Growing Stronger and Deeper in Faith
Growing in Grace Daily
When we live by faith we are being set apart to God, which. is the meaning of “sanctification.” The Bible teaches that “positional sanctification” is a past action on Calvary.
Progressive sanctification is being carried out daily, and future sanctification will take place when we arrive in the presence of God. Daily sanctification requires an exercise of faith, “for we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).
As we live by faith, God is able to use us and cause us to grow in grace. Sometimes daily growth seems minute or even nonexistent to a casual observer.
We may sometimes become frustrated with the apparent lack of progress, not able to see the forest for the trees. It is good from time to time to look back and see how God has been working in our lives.
As a bricklayer places one brick upon the other, building a large tower, he may feel his progress is insignificant. Yet, the tower will be built one brick at a time. It is the same in our Christian lives.
God makes the big changes through a series of little ones. We must learn to trust God for the little things so we can enjoy great growth. We must trust God daily so we can enjoy yearly gain. Like any other growing experience, living by faith is taking one step at a time.
7 Ways To Grow in Faith
The Word of God
As we make the Word of God a part of our lives by reading, studying, and memorizing, we begin to grow in faith (1 Pet. 2:2). Every Christian needs to hear the Word of God taught and pre- ached regularly (Ps. 1:1-3).
Following biblical principles
A growing faith is an obedient faith. Usually, the exercise of faith will be rational, in keeping with what God wants done. We must put complete trust in the principles of the Bible and not trust our feelings. Faith is not a blind leap into the dark. Faith is following the light of God’s Word.
Seeking the Lord
The doctrine of “seeking” the Lord is not usually emphasized, but it is biblical to search for God. “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek” (Ps. 27:8). Our faith will grow as we seek God.
First, we will begin to recognize the issues that keep us from God. Then, as we search for a better relation with the Savior, we will come to know God experientially.
Confessing our sins
No Christian will live a sinless life, but God is constantly cleansing us through the blood of his Son. “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (i John 1:17).
When we as Christians do sin, God will forgive and cleanse us if we confess our sins to him (i John 1:9). Every time we recognize sin in our lives and rid ourselves of its hindrance, we grow in faith.
Surrendering
The Christian must constantly surrender to the lordship of Christ. We do this once when we are saved, but there are also subsequent times to surrender to Christ. As we yield our lives to the Lord, we are growing in grace (Gal. 3:3; Col. 2:6). Paul challenged the Romans to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1).
Constant Communion
If we want a growing faith we must have a constant communion with Jesus Christ. As we spend time in prayer, Bible study, and fellowship with Christ, we will develop our faith more fully.
Jesus recognized that we would become like those we spend time with (Matt. 10:25). As we spend time with the Lord, we will become more Christlike in our faith.
Testing of Difficult Experiences
Once we are saved, our faith is nurtured as we grow from victory to victory. Paul describes this “from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:17).
God wants us to have faith in himself because that pleases and glorifies him. But living faith is not something we receive as one takes a vitamin pill. With the opportunity of taking a step of faith there is the risk of success or failure.
When we successfully trust God we should learn through the experience and grow thereby. Faith must come from man’s heart, which is governed by his free will.
Therefore, to develop a person’s faith, God will sometimes maneuver a man into a corner so that the creature is forced to look to his Creator in faith. Through such experiences, man has an opportunity to grow in his faith.
