Building Your Faith

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"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God".   (Rom. 10:17, NKJV)
   Jesus told us that we only need faith the size of a mustard seed in order to cast the mountain into the sea. (see. Matt. 17:20) That's impressive, but was Jesus telling us that the size of our faith does not matter? I do not think so. Jesus was speaking of the power of faith in Himself. Even a small amount of faith in Jesus can do mighty things. But, what if we had a large faith? What might God be able to do? Well, faith is like a muscle, in a sense. The more we exercise our faith in Jesus, the greater our faith becomes. However, there is a danger. We can actually get to the place in our spiritual lives where we  trust in "faith", rather than trusting in Jesus, who is the the object of our faith. Faith in Jesus is always grounded in the Word of God. So, then, the real question becomes, "How can I strengthen my faith in Jesus?" 

   Paul's subject in the verse above is in relation to saving faith. An individual can be saved once they come face-to-face with the Word of God. This is the primary reason we have preaching in churches today. We preach because people need to hear what the Bible says. This is how faith is introduced into their lives. And, once faith is present, they then can call upon Jesus, and be saved. However, this is not the end. Too many times I have seen (as a pastor) Christians come into church and get saved, then end up falling away from God. There are many possible reasons for this, including not getting saved in the first place. However, from my point of view, the neglect of the Word of God has been common in every situation. For a variety of reasons, they no longer spend any time reading the "living words" found within this book. The simple truth is that our faith begins once we hear the Word of God, and it is further strengthened as we continue to hear the Word of God. This is why it is so important for all believers to spend time daily in the Bible. Personally speaking, the more time I spend reading the Word of God, the more my own spiritual life is strengthened, not to mention hope, peace, joy, and many other of the spiritual benefits of serving Jesus. 

   I realize that there are other factors that affect our faith, such as private prayer and the presence of the Holy Spirit. My point is this: We all need more time in the Word of God. I am all for reading devotionals and books about the Bible, but if you want greater faith, then spend greater time reading the book given to both begin and sustain your faith. Make the Bible priority in your life, and you will see your faith change rather quickly.

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