkage in Scripture, in the components of our Christian walk, and in knowing God’s Word? It continues in today’s passage. Our faith is a gift that helps us put together the other pieces and grows stronger as we do. It is also a gift that God increases as we desire to know him better and long to have a stronger faith.
We cannot simply build our faith like we build muscle. Yet, it becomes stronger as we exercise it. How do we exercise it? Through prayer and trust in God. It becomes stronger as we ask God to increase our faith and as we trust him to pull us through whatever situation we find ourselves in. Our faith is a gift. It is a gift that God will increase as we know him better and put more trust in him.
I pray we all ask God to increase our faith. I pray we put more trust in his promises. I pray each one of us will seek to know God better and connect the dots of a mature Christian. Seek to know God better. Ask God to increase your faith. Put your full trust in God. Connect the dots. Love as God loves.
1 Corinthians 13:2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
Marty Pressey 