Five Ways to Strengthen Our Faith

April 24, 2018

COUNTER THE FIVE REASONS WE FALL SHORT IN OUR FAITH WITH 5 WAYS TO STRENGTHEN OUR FAITH Last week, we looked at five reasons we fall short in our faith:

Ignorance: We cannot do something until we know or understand it. If we do not have a mature understanding of God's truth, it limits our capacity to live by faith.

Difficulty: We have a natural tendency to want to avoid difficult things.

Fear of the unknown: We fear what God might ask of us if we give ourselves over completely to His will.

Fear of the known: We might not want to give up things that we know are not in God's will.

No clear strategy: We simply might not know what to do if we committed to pursuing full trust and obedience to God.

We can strengthen our faith by following a clear strategy to overcome each of these five problems.

Pursue knowledge

Knowledge isn't everything, but everything rests on knowledge. Therefore, a growing knowledge of Scripture and a growing capacity for wisdom are essential for a strong faith. That is why 2 Peter 3:18 instructs us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” and why Proverbs 2:1–10 exhorts us to give ourselves over to a pursuit of wisdom. We must build a foundational knowledge of Scripture adequate to support a lifetime of growth. To help in that process, if at all possible:

Join a Bible-teaching church
Attend a Bible study that gets you into the word
Read your Bible five minutes a day

This is not the most you should do, it's the least. Beyond this, be alert for opportunities to gain advanced knowledge in areas that will complete you as a mature Christian. (Note: If you're not already on my mailing list, sign up with the form on the right and be one of the first to hear some exciting news we are on the verge of announcing. Hint: our membership site for the Brave New Discipleship System is almost completed, where those who don't have a church, or who attend a church that isn't currently offering the BND System in their small groups, will be able to use this innovative system online! More information coming soon!)

Take the best way out

If you are concerned about the price of total commitment to Christ, you should consider the price of not being totally committed to Him! You cannot break the laws and principles of God. You can only break yourself against them when you violate them. The price of ignorance, ambivalence and laziness is far greater than the price of discipline in the face of difficulty. They may be easier up front, but are much harder down the road. Diligence is harder up front, but much easier down the road.

Trust God for the unknown

We can look at the character of God and see that He is loving, good, just, all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere-present. Then, we can look at the promises in the word of God:

My God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18
Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5 – 6
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

If we accept the character of God who loves us and is committed to our welfare, and look at the promises of God in the Scripture, then we can abandon ourselves to Him and his promises without being crippled by the fear of the unknown. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Exchange lesser treasure for greater treasure

No matter the value of what you might not want to give up to follow the Lord completely, it will pale in comparison to the value of following Him completely. What else promises you love, joy and peace? Do possessions? Accomplishments? Relationships? Nope. Not in and of themselves. But a complete commitment to Christ will enable you to truly enjoy the possessions, accomplishments and relationships He does give you. Don’t be spiritually foolish, chasing shiny things instead of things of true worth. You are no fool to give up that which cannot satisfy, in order to gain that which can.

Develop an effective strategy

Steps 1-4 above are the foundational steps for beginning a life of complete commitment to Christ. Beyond that, however, there is a missing link, something that is crucial to your ultimate goal. When you hear, learn, see something that you think is vital, you must repeat that truth until it changes you.

How many times have you heard a really good sermon, been impacted by its importance for the moment, but were not changed significantly by it in the end - in fact, you forgot what seemed so important?
How many times have you read a good book that had wonderful truth in it, but after you have read it, you barely remember what was in it?
How many times have you made a decision that you needed to change something in your life, but a year later, you are unchanged?
How much truth has been poured into your brain, but your life reflects only a fraction of it?

If we want the truth to make a difference in our lives, we must repeat the truth until it changes us.

Scripture has tipped us off to this fact, telling us that:

Meditation will engender spiritual prosperity (Psalm 12:1-3)
Meditation will give us spiritual success (Joshua 1:8)
Meditation will enable us to be blessed in what we do (James 1:25)

But frankly, for most of my Christian life, I have under-comprehended and under-appreciated the importance of this truth. These truths have been dramatically spotlighted by revolutionary breakthroughs in modern neuroscience. We now have scientific evidence that repetition...

stores information in the brain
wears deep pathways in the brain allowing us to retrieve that information effectively
links information stored in one part of the brain with information stored in another part of the brain, allowing us to connect dots, draw conclusions, see significance to information that we couldn't do before
drives the information deeply into the subconscious, where our true attitudes values and behavior originate, and changes us deeply from the inside out.

So simple exposure to the truth is not enough. If the truth is important to us, it must be repeated until it changes us. How do we do this? You can:

Memorize and meditate on Scripture passages, reviewing them regularly
Keep a journal of important truth and review it regularly
Summarize books, sermons, and seminars, and review the summaries regularly
Reduce truth to affirmations and review them regularly

Over the years, I have begun to do all four of these things, and the habit has changed me deeply. When we do this, our minds are renewed. And when our minds are renewed, Romans 12:2 tells us, our lives will be transformed! Conclusion The bottom line is that we must choose to trust God and give ourselves over to His character and truth, knowing that it may be harder up front, but easier down the road. With patience and faithfulness, we can have love, joy and peace on a level greater than we have it now, by taking these five steps to strengthen our faith.

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