“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1
Last year was a faith year for me – God taught me so much about faith and how to live a life of faith. One of the sermon series that absolutely changed my idea and knowledge of faith was the Crazy Faith series by Transformation Church – please watch it if you haven’t already. The past two weeks we focused on praying and believing in what we are praying for, and who we are praying to – and we can’t do any of this without faith.
Faith is such a solid foundation in our relationship with God, because it takes faith to even begin this relationship. This verse usually gets me, and the more time I spend studying it and unpacking each word – I realize that faith cannot be faked! Faith is and must be genuine, and the beauty is, like what we said last week is that sometimes all it takes is faith as small as a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20).
Hebrews 11:3 – By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
How have I strengthened my faith?
- Like I said I understood that I could never fake faith – you have to be sure about what you are hoping, and believing for, and that God can actually do it!
- Understanding that it is a daily walk – you must understand that faith is not an event it is a lifestyle, from having faith about the small things to faith about the big things.
- By studying the word of God diligently. This is so key for me – as anytime I spend time studying the word of God especially when it is a faith story, there is something I notice, and Jesus would say “your faith has….” This literally blew my mind and strengthened my faith and realized that God actually meets our faith.
- Talking to people about things that God has done for me, and things I believe Him for – remember these must be like-minded people.
- Praying and talking to God about my faith. This takes vulnerability because I tell God when my faith is strong and also when my faith is weak.
- Watching and listening to sermons and to faith stories. This really helped me last year, because I found myself even saying in some cases “if God could that for them, then He can definitely do this for me”. I am a firm believer in listening and watching things that uplift me and encourage me – and this has really strengthened my faith!
These are just a few things that have helped me strengthen my faith – and one thing is clear, it takes action and it is intentional!
Have a faith-filled week!
Thanks for reading!