Thinking About Stronger Faith

In the book of Hebrews, we are told that without faith it is impossible to please God. That's an important truth because we want to please God since doing so is key to living our Christian life and being the person we want to be.

Life is not easy, and the world constantly tries to tempt us and insert doubts that separate us from a God who loves us. More than ever you and I need to rely on God's promises and have faith that He will do what He says He will do.

It is 2024. Since the Spring of 2020 I have:

*Lost a job I loved and held for decades

*Experienced the death of my father

*Dealt with the death of my son

*Visited my wife in the hospital for 4 months due to COVID-19, where she was on a ventilator and had to be resuscitated twice, and they were unsure for a time if she would ever make it home

*Witnessed the passing of my mother

 To say that my faith has been tested would be an understatement. To say that my faith remained strong every day would be a lie. I know that there are so many out there with their own stories of loss and disappointment.

I can relate. 

I had to fight every day not to give in to doubt, to build my faith, and to choose to trust that God was still in control and had not given up on me.

I am far from perfect, so my faith journey was not without some detours and speed bumps, but I woke up today thankful for all He has done for me, and trusting in what He has planned for my future.

I want to share some practical ways to strengthen your faith and develop a heart and spirit that trusts in God's wisdom and grace.

Building Stronger Faith

1. Recall and Reflect on God's past blessings

You have a problem, and it seems insurmountable. You try to stay positive, but it's been a very long time since it felt like things were going your way and God had your back.

Don't give up. We have all been there. That's because fear causes us to forget. It's a great weapon. As long as we stay focused on our problem, then our faith takes a beating.

A great way to turn things around is to recall past victories and the many times God came through for you. 

Faith allows us to remember all the good He has done, and knowing He's the same yesterday, today, and forever strengthens our faith making it possible to expect the right outcome regardless of the current circumstances.

When you feel overwhelmed, recount all the times you thought you couldn't make it one more day, yet here you are. 

That means God has a perfect record in your life. 

Lean on that.

"I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old." 

-Psalm 78:9 KJV

2. Fill Up on God's Promises

When faced with an uphill climb, we may resort to telling God how big our mountain is. We are far better off when we step out in faith and remind the mountain how big our God is.

God's word is full of promises that many leaned on to navigate difficult times and situations. The good news is that God doesn't love you one drop of water less than anyone else so you can claim those same promises as your own.

When you do, let God take you by the hand and help you reach the mountain's summit, remove the mountain, or give you a clear path to the other side.

Every time you conquer another mountain, you strengthen your faith, making you more prepared for the next mountain (because there will be a next mountain).

3. Practice Spiritual Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice of intentionally focusing on the present and being fully in tune to your surroundings here and now.

It is a cognitive skill that can be learned, practiced, and improved upon. 

Spiritual Mindfulness narrows that focus to the things of God. You dedicate your time and thoughts to be still and listen for God's guidance and inspiration.

Purposely taking steps to get in tune with God, shutting out distractions, and finding His will can provide hope and direction, further increasing your faith in the process.

"Be still, and know that I am God:" 

-Psalm 46:10 KJV

4. Exhibit Gratitude

Make it a point to approach each new day with an attitude of gratitude. There is so much to be thankful for, but the blessings can be overshadowed by the challenges facing us.

Read: 80 Things to be Grateful For

When you take time to be thankful for what you already have, it's easier to step out on faith and thank God for the things He's about to do.

Many families have a tradition at the Thanksgiving dinner table to take turns saying what they are thankful for.

ThanksGIVING is nice

but,

How about ThanksLIVING?

Read: Thankful Beyond Thanksgiving

When you thank God for what He's done, that's gratitude.

When you thank God for what He's about to do, that's faith.

"O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever." 

-1 Chronicles 16:34

5. Make a list of God's Faithfulness

Sometimes part of that fear amnesia is our inability to remember all the previous times that God was faithful and met our needs.

An easy yet effective way to keep our focus on our faith and not our fear is to utilize a faith journal. You've seen me advocate for journals in many posts before because they work.

I like to think of mine as an inspiration log. When I pray for something other than God's help in facing the day I write it down.

It can be an actual journal or simply a spiral notebook where you can keep your lists in one place. Do what feels comfortable for you so that you find it easy to implement.

Write down your prayer requests, making sure to include the date you turned the problem over to God. When you witness the answer to your prayer, jot down the date God delivered. 

Now you have a written track record of His faithfulness and timing to fortify your faith when the next challenge occurs.

"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." 

-John 15:7 KJV

6. Feed Your Thoughts Wisely

The life of a Christian is not all smooth sailing. Small doubts and insecurities can quickly grow into giant fears, fanned by the onslaught of negative thoughts.

Negative news, bad advice from friends, low self-esteem, and much more invade our thoughts and diminish our faith.

Faith and fear cannot occupy the same space in our minds. If you feed your faith, you will starve your fears until they lose their might. 

Take your thoughts captive.

Feed your faith with positive and/or faith-filled music, positive affirmations, encouraging quotes, uplifting movies, and more. Your fears won't stand a chance.

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." 

-Romans 12:2

7. Operate Within God's Plan for You

A child will try to avoid a parent when they know they've done something they shouldn't have. We do the same thing with God.

Our sin causes us to try and hide from God much like Adam and Eve did in the garden. We feel that we've lost favor with God and that He may not love us anymore.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Just as a child that's misbehaved, our quickest path back to God is realized when we are honest with Him, repenting and confessing our sins. God's arms are open and waiting. We just have to turn around and run into them.

Knowing God's plan for you and working to stay within His will can give your confidence and faith a super-charged boost.

Read: 7 Keys to Finding God's Plan for You

8. Let It Go

You will fail sometimes. 

You will doubt sometimes.

You will make mistakes sometimes.

You are imperfect all the time.

DEAL WITH IT. 

Your being perfect has nothing to do with God's love or your ability to trust Him. 

Your past is not a life sentence, just a life lesson. God is aware of everything, including your imperfections and fears. He loves you unconditionally and He is waiting for you to let it go and trust in His perfection. 

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 

-1 John 1:9 KJV

9. Read God's Word

There is no better way to starve your fears than to spend time in God's Word.

The Bible is faith's super food. 

Personally, I have found that my faith weakens in direct proportion to my time away from reading my Bible. 

There is so much negative news and energy bombarding our hearts and minds every day. They are empty calories that do nothing to muscle-build our faith. 

The opposite is true of the Word of God. It is powerful and nourishes our faith like nothing else can. It's full of God's direction, faithfulness, promises, and power. 

Your faith will grow stronger with each course of God's Word that you feed it. Fear is never done with but between faith and fear, the most powerful always wins out.

Strengthen your faith with a regular diet of God's Word.

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." 

-Romans 10:17 KJV

10. Pray

One of the game shows introduced in recent years to take the country by storm was Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? They are currently airing a celebrity version hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. On the show the contestants can take advantage of lifelines to help them answer questions that stump them. 

One of those lifelines lets you call someone.

Who would you reach out to for answers to your toughest questions? Would you seek the sage advice of your father? The abundant knowledge of a scholar? Or the trusted help of a close friend or confidant?

When you reach out in prayer you get to take advantage of all three. Prayer is your lifeline to the living God, a heavenly father who knows all, a true friend who cares about your welfare, and one who is wise beyond measure and knows all and sees all.

There is so much readily available through prayer, yet we often choose it as a last resort. A consistent and ongoing prayer life is vital to maintaining and growing your faith.

Read: 6 Ways to a Better Prayer Life

That post is the most-read post for most months even though it was originally posted over a year ago. I think that is because God's children want to make prayer harder than it is.

There is no wrong place, time, or way to pray. 

You just have to do it. 

I believe that Christians who pray the most experience the most growth in their faith and willingness to trust God in all circumstances.

Prayer is the cornerstone for success in every part of our lives.

Final Thoughts About Stronger Faith

We are living in a period when it is not only frowned upon to live by faith and trust in God but also openly ridiculed. The temptations and feedback provided on social media platforms can place doubt in our minds and shrink our faith.

None of this is a surprise to God. 

Faith has always faced obstacles and God's people of faith who overcame those challenges have always been rewarded. That's why one of my favorite chapters in the Bible is Hebrews 11 and its reminders of people of faith. That's why I dedicated a separate page to that chapter. Jump to it here.

You will encounter situations and circumstances where you can't imagine a way out. That's where faith requires you to act. Keep moving forward. This is not the end of your story or God's faithfulness.

My faith journey continues to be a work in progress. I am often baffled and later amused by the things that cause me worry before I get my head on straight and chase away the fear with my faith.

We always have the ability to choose between fear and faith.

FEAR is self-dependent.

FAITH is God-dependent.

Since you cannot be encompassed by faith and fear at the same time, you get to decide who has the better success rate; you or God?

I choose to rely on God's power.

You can choose to live by faith. Be God-dependent.

Now go live your best life,

Dan