There are times when you feel particularly strong in your faith, and other times when you feel weak and inadequate. You might think you are the only one experiencing the highs and lows of faith, but that’s not true. The majority of Christians acknowledge that their faith fluctuates on a daily basis. In this article, we will discuss ten ways to increase your faith in God. These tips will help you grow and strengthen your faith in God. These tips are applicable to both new and experienced believers. So, keep reading and be inspired!
God wants your faith to grow stronger. He wishes to lead you from despair to blessing and strength. God is pleased when you pray for your faith to grow. He encourages us to “come boldly unto the throne of grace” and “obtain mercy” (Hebrews 4:16 KJV).
The scriptures teach that you can increase, strengthen, and grow your faith in God. Abraham is a great example of someone who grew in faith over time. The Bible states:
No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God (Romans 4:20 ESV).
It is also scriptural to pray for your faith to “increase.” For example, in Luke 17:5, the disciples pleaded with the Lord to increase their faith:
And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” (Luke 17:5, NKJV).
As you can see from the preceding scriptural evidence, faith can be developed, nurtured, and strengthened.
Growing faith is a lifelong process. Nobody can ever assert that their faith is as impregnable as a fortress. There is always room for improvement and a higher standard to attain. For this reason, Christ bestowed a blessing on those who feel spiritually inadequate or “poor in spirit.”
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3, ESV).
Those who recognize and feel their spiritual inadequacy are receptive to the Holy Spirit’s wooing and receive God’s spiritual blessings.
It’s also important to remember that having a strong faith in God doesn’t guarantee that you won’t face difficulties or temptations. Belief in God does not shield you from life’s difficulties. Trials and temptations are inevitable in a sinful world. However, with each temptation, God will provide a way out.
That being said, here are ten ways to increase your faith in God:
1. Develop a Prayerful Lifestyle
To increase your faith in God, you must cultivate a prayerful lifestyle.
The only way to enter God’s presence is through prayer. Prayer is a dialogue with the Creator of the universe, and it is vital that you continue this dialogue in order to grow in faith.
In his book Prayer, Milian Lauritz Andreasen encourages believers to maintain contact with God through prayer, emphasizing that one’s love for God should motivate them to pray:
“We pray because we love Him who first loved us and because we find in Him a satisfaction of the soul not obtainable elsewhere. We pray not to get what we want but to find out what He wants. We pray not to get Him to change His mind but to have our minds changed. We pray not to have Him change His plans for us, but to ask Him to help us willingly to accept His plans. We pray not primarily to avoid pain but for the strength to bear it. We pray not to be taken out of this world but to be kept faithful while in it. We pray not to escape hardship or trials but for patience to endure them. We pray not to escape work, but for wisdom to know how to do it and do it well. We pray first and last because we love Him who has loved us because we treasure His fellowship and that of the saints.”
Milian Lauritz Andreasen
Some prayers elicit an immediate answer from God. For example, prayers for forgiveness and a more deeper spiritual experience are immediately answered because they are within God’s will.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:19, KJV).
This scripture is a reminder that God wants to forgive and cleanse you. The apostle John writes:
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us (1 John 5:14, KJV).
When you ask God to forgive your sins, you are asking for something that is consistent with His will. God will instantly answer such a prayer. God will not deny His faithful anything good as long as their petitions are within His will:
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11, ESV)
God never denies His people anything good. God will not withhold repentance or reconciliation because they are both “good things.” Christ invites us to do the following:
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8, ESV)
Unbelief prevents us from receiving God’s blessings. Do you recall the story of the father who, despite his doubts, brought his demon-possessed son to Christ for deliverance? Do you remember Christ’s response? The Bible records:
Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24-25, NKJV)
When you pray, ask God to deliver you from unbelief. Prayer is the last line of defense against temptation.
Integrate prayer into all aspects of your life. When you are afraid, remember God’s promises. When you feel guilty, ask God for forgiveness. When you’re happy, raise your voice in sweet adoration. When you’re feeling lost, pray for direction.
2. Exercise Patience
To increase your faith in God, you need to learn how to exercise patience. Learn to wait on God.
There are times when the stresses of life are so intense that you want God to intervene in your situation right away. It can be difficult to be patient in such trying circumstances.
Waiting is difficult; however, the Bible advises us to wait on the Lord:
Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. (Psalm 27:14 ESV)
You must learn to wait on God even if you are under a lot of pressure and need immediate answers and solutions to your problems. You must be patient because God’s promises and answers are neither rushed nor delayed.
God answers our prayers at His discretion and in His own time.
Faith and patience are inextricably linked. Faith encourages you to hope in God. Patience motivates you to persevere in the face of adversity.
3. Immerse yourself in God’s Word
To increase your faith immerse yourself in God’s word study.
The Bible is God’s means of communicating His knowledge. As you study, internalize, absorb, memorize, meditate, and apply biblical principles in your life, your faith will grow stronger.
The scriptures are the active ingredient in strengthening your faith in God. The apostle Paul writes:
So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17 KJV)
The Greek word for “hearing” in this verse is ᾰ̓κoύω (akouo), which means “to hear and understand at the same time.” This means that faith is gained by hearing and understanding God’s word.
Our future eternal lives are dependent on a correct understanding of God and Christ:
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:3, NKJV)
The word of God is a fountain of knowledge that leads to eternal life.
If you want to strengthen and grow your faith, study God’s word daily, as the noble Bereans did:
These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11 NKJV)
Deliberately set aside time each day to study God’s word. Be intentional in your planning. In your study, remember to pray for spiritual insight like David prayed:
Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. (Psalm 119:18, ESV)
When you pray to God for understanding from His word, He will show you “wondrous things.” Immersing yourself in God’s word will help you understand and appreciate His love and goodness to you.
4. Receive the Word of God
To build your faith in God, you need to receive the word of God.
Studying the word of God is accumulating divine knowledge – but there is more to it.
But what does it mean to receive the word of God? Receiving the word of God means to heed and apply the promises and principles of the word of God in your day-to-day life. It means to live out the truths you discover in the Bible. In other words, you are not only a “hearer” but also a “doer of the word” as James puts it:
Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (James 1:21-22, NKJV)
The “doing” spoken of here comes from a living faith in Christ, not as a means to earn credit with God. It is easy to trust in your strength and abilities instead of wholly depending on God’s enabling and transforming power. Your service to God should spring forth from a motive of appreciation of the salvific act of Christ on the cross. When you base your Christian service on love, your “doing” becomes the “works of faith” (that is a by-product of faith).
The word of God, when received, is life-changing. It also acts as a shield against the temptations of sin. The Psalmist speaking to God said:
Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. (Psalm 119:11, NKJV)
The Bible is the agent through which God will bring about transformation in your life.
How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. (Psalm 119:9, NKJV)
Barry C. Black, the current US senate chaplain, shared a personal story about his adolescent years’ struggles. A friend invited Black to accompany him on a revenge mission against another teen. On their way to execute their plans, Black stopped in his tracks. A Bible verse he had committed to memory came to mind:
"You shall not follow a crowd to do evil" (Exodus 23:2a, NKJV)
At that very moment, Black turned to his friend and told him to his face that he had changed his mind about accompanying him to commit a crime. Black immediately started walking home as fast as he could.
The young man was left bewildered, but he was determined to follow through with his plan. And, so, Black’s friend went ahead with his plan and murdered another teen in cold blood. The police arrested the young man, and the courts sentenced him to death.
Barry C. Black was saved from this ordeal because he chose to listen and heed God’s word. You can read the story of his life in his book From the Hood to the Hill: A Story of Overcoming.
Study and apply God’s word in your life. Receive and heed every word – it will save you some day!
5. Share the Word of God
To nurture and strengthen your faith in God, you need to share the glad tidings of salvation with your family, neighbors, and friends.
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" (Isaiah 52:7, NKJV).
In the ancient near eastern countries, a messenger (of either bad news or good news) would endure so many things. A messenger could encounter wild animals, robbers, and sometimes hostile enemy troops.
These risks would not deter a faithful messenger as he traversed valleys, hills, and plains bearing the news. The news could be of a victory on a battlefield or peace accords between warring nations and tribes.
The above verse (Isaiah 52:7) primarily celebrates one such messenger – a messenger who bears good news and gives hope to the people of God.
The apostle Paul in the New Testament (Romans 10:14,15) applies this scripture in a secondary sense to the witnesses and bearers of the good news of salvation. They, too (the New Testament messengers) risked everything to testify of the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ to the near lands and outposts.
Sharing the word of God is an opportunity for you to witness first-hand the power of God transforming other people’s lives.
There is an indescribable joy that comes with evangelizing our friends and seeing them changed. There is nothing more fulfilling to an evangelist than to witness lives being transformed by God through his or her ministry. Seeing your friends transformed through your witness builds and strengthens your faith.
The opposite is also true – when you don’t share the word of God with others, you stagnate in your faith.
Sharing the word of God also helps make truth stick in your mind.
So, share the hope that is in you; this will strengthen your faith.
6. Join a Christian Fellowship
To grow strong in your Christian faith, you need to fellowship with other Christians. You need the support system of the community of faith.
In the New Testament, after sharing the gospel and winning new believers to the faith, the apostles would encourage them to join their fellowship. The apostle John while writing to the new converts in the first century, urged them to continue in their fellowship:
That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3, ESV)
Fellowship with other Christians encourages and builds your faith. It is an opportunity for you to draw inspiration from the life and testimony of fellow believers who may be in a better or worse situation than yours. The apostle Paul encouraged the Thessalonian Christian to continue in fellowship:
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Thessalonian 5:11, ESV)
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17, ESV)
You meet with other Christians to sharpen each other’s faith.
In the early days of Christianity, most believers experienced persecution from the non-believing Jews and the Romans.
During these trying moments, they would find solace and encouragement in drawing together in fellowship. The apostle Paul recognized this and instructed them not to neglect meeting together.
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25, NKJV)
To strengthen your faith, you need to join a fellowship near you.
7. Forgive: Let Go Grudges and Bitterness
To strengthen your faith, you need to learn the art and science of forgiveness. Forgiveness brings healing to your heart and releases you from people who hurt you.
Harboring grudges and bitterness adversely affects your health and wears off your bones. Solomon records that:
A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones. (Proverbs 14:30, ESV).
Not only do grudges and bitterness affect your bones, but they also affect your mind, mood, and spirits. Bible wisdom states that:
A joyful heart makes a cheerful countenance, but sorrow of the heart crushes the spirit. (Proverbs 15:13)
These negative emotions (grudges, bitterness, anger, revengeful thoughts) can lead you to depression and anxiety or an early grave if not well managed. The biblical record puts it this way:
For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one. (Job 5:2)
Also, bitterness negatively affects your spiritual life and denies you the privilege of enjoying the present.
Instead of shouldering the burden of guilt ask God to forgive you.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9, NIV)
Forgive yourself, forgive others, and accept God’s forgiveness.
8. Sing and Listen to Gospel Music
Music is a powerful instrument for helping you grow spiritually.
The hymn writers and other Christian songwriters composed and wrote their songs out of an overflow of their individual religious experiences.
Most of these composers went through experiences similar to your own. The hymns remind you that the events and circumstances in your life are not unique to you only. Many other believers in ages past have gone through more difficult moments and wrote, composed, and even sung about it. So it is true that "no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man" (1 Corinthians 10:13, ESV).
Christian music is a potent portion for driving home the truth of the word of God. Sacred music encourages you to go deeper in faith. Christ-centric music uplifts and connects your soul to God. James encourages you to sing when in trouble:
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. (James 5:13, NIV)
Christian music transforms you from the inside and fills you with peace and gratitude to God. Joan Huyser-Honig, in her article Musical Theology: Past lessons, Present Perspectives, states that:
“Understanding and applying musical theology deepens worshipers’ experience of God, and better prepares them to share God’s Word in the world.”
Joan Huyser-Honig
Whenever you feel down in your spiritual life, sing a hymn or a contemporary gospel song to uplift your spirits, and encourage your Christian faith. If you are interested in knowing more about the impact of godly music on faith, read this article by BJ Gonzalvo on How Music Leads to God
9. Show Generosity Towards the Less Fortunate
To strengthen your faith in God, you need to help the needy.
Exercising a spirit of benevolence empties you of selfishness and enables you to build a Christ-like character.
A generous spirit brings fulfillment in your life as well as spiritual progress. By giving liberally to the poor, you recognize God as the owner of everything. The Bible gives this promise:
Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse. (Proverbs 28:27, ESV)
Whatever you do to the less fortunate members of society is remembered and recorded by God.
And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' (Matthew 25:40)
True Bible religion is never lacking in acts of kindness.
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27, ESV).
The apostle Paul further reminds you to take advantage of the many opportunities out there to do good without discriminating.
So then, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:10, ESV)
Acts of benevolence are the hallmarks of true Christians. The Bible encourages you to help the needy among us. Christ taught that every kind deed you do to others is as if you did it to Christ Himself.
For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. (Matthew 25:35-36)
You are a steward of Christ’s greater riches (both material and spiritual). Bless others with your means as much as you can. You will be surprised how much your faith will grow strong. You can also read about the difference between Christian philanthropy and secular philanthropy here.
10. Volunteer in Community Service Drives
To grow your faith, volunteer in your local community welfare drives. Volunteer in some rehabilitation centers, orphanages, elderly homes, the and even the Red Cross. John, the apostle, advised the new believers love in deed and truth:
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:18, ESV).
Participate in free food distribution to the needy and environmental cleaning efforts. Remember, the Bible encourages you to use your God-given resources to serve the poor and less privileged members of your society. The apostle Peter states:’
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace (1 Peter 4:10).
We are to carry each other’s burden as as Paul reminded the Galatians:
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2, ESV)
Remember the words of Christ:
“The greatest among you will be your servant.” (Matthew 23:11)
Paul records that from the beginning you were “created to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10). So, volunteer wherever possible.
Strong Faith Assures You of God’s Presence
Remember, you are not alone. True faith assures you of God’s presence in your life. For example, Terry Anderson, a peacemaker, who was once held captive by Islamic fundamentalists in Lebanon, testified that what kept him alive during that trying period was a consciousness that he was not alone. Anderson acknowledged that:
“Faith is what you find when you’re alone and find that you are not alone.”
Terry Anderson
In his book, “Healing Psalms: The Dialogues with God That Help You Cope with Life,” Joshua O. Haberman quotes Ignazio Silone – a novelist and politician as saying:
“He who has faith is never alone. But the atheist is always alone, even if from morning to night he lives in crowded streets.”
Ignazio Silone
Final Takeaway:
You are not alone. God is with you, and He will help you grow stronger in faith.
Blessings!
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