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Week Five:
How to Strengthen Faith:
How do you know whether your faith is strong or weak? We realize that as believers, we’re supposed to trust God with every aspect of life, but circumstances may cause us to waver. This is not a new problem, five times in the book Matthew, Jesus pointed out examples and symptoms of what He called“ little faith.”
Anxiety:
In Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addressed people who were worried about their basic needs being met. “ Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25 (NKJV). He assured them of divine provision if God’s kingdom was their top priority.
Focus:
As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he had faith to walk on water. But when he focused on his circumstances, he began to sink. “But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them,“O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?” Matthew 17:8 (NKJV).
Forgetfulness:
Despite the feeding of thousands, the disciples authority to cast out demons, they felt inadequate and lacked divine power when faced with a particularly difficult situation. “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses” Mark11:26 (NKJV). In each case, the wrong mindset resulted in a lack of confidence in Christ. Diminished faith begins not with circumstances but with our thinking and focus. Therefore, if we want to increase our trust in God, we must fill our minds with the truth of Scripture, remember our Father’s faithfulness to us in the past, and look for His hand working in our present situation. When our minds are renewed, our faith will be also.
Essentials Truths of the Faith:
It’s reasonably easy to coast through the Christian life without thinking too deeply about the essentials fo our faith. Every child of God knows the basics of the gospel, since they are necessary for salvation. But once we are saved, we need to grow in our knowledge and understanding of the doctrines that are foundational for Christianity.
We must believe the Bible is true: Scripture is the Heavenly Father’s self-revelation about His nature, plan of salvation, and dealings with mankind. It’s the final authority on life, faith, salvation, and conduct. “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue ” 2 Peter 1:3 (NKJV). And, we can trust that it’s without error because God inspired gospel writers and protected its transmission throughout history. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness ” 2 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV).
The Lord is the Creator of all Things:
As His creatures, we exist for Him and through Him, and He has authority adn power over us. “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live ” 1 Corinthians 8:6 (NKJV). God is not simply a greater version of us; He is in totally different category because He is self-existent adn the source of life. We, on the other hand, are dependent upon Him for our next breath. These two essentials keep us grounded in the truthness of faith. If we doubt any of them, we will find ourselves deceived and trapped by other doctrines of the world. “That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” Ephesians 4:14 (NKJV).
A Faith-Filled Outlook:
If anyone had reason to be discouraged, Joseph did. He not only endured his mother’s death and his brothers’ hatred but also faced slavery and imprisonment because of false allegations. Yet he was not an angry person. Joseph kept his faith-filled outlook because he consistently relied upon God. When two royal servants were jailed, he acted with compassion and gave them aid. And notice how Joseph didn’t shrink back from speaking boldly about God to these men and to Pharaoh. When the Egyptian leader sought an answer, Joseph told him it would come from the Lord. “So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace ” Genesis 41:16 (NKJV). Joseph’s story reminds us that in hard places, we too can experience our Father’s presence and thrive. You might be “held captive”, by unemployment, ill health, or a difficult relationship, but you can be hopeful because it is God who works in us. And His Holy Spirit will produce godly fruit in us when we depend upon Him. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV). Joseph encountered much hardship in his life, but he saw that ultimately God always used it for good. “ Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” Genesis 50:19-20 (NKJV). Thanks to the Holy Spirit, we can have a faith-filled perspective that enables us to glorify the Lord even in times of adversity. Being bold is having courage and speaking out against what’s wrong no matter what others think or say. It’s doing God’s will and continuing on the path that He put you on regardless of the hardship you face. When you’re bold you know God is always on your side so there’s never a reason to fear. Follow the bold examples of Jesus, Paul, David, Joseph, and more. Boldness comes from our confidence in Christ. The Holy Spirit helps us continue in God’s plans with boldness.