Faith is a Spiritual Muscle
To grow in our faith, we have to exercise it. Because faith is like a muscle. With disuse, our ability to trust God atrophies.
But just going to the gym isn’t enough. Obviously the person standing on the flat weight plate bothered to change into gym clothes. He’s even found some exercise equipment. But the weight on the floor will not benefit him unless he starts to do the hard work of lifting
Yet, with a little spiritual exercise, our ability to step out and trust God in new situations becomes much stronger.
6 Ways to Build up our Faith Muscle
- Trusting God and Stepping Out in Faith
- Personal experience causes us to grow stronger in our faith. Over the years, as I’ve obeyed Him, God has repeatedly proven His goodness, tender heart and sovereign power in my life. Now some of the enemy’s attacks no longer work against me, because I automatically trust the Lord in that area.
- Example: I was an atheist during my teenage years. So for a short time as a new Christian, I was still vulnerable to the Devil’s lie. One evening I experienced a fierce battle. My belief in God’s existence collapsed. Panicked, I cried out silently, “God, if you exist, if you’re real, please help me—I’m dying as a Christian.” Immediately Ps 118:17, which my roommate had quoted in jest that morning, entered my mind and crushed that lie forever. Now my faith is strong and I am free.
- Personal experience causes us to grow stronger in our faith. Over the years, as I’ve obeyed Him, God has repeatedly proven His goodness, tender heart and sovereign power in my life. Now some of the enemy’s attacks no longer work against me, because I automatically trust the Lord in that area.
- Developing a Deep, Personal Relationship with Jesus
- It’s difficult to trust someone you don’t know and walking with Christ requires trust. Reading the Scriptures, especially the gospels is a great way to begin to know our Savior. As I read, the Holy Spirit will often highlight a verse or show me a spiritual truth I never saw before. Often I’ll ask Him questions about what I’m reading or bless the Lord for new insight. Or I might confess my confusion and ask for clarity.
- Develop Personal “Stones of Remembrance”
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Remember all the ways Jesus has answered your prayers in the past. Coming out of Egypt, the Israelites were quick to forget all the times Yahweh had blessed and delivered them from the hands of Pharaoh. As a young Christian, I thought seeing miracles would strengthen my faith. But it doesn’t. The Jews in Moses’ time prove it. Collectively they practiced “spiritual amnesia.” Want to strengthen your faith? Be thankful and rehearse God’s loving, good deeds to your own past.
- Confess the Truths of Scripture
- The Devil’s lies are powerful because they feel emotionally true. Yes, it’s important to claim the promises in the Bible. But it’s also vital to confess who we are in God’s sight, to come to see ourselves as He sees us. That happens when we stubbornly speak God’s truth over our lives until Satan’s lies are broken.
- Other Christians’ Testimonies
- Hearing other believers’ “God stories” frequently encourages us, because we see God in a new and different way. It reminds us that the impossible isn’t a problem in God’s eyes.
- Praising God for His Character
- This is very important. When I praise God for who He is, I shift my eyes away from my problems and start focusing on the Problem-Solver. Soon my faith starts to grow strong.
That’s my list for strengthening our faith muscle. Next week I’ll reveal the horrible ways we do the Devil’s work for him and damage our ability to trust God.
These images came from Pixabay.com
