We are human, mortal beings until death strips us of our Earthly bodies of flesh and we are transformed into perfect beings. As humans we strive for perfection, we try to be God but we never will be.

As Christians we know this but we don’t always act like it. We fall, we fail, we give in to temptations. How fortunate we are to have a merciful and forgiving God to lead us back to Him time and time again. We are human, we are weak but we can be strong.

Strong enough to resist temptation.

Strong enough to defend our faith.

We can be strong but only with God’s help.

When I say strong I don’t mean physical strength although God can help us with that. I mean strong as in spiritually, a strong faith. Don’t misunderstand me all faith is good no matter how small for Matthew 17:20 says nothing is impossible with a small faith, not even asking a mountain to move. If that is what a small faith can do just imagine what a stronger faith could do.

Personally I’m working to build a stronger faith not because I want to do miracles but because I want an unshakeable faith that will help chase away all the doubts. I want a stronger faith because I know it will please God and He deserves my efforts because He saved me.

‘But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”

2 Corinthians 12:9

We are human, we have weaknesses, we are flawed. But God uses these, He can make them a strength or use them to bring others to Him.

There are many things we can do to help nurture a strong faith. I’m simply going to tell you about six, some of which you will probably already know.

1. Trust God

This one might seem obvious but the truth is we don’t trust God as we should most of the time and sometimes we don’t trust Him at all letting our doubts and fears take control. This is why we need to remind ourselves of why we trust God and there are two things we can look at: His Character and His Promises.

Jen Wilkin’s book ‘In His Image’ she explores ten aspects of God’s character and how we are called to reflect on it. The ten aspects she names are:

I don’t know about you but when I look at this list I see attributes that I would like to live up to but I’m not there yet. I look at it and think if God is all of these things in their greatest form then I am unworthy of even wanting to be like Him. Just like the title of Jen Wilkin’s book we are made in His image (Genesis 1:27), God wants us to be more like Him and wants to help us do so. This is why we can trust Him.

We know we can trust God because He keeps His promises, we have proof of this. While He has made many promises I am only going to mention one. God promised to always answer our prayers (John 14:13-14). The proof? The wisest man in the bible: Solomon. God granted him wisdom with additional blessings after he asked for it (1 Kings 3:5-13). Another example is Elijah, Elijah asked God to make it stop raining and it happened, when he asked God to make it rain again it poured (James 5:17-18).

God is all-powerful. He loves and cares for us. He made us in His image and has done more for us than we can ever imagine. We have no reason not to trust Him. So whenever you are doubting and struggling to trust, reflect on God’s character and promises, remind yourself of why you have faith.

2. Live out His Word

We are called to be doers of the Word, not just readers and listeners (James 1:22). So what can we do to live it out faithfully? Well, a few things and they might seem obvious but can you honestly say you’ve been doing them regularly with intention? I know I can’t but I also know the Lord appreciates every effort and loves when we do.

Read and memorise scripture

Reading scripture is an essential in every Christian’s life, after all, how are we supposed to live faithfully by the Word if we are not spending time in it? I try to read a chapter each time I open the bible although some books make it really hard to do so (looking at you Leviticus…) but no matter how difficult the bible can be to read it is always worth it. It’s up to you to find the best method for you to read and study the bible. Personally, I’ve done less of the studying and more of the reading for a long time but only because I wanted to read the whole bible and get a general overview of it as a whole before diving deeper. As a result, each morning I read a chapter in the Old and New Testament and either one or two of the Psalms.

Memorising scripture on the other hand works a little differently. Smaller chunks and greater detail – that’s how I see it. A couple of verses of your choice and taking time to take as much as you can from it, meditating on it, perhaps reading it out loud a few times and reflecting on it a few times a day. It does work for some better than others, and some verses are definitely more memorable than others. But the important part is doing whatever you need to do to get it stuck in your brain. For some that will be having it as a picture on your lock screen so you see it every time you go on your phone, or bible journalling if that’s your kind of thing.

The Word is our weapon against the lies of the devil, it’s time to start wielding it.

Pray constantly

Now I’m not saying every second but think of it like a conversation that lasts the whole day with moments of silence. From the moment you wake up to the moment you fall asleep there are plenty of opportunities no matter how brief to come to God with whatever you are thankful for or worried about. Maybe you see someone when walking down the street that looks worried, why not pray for them in that moment? Whether you dedicate an hour to prayer or make the most of the little moments throughout the day, a regular connection to God will make your faith a little stronger.

Worship regularly

The true definition of worship is the gathering of believers to practice the beliefs we share and to celebrate God (Wagner, 2019). Yet in the modern sense it encompasses everything from music to a sermon. When I think of worship my mind goes to music, from the songs we sing in church to karaoke around the home. In my opinion, worship in any context doesn’t have to be with others but when you are it is a reminder of how good it truly is to share God with others and feel less alone.

It is important to incorporate worship into our daily routines because it helps us to focus on God and let out our feelings in a somewhat controlled environment. When we worship we our putting ourselves aside and being fully in His presence, praising Him for all He has done and will do in our lives. It doesn’t matter what we feel in the moment because when we worship it is not about us, it is all about God. The more we make life about God, the better life will be.

Fellowship

Fellowship is the gathering of Christians who share a common belief and purpose. It is a relationship that cannot be replicated with non-believers for the Spirit lives within us, Jesus is in us just as the Father is in Him (John 18:36, 1 John 1:3). This unique relationship connects all Christians, it makes us complete (John 17:23).

This unique relationship also sets us apart and can make us feel isolated, fellowship is a reminder that we are not alone. God never intended for us to be alone either, in Genesis 2:18 He saw Adam was lonely and that it wasn’t God. We were made to live in community with others.

Proverbs 2:17 states ‘as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another’. This points to the need for fellowship, it tells us fellowship refines us, it shapes us to become more faithful beings. Without fellowship we are just not as effective in fulfilling God’s purpose for us.

It is important to have fellowship in our lives because it helps us to focus on God and the plans He has for us.

James 2:8 reminds us of the greatest commandment God has given us to love one another. How well can we love others if we are not around them?

When we meet together in fellowship it doesn’t have to be with a lot of people, it can be only one other person for Matthew 18:20 says ‘where two or three gather in my name, I am there with them.’

3. Practise Patience

Nobody like waiting, we want things and we want them now. It is arguably one of the most annoying and insufferable things we endure as humans. But for Christians it is all we do. We wait for God to answer us, we wait for God’s transformative power to make us more like Jesus and most of all, we wait for Jesus to return, for the day we see Heaven.

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying before that ‘patience is a virtue’, well it is actually a combination of virtues. Patience requires self-control, humility, and generosity. Patience is waiting without complaining in discomfort.

Jesus is the perfect example of patience. He had the disciples around Him almost all of the time and He did not complain or grumble about their bad habits or flaws. He had the self-control to not react, He acted in humility by not judging them which would be His right and He was generous. Jesus remained committed to serving them despite their flaws and how annoyed He undoubtedly was at times.

I don’t know about you but if I were in His position I would’ve lost my temper more than once. Patience is tough but with God it grows. Making a habit of practicing patience is not merely because it is a good habit to have, it is because when we are more patient our faith will grow stronger. When we are patient we are telling God that we trust His timing and that everything will work out for good just as it says in Romans 8:28.

4. Fast

By not eating and drinking for a time we are reminded of how weak we are, that without sustenance we will die. It brings us closer to God because it reminds us how much we need Him. Fasting reminds us that if we do not nourish ourselves with the Word of God then we will die spiritually. Now, personally, I haven’t fasted because I like food too much and I am reminded how much I need God in other ways but I do see why some people choose to do it. I would advise you to start off slow if you decide you do want to fast and haven’t done so before, missing one meal for example. Fasting shouldn’t be a daily practice because that is not healthy but perhaps a monthly one but that is just my opinion.

5. Have a Positive Mindset

Be positive! I know it’s not easy, in fact I struggle with it every day but it is something we need to work on. We are called to have joy all the time (Philippians 4:4) and that is difficult when we are being negative. Doubts and fears flourish when we are negative causing our belief to diminish which is something we don’t want. Being positive grows our faith because when we start looking to God as our source of joy nothing else can compare and it leads us back to Him time and time again.

Spiritual reasons aside being positive is better for our health and we should be looking after the bodies God gave us. Some ways to stay positive are:

focus on good things

practice gratitude

spend time with positive people

practice positive self-talk

Try these out and see how your mindset changes.

6. Bible before Phone

How many times do you wake up and the first thing you do is check your phone for any notifications or end up scrolling for an hour before you realise? Perhaps you have good intentions meaning to go on the bible app and do your daily devotional but get distracted by messages. Can I make a recommendation? Don’t go on your phone first thing. If you have a physical bible use that when you get up. If you don’t put your phone on do not disturb or silent so that nothing can distract you, ignore those notifications and make a beeline for the bible app.

Now you have no distractions apart from yourself and any other people in your house. I find once you start reading though it is much easier to ignore everyone else and focus on the Word. There’s something about a physical book in my opinion that makes spending time with God much more intimate. While I do include a daily devotional on the bible app in my quiet time with God I save it for the end when I’ve spent some time reading scripture and completed my prayer journalling. A compromise of sorts so that even if I then get distracted at least I have put God first. Perhaps this is something you could consider?

Making time for God before anything else is a habit I’ve been forming for a while and I don’t always do it but I find that when I do my days are much more peaceful and enjoyable.

I know this is a long post but I hope it will be helpful to you in your journey with God.

Similar Posts

• Facing Challenges with Faith: Trusting God’s Guidance & Strength in Difficult Times
• Mindset + Faith = Freedom
• Why is being faithful so difficult?
• How to Walk by Faith
• Why is being faithful important?
• What does it mean to be faithful?

References

Altrogge, S. (2018) How To Have STRONG Faith In God (even in tough times). Available at: How To Have STRONG Faith In God (even in tough times) (theblazingcenter.com) [Accessed 6 April 2023]

Christian Living Tips. (2023) 13 Ways to Strengthen Your Faith in God. Available at: 13 Ways to Strengthen Your Faith in God | ChristianLivingTips [Accessed 6 April 2023]

Love in Faith. (2021) How to Build Strong Faith. Available at: How to Build Strong Faith | Love in Faith [Accessed 6 April 2023]

Pankop, J. (2017) 5 SIMPLE WAYS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR FAITH. Available at: 5 SIMPLE WAYS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR FAITH – Letting His Light Shine [Accessed 6 April 2023]

Kirchner, N. (2022) 11 Promises of God in the Bible that You Should Know and Live By. Available at: 11 Promises of God in the Bible that You Should Know and Live By (ibelieve.com) [Accessed 11 April 2023]

Wilkin, J. (2018) In His Image. Wheaton, Il: Crossway.

Wagner, P. (2019) 6 Essential Reasons Why Worship Matters. Available at: Importance of Worship: 6 Essential Reasons Why Worship Matters (churchleaders.com) [Accessed 11 April 2023]

Gilliam, B. (2004) The Importance of Fellowship in a New Testament Church. Available at: 3. The Importance of Fellowship in a New Testament Church | Bible.org [Accessed 12 April 2023

Got Questions. (2022) What is the importance of Christian fellowship? Available at: What is the importance of Christian fellowship? | GotQuestions.org [Accessed 12 April 2023]

Santos-Longhurst, A. (2019) Benefits of Thinking Positively, and How to Do It. Available at: How to Think Positive and Have an Optimistic Outlook: 8 Tips (healthline.com) [Accessed 12 April 2023]