Every Girl: 5 Faith Builders
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When I first became a Christian, I picked up my Bible and read of people like David, who single handedly killed the most intimidating warrior of his time. I would turn away from my study of such men and women, wanting a faith like theirs. So, I would close my eyes, bow my head, and pray for God to give me a strong faith. Days, weeks, and months would pass by, and guess what? I still felt trapped inside of my own timid, halfhearted, wavering faith.
If you find yourself at times asking the same prayer, and following the same endless cycle that I did for so long, then please, listen closely.
Jonah had to sit inside a dark whale for 3 days to grow his faith. Daniel had to lie in a pit of lions overnight to grow his faith. Job had to lose all of his wealth, family, and health to grow his faith. Paul had to completely switch his life long religion to grow his faith.
God does not freely give a faith transformation to us. Faith transformation follows the changing of life long patterns and habits, acts of obedience, and the enduring of challenging experiences.
For just a moment, I’d like to discuss five faith builders that God reveals to us in His Word.
The first faith builder is that of personal Bible study. We are told in John 1:14 that “the Word became human and made His home among us” (NLT). If we want a stronger faith in God, we must develop a stronger faith in the life of Jesus Christ. If we want a stronger faith in the life of Christ, we must develop a stronger faith in the Word, our record of God and the life of Christ.
The second faith builder is that of prayer. While in the garden prior to the crucifixion, Jesus gives the following instruction to His disciples, “Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!”(NLT).Prayer has the power to help us fight the very things that weaken our faith.
The third faith builder is that of service. Serving others was the very purpose of Jesus’ coming to this earth, according to Matthew 20:28. Serving others connects us to the very heart of Jesus. We see his mercy, kindness, and love in acts of service. This connection with Christ inevitably grows one’s faith.
The fourth faith builder is that of friendship. As God advises us on friendship, He warns that “there are friends who destroy each other” (Proverbs 18:24). In the same manner, He also tells us that good friends “can help each other succeed” (Ecclesiastes 4:9). The friends we choose can either make or break our faith.
The fifth, and possibly greatest, faith builder is that of tribulation. Nearly, if not all, occasions of faith transformation in the Bible occur during or following a troubling experience. The Word teaches us in James 1:2-4, “when troubles come your way, consider it an pportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing”.
If we actively pursue these five faith builders, our prayer will hopefully change from “God give me a stronger faith”, to “God, please have patience as I build my faith according to your instruction”.
By Jennifer Savage
Every Girl is a column devoted to our Teen and Tween age sisters in Christ. We named this column Every Girl because we believe that every girl is a wonderfully made creation and we want to encourage her to reach her full potentional. Jenn Savage is a student nurse at FHU.
Originally printed in the Winter 2012 issue V5N1