My Story
I personally believe all our faith comes from our Creator. I remember being an atheist as a teenager. At that time, my faith was non-existent; now it’s strong.
After I became a Christian in college, I made a tee-shirt which said, “Jesus made a believer out of me.” Our faith starts out as a seed which God plants in our hearts. It germinates and begins to grow when Jesus becomes our personal Savior. Yet how we live out our Christian life matters. Depending on what we do, our ability to believe God can reach great heights or shrivel up.
Jesus means our faith to grow into a powerful, deeply-rooted tree, supporting us as we each follow the path of His choosing. A natural tree needs sunlight, water and good soil to grow. In the same way, our faith becomes stronger when we nourish it.
Miracles don’t Strengthen our Faith
Moses and his people experienced more miracles and divine care from our Heavenly Father than any other believers–ever. But for the vast majority, their trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob remained pathetically weak.
When the 10 spies gave a scary report to the people about the Promised Land, the entire nation rebelled (Numbers 13-14). God punished them with forty more years in the wilderness, until that unbelieving generation died out. His reason?
The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? (Numbers 14:11) NIV
Caleb and Joshua’s ever Increasing Faith
Only Joshua, Caleb, Moses, Aaron and perhaps Miriam grew so strong in their faith that they could trust God when facing impossible obstacles. He’d supernaturally acted to save them in the past. They believed He would again in the future. 40 years later, the entire whining, rebellious adult generation God had rescued out of Egypt had died in the wilderness. Moses, Aaron and Miriam had also passed away. Only two—Joshua and Caleb—enjoyed the fulfillment of God’s promise and entered the promised land with the younger generation of Israelites.
But how did Joshua and Caleb come to trust the Almighty so deeply?
What caused their faith to be so strong?
I think I know the answer. Here are seven ways I’ve nourished and grown my own faith.
Our Faith Increases When We…
1 Cultivate a personal, deepening relationship with God. Over the years, I’ve gotten to know my Lord’s tenderness toward me, His wonderful sense of humor, and His amazing ability to bring good out of life’s worst traumas. I’ve developed a deep trust in my Redeemer, as I’ve sought to obey Him and seen my prayers answered. My life has truly been transformed.
2. Listen to other Christian’s testimonies. Nothing builds my faith like hearing stories of the amazing things Jesus has done in the lives of my fellow believers.
3.Need more faith? Ask for it. Remember the father who cried out “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief” (Mark 9:17-27)? Jesus didn’t get mad because this man struggled to believe. Instead our Savior answered his prayer. Jesus overcame his unbelief forever by casting the demon out of his son. Likewise, when I can’t believe God in a certain area, I ask for more faith and the Holy Spirit answers.
4. Live a life of thanksgiving. Thinking about the blessings of God in my life helps me trust Him more, because it brings His goodness and loving care for me into focus. Indeed, for most Americans, our blessings are past counting.
Grumbling and whining are personal choices.
So is thankfulness.
I’m grateful for indoor plumbing—yea, no smelly outhouses!
I’m also blessed with a pain-free body, hot water, air conditioning, Greek food, glasses, color vision and a personal Savior who continues to change my life in amazing ways.
5. Ask other Christians to pray for you. Other Christians often have faith for my situation when I don’t. Their prayers give me hope, strength and comfort. Plus, God often answers, a blessing which helps me trust Him more.
6. Praise and Worship. Hebrews 13:15 speaks of offering a “sacrifice of praise.” When I actively worship and praise God, I focus my mind on all His power and goodness. God becomes greater in my eyes and my problems shrink. So when I’m in deep pain, I praise God even through my tears. I know where my real strength lies.
7. Stones of remembrance. I strongly suspect this is one of the key differences between Caleb and Joshua and the rest of the people. Most of the Israelite nation lived as unbelieving complainers. Unfortunately, constant grumbling undermines our faith. I believe Joshua and Caleb frequently thought about all of God’s past glorious deeds, both in Egypt and in the wilderness. They filled their minds with internal ‘stones of remembrance.’ Both these men kept praising the Lord for his mighty deeds and remained thankful.
My friends, may your own faith be strengthened this week.
All images in this post are from Pixabay.com.
