Building Faith
(Hebrews 11:1 KJV) “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
We all have faith in something.
“Faith is at the heart of life. You go to a doctor whose name you cannot pronounce. He gives you a prescription you cannot read. You take it to a pharmacist you have never seen. He gives you a medicine you do not understand and yet you take it.” – Author John Bisagno
What you have faith in tremendously impacts your life.
Faith - believing to the point of conviction and action.
(Romans 4:3 NLT) “What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
(Romans 5:1-2 NASB) “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”
Justification - Peace facing God - Grace to stand - Hope of glory
Everything you believe is going to be tested.
(James 1:2-3 NASB) “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Building Faith
1. Ask God for faith.
(James 1:5 NASB) “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
(Luke 17:5 NIV) “The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
2. Deal with your doubt.
(James 1:6-8 NASB) “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”
(Mark 9:21-24 NLT) “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
3. Check your motivation.
(James 4:2-3 NASB) “You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
“Faith keeps the person who keeps the faith.” – Mother Theresa
4. Believe for the best.
“Faith allows the soul to go beyond what the eyes can see.” – John Maxwell
(1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT) “That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”