How to Grow Your Faith

Growing a deeply-rooted faith takes time and work, but it’s not all about what we do, but also about what we don’t do. In this video, I’m sharing 3 things, other than sin, that you must give up if you seriously want to grow your faith. 

Have you ever heard someone use the term “Grandma faith”? This refers to the larger-than-life faith that we have seen in our grandmothers, who seem to have this deeply rooted, unmovable, unshakable faith that when compared to ours, our Grandmother's faith just seems gigantic. I had a grandmother like that, and we can almost start to feel like that level of faith is only reserved for certain types of Christians, but not for us. In today's video, I want to share with you that yes, although the Bible does reveal that there are levels of faith, growing to a greater or Grandma level of faith is possible for anyone. However, it's not only about what you do as you walk out your relationship with God; it's also about what you intentionally choose not to do. As we look at four powerful statements from Jesus about faith, we'll see that the Bible clearly outlines for us three things that stifle, oppress, and diminish any faith that we do have.

In this video, you will learn:

•  How the Bible describes the levels of faith that we each have.
•  The responsibility we all have when it comes to the level of faith that has been entrusted to us.
• The three things we must stop doing if we want to supercharge and grow our faith in God.

But first, I want to share a common misconception many believers have about faith and that is the belief that either you have faith or you don’t have it at all. It’s black or white, yes or no. If we take a closer look at the scriptures, however, we’ll see that when it comes to faith, there are levels. 

Throughout the New Testament, we’ll hear Jesus describe people's faith as great or small. We’re told in Matthew 17:20 that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. Romans 12:3 explains that we should properly view ourselves by the measure of faith that has been given to us. Maybe you've even experienced this in your own life, where you’ve seen your faith grow over the years and over the course of your relationship with God. Where maybe 10 years ago, you really struggled to trust God in a certain area of your life, but now you have such peace in that same area because your faith has grown. 

Personally, I've seen the Lord grow my faith over the years when it comes to giving. When I was younger, I struggled with the idea of tithing because I felt like we didn't have that much, but as I continued to take steps of faith, even small ones, and saw God move in that area when I trusted Him, it grew my faith and now when God tells me to give something, I just go ahead and give it because my faith has dramatically grown in that area.

The Bible even tells us that when it comes to our faith, our responsibility is to ensure that we're adding to our faith and that we're growing our faith. (2 Peter 1:5-8) When Jesus describes that faith the size of a mustard seed has the power to move mountains, it's because within the mustard seed is the potential for it to grow into a very large tree. As believers, it is our responsibility to ensure that our faith is both growing and maturing. However, we all know that growing our faith is not easy when we're constantly encouraged to rely on ourselves more than we rely on God, when we're encouraged to indulge our flesh instead of worshiping God, and when we’re tempted to sin as opposed to choosing life in Christ. It’s then that our faith shrinks. 

But did you know that there are certain mindsets that also hurt our faith’s ability to grow? As I was studying the scriptures, I realized that Jesus had a lot to say about people's faith. It was something that seemed to really always grasp His attention, either exciting Him when someone had great faith, as he would call it, or frustrating and even saddening Him to the point of tears when He saw people have little faith. It's important to God that our faith is growing because faith is what unlocks God's power in our lives.

Jesus couldn't perform many miracles in His hometown because of the lack of faith in that area. (Mark 6:4-6) We have to realize that there are things that will diminish the faith that we do have and that's what I want to talk to you about today.

WORRY

In Matthew Chapter 6, Jesus talks about the dangers of worry. I often read this entire chapter when I’m feeling anxious and have a Bible study about it here, but in this chapter, Jesus reveals that not only is worry ineffective, it’s also a serious hindrance to our faith. In verse 30, He says:

“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:30 ESV)

Jesus is making the case that it’s an immature faith that would cause us to think that God would not take care of us. If God takes care of the grass, why wouldn’t He take care of you? This makes logical sense, so why do we worry? Mainly because we can’t see God. Whenever we’re in a scenario where we believe that if we can’t see God moving or feel Him and think that means He’s not taking care of business, we’ll often find ourselves worried and anxious. If we can’t believe God to take care of it, then we put the responsibility on ourselves to do it, and so our focus then turns to what we can see and do in our own strength, which will not lead to a growing faith because faith is believing in what you can’t see. But what I love about Jesus’ encouragement in Matthew 6, is that He points to what we can see, the grass of the field, to prove what we can’t see, that God is taking care of us. 

When worry overwhelms us, we have an opportunity to grow our faith. To choose to believe what we can’t see, and if we need a little help, we can choose to see God in what He’s already done as evidence for what we believe He will do. This is why in Philippians 4 we’re called to pray instead of worry (Philippians 4:6), but not just any prayer, but a prayer of thanksgiving is required to combat worry. Thanksginvg helps us to see what God has already done, to grow our faith in what He will do. The opposite of worry is Godly expectation. Worry expects the worst to happen. Godly expectation anticipates God to move and trusts that the moves He makes are for our good and His glory. 

FEAR 

It’s not only our worry that prevents our faith from growing. In Matthew Chapter 8, Jesus and the disciples are on a boat in the middle of the sea when a great storm arises, and the waves start to sweep over the boat. The disciples woke Jesus, who was asleep at the bottom of the boat and asked Jesus to save them. Jesus’ response reveals the second threat to our faith. In verse 26, Jesus says:

“And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” (Matthew 8:26 ESV)

Fear will stifle your faith. Hundreds of times throughout the Bible, God tells us not to be afraid. Do not fear. But in almost every instance where God gives the command not to fear, it is followed with the promise of His presence. I believe Jesus challenged the disciple's fear on the boat in spite of the storm because He was with them. As we see, God is greater than our storms and we’ll not only have peace and calm in the midst of our storms, but our faith will grow as well. 

DOUBT

Now apparently, Jesus had a lot of lessons to teach the disciples on a boat in the midst of a storm because the next challenge to growing our faith is also seen in a storm as well. In Matthew Chapter 14, the disciples again are on a boat, and in the distance, they see Jesus walking towards them. At first, they are afraid and think that it's a ghost, but then Jesus reassures them that it's Him. Peter says, “if it's really you, Lord, then call me to walk out to the water.” Jesus says “Come,” and Peter gets out of the boat and starts to walk on water as well. Then the Bible tells us that Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, and when the wind around him stopped, he started to sink. Jesus immediately reaches out and takes hold of Peter to save him from sinking, and in verse 31, He says to Peter:

“Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31 ESV)

The thing about doubt is that it is very tricky and that there's some belief, but there's also mixed in some skepticism as well. It's almost like straddling a fence. Part of you believes God, but part of you also doesn't believe God. James 1:6 compares someone who doubts to a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. One moment, the wind is left, so you are left, the other moment, the wind is right, so you are headed right. The verse reads:

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:6 ESV)

This was Peter who was moved by the waves and not by his God. This is us who are moved by popular opinion, comfort, what’s trending, what may or may not get you canceled, moved by the opinions of others, and all things that change constantly, instead of being unmovable in our faith in the One True Unchanging God. 

 When you plant a seed, and it starts to grow roots, the last thing that you want to do is uproot it and plant it somewhere else, and then uproot it again and plant it somewhere else, and then uproot it again and plant it somewhere else. By doing so, the plant never gets deeply rooted into the ground so that when storms and wins and rain come, it will be unmovable. Our faith is much the same if we're constantly uprooting our faith to put it here and to put it there and to put it somewhere else; it never grows deep in the truth of God. When storms come, when waves rise and when rain falls, we will be easily shaken if we are not deeply rooted. But when we stand ten toes down firm in our trust, belief, and faith in God no matter what, when we choose to believe what God’s Word says that does not change just because culture changes, when we choose to still have Godly expectation in what God has and will do, our faith not only matures but it grows deeply rooted into the truth of God so that we too can be unmovable.

If we want to grow in our faith, we need to intentionally and actively make sure that we are not entertaining worry, fear, or doubt. I know that it's not easy to do this, but because of the true, unchanging, and faithful God that we serve, it is possible. We all feel afraid, worried, and doubtful at times, but many times, it’s important to both honor our feelings, while not being led by them, so I invite you to watch this video to learn practical biblical steps to live by faith over feelings. 

For more encouragement, download my free Bible Study called “Worry-Free” to learn the 3 lies feeding your worry and the truth to set you free at belovedwomen.org. Thanks for watching, and until next time, be beautiful, be blessed, and beloved.