Strengthening Your Faith

To strengthen our faith, we must understand the obstacles that prevent our growth. First, we need to look at Jesus Christ as our example. Jesus was truly God; He was the Son who lived among us as a complete human person. He was the same as us in all things. He ate like us, He laughed and cried like us, He loved like us. His body was vulnerable and could suffer and be destroyed as ours can.

One of the greatest obstacles that prevents our faith from increasing, is the role that sin plays in our lives. The only difference between Jesus’ humanity and ours was that sin played no part in His life. He did not sin. And the reason He did not sin was because He was truly human. He was fully human exactly as God had intended every man and woman to be. He is a pattern for humanity. Jesus shows us what it is to be a complete human being that is filled with faith. “Looking unto Jesus, the Author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2).

When our faith is weak, sin enters our lives and we become less than what God intends for us. Every time we think, say, or do something which is not a reflection of Jesus, we miss the mark; we sin. But sin doesn’t stop there because so much of what we do, or fail to do, affects other people. The results of unhealthy relationships, isolation, breakdowns in communication, all serve to cut us off from others, and can hurt people. We even say in extreme cases, “They are like an animal!” What we’re saying, in a true sense, is that some people are less than fully human, but then so are those who caused the damage and isolation. It’s easy to see that sin damages not only individuals but also entire faith communities.

Throughout His life, Jesus worked and preached endlessly among all sorts of people to bring down the barriers which divided them, and to increase their faith. The Word of God aptly says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). We must exercise faith daily, like a regular workout, so that we can become stronger. Notably, when believers come together in unity, faith increases.

Jesus emphasized quite often that we are all God’s children; we are His family, His Chosen People. Following His resurrection, Jesus’ followers gathered and became a community of believers. They were united in that they were listening to the words of Jesus and experiencing His active love in the work of His Spirit in their lives. They knew what it was to have faith, but they were also still weak and easily discouraged. Matthew 5:9 mentions that “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” The opposite of this passage is that when believers are at odds with one another, their faith decreases, and they become less than God’s best. To build faith, we must endeavor to have a forgiving spirit, as the Word says, “Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37).

No one’s faith increases overnight; it takes time. An important aid for developing our faith is when we experience the healing, reconciliation of the Holy Spirit. It begins with a fresh renewal with Jesus, and then we will can reconcile with others. Doubt, on the other hand, is one of the greatest detractors for believers growing together in faith. The effect of reconciliation is that we are renewed and more committed to following the Spirit’s guidance in our lives. We become more effective in reflecting Christ and His words of life and love to others. In this way, we strengthen Christ’s Body on earth, which will continue the healing, saving, loving work of Jesus Christ (Luke 7:39-48).

God working in and through us

By taking a step of faith, we open ourselves to reconciliation, which is saying that we believe in God and in His all-embracing and redeeming love for us and others. We are publicly acknowledging this, and we are saying to ourselves and to others that God is real in our lives, that the power and influence of the Holy Spirit is working within us, transforming us, strengthening us, enabling us to become more and more like Christ. That doesn’t mean we are changing our personality; God has made each of us special. Rather, He is fulfilling His will in us, as we move through life. We are becoming people of faith and love, caught up in commitment to our heavenly Father. Therefore, we must understand that faith is active and alive, as the apostle James says, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). Our small act of faith can reap huge benefits in reconciling relationships with others, and most importantly with the Lord.

God is realistic

God is being realistic, too, about what we are. We are weak. We are easily given to blindness and selfishness, to ourselves and others. We need help with these damaging traits, otherwise, we will be overcome by them, and lost in our own vanity, self-worship, and blindness. At times, we go our own way, leaving the Gospel and the love of God on the far edges of our life. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Faith says that something good can happen, as we trust the Lord for the answers in our lives. If we attempt to make things happen because of our own desires or pride, our efforts will fall short.

The healing spirit

When we are sick, we feel alone, weak, and frightened. Things which seemed important don’t matter much anymore. But as Christians, we know that we are never alone. In fact, we are never so close to Jesus as when we are weak or unwell. During His life on earth, Jesus loved people into total health. He fought pain and suffering in Himself and others. He lifted up those who were sick and raised them to new life.

Only when He could no longer avoid pain and death did Jesus accept it. And then, on the cross, Jesus transformed suffering. Through suffering, He was raised to new life. And Jesus offers the same life to all who accept Him in faith. Throughout our lives, Jesus loves us into total health, helping us to triumph over sickness. At the heart of being a Christian, we experience the healing nature of Jesus, whereby He becomes a constant source of strength and restoration in our lives.

The anointing of the sick is an act of faith, available whenever our health is seriously impaired by sickness or old age. God is always with us in our illness, loving us into health of mind, body, and soul. Through our faith, we know that we will live forever. Throughout His life, Jesus loved people so deeply and so completely that they were healed of whatever was destroying them, whether it was physical or mental illness, or emotional or spiritual suffering. That is what He continues to do when we embrace His healing spirit.

Our fears for the future begin to dissolve as we listen to the words of Jesus who promises to be with us forever. The sick person is strengthened and encouraged as they face any anxiety or fear they may have about frailty or death; their faith can be renewed. The tendency in illness to despair or feel hopelessness, is overcome by the loving signs of the Lord’s presence at this special time in our lives. No matter the relational issue, difficult situation, or illness, faith can arise in our hearts through a simple prayer:

“Today, I commit my life and all
that I am, fresh and new to You.
I am weak, human flesh,
but my heart is Yours.
You, O’ Lord, are all that I live for.
You bring immeasurable peace,
joy, and love into my life.
Thank You for all that
You have given to me.
May Your blessings continue
to flow in and through my life.”

Being grateful is one of the best ways to increase our faith and release a spirit of peace. As the prayer mentions, it is important to be grateful for the things that God has so graciously brought into our lives. If doubt and fear take hold, faith and peace will certainly fall away. To release faith, we need to have gratitude in our hearts for the Lord’s saving power. He will heal us for this earth, or He will heal us for heaven, either way, we are His child, and He will never abandon us. Jesus reassuringly said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28). Because of the Lord’s tender love, He can heal any area of our lives. But we must be willing to take the first step in faith. That can happen by acknowledging our need, and then showing our gratefulness to Him for being a loving Father. No matter the outcome, we have a blessed assurance that He has our best interest at heart.