Saturday, November 16, 2019

PRACTICAL ACTIONS TO INCREASE YOUR FAITH


God’s goals for us are always greater than ours. If God were to give us what we want every time we wanted it, it would be similar to a lazy parent giving in to their child’s constant demands of “gimee, gimee” because they don’t want to be bothered with the difficult task of teaching what’s correct and better. This is not responsible parenting. God always parents us out of His great love for us. He ALWAYS does what’s best for us because He's ALWAYS our most faithful and responsible parent. 

Delayed gratification is difficult for many of us.  We want things to happen immediately, but the Word teaches us to wait upon the Lord for His perfect timing. When we insist that our way is better, and our timing is more perfect than God’s, we’re simply delaying the very thing we’re seeking. Only by growing in spiritual maturity can we later see our selfish desires were the product of our immature heart.

If we build up our faith to know God’s true nature—that He takes care of those who are faithful to love and serve Him, we’ll not be inclined towards unbelief when we don’t see what we asked for immediately. Remaining in faith builds up our endurance. A steady faith in a good God who provides for His children keeps us in perfect peace.

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3).

God is trustworthy and He doesn’t lie. So everything He says to us in His Word can be trusted to be true. Steadfast faith is empowering faith, and it enables us to be confident about our future.

If you’ve been a Christian for many years, but still operate out of worry and fear, it may be that you’ve not “built up” your faith by remaining in and having confidence in God’s Word.

Practical actions to increase your faith


1.      Study consistently. Don’t quickly read through the Word of God. Study goes beyond reading a few minutes of devotional material. Christians are to meditate on God’s Word. Only then will it begin to strengthen you and make you steady.

2.      Surround yourself with the people of God and spend less time with worldly people. Much of what comes out of unbelievers’ mouths will influence you negatively and decrease your faith, not increase it. Solomon advised that we must be careful of our associations. We’re to avoid fools at all cost, lest they influence us negatively. Non-believers operate out of foolish motives for they don’t possess the wisdom of God.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish” (Psalm 1:1-6, ESV).

3.      Immerse yourself in prayer to God. Ask Him for the things that you know line up with His will. Reading the Word gets you familiar with what He wants for you. This is the will of God for your life. Asking rightly will bring you the right things.

“I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).

Taken from my book "DON'T BE A WORRY WART" by Lilliet Garrison on Amazon. Here's the link to my books:  http://www.amazon.com/Lilliet-Garrison/e/B004H28MCU