How To Have More Faith

Contributor:
Terry Whitson

It’s not unusual to hear believers say, “I need more faith” or “I wish my faith were stronger.”  I have some Good News to share. You can have more faith, stronger faith, and even great faith – the choice is up to you.

Do Not Pray for More Faith
First of all, do not pray for more faith; faith does not come by praying. Your faith will certainly be stimulated and strengthened by praying, but praying for more faith is not necessary, and it is really a waste of time. That may be a shock to you, but only once did the disciples say to Jesus, “Increase our faith.” That one occasion came in John 17:5, and the way Jesus increased their faith was by teaching them His Word. At no time did Jesus or the apostles ever pray for more faith. Why is that? Because faith comes by hearing.

Faith Comes By Hearing
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).  We can’t pray for more faith. It must come from hearing the Word of God. This is exactly what Jesus did in response to the disciple’s request when they asked “Increase our faith.” He taught them His Word, so if you want your faith to increase, you need to hear and read more of God’s Word.

Faith will be in direct proportion to the amount of the Word you expose yourself to. More Word = More faith. If all you hear and feed on in a week is a Sunday morning message, then you will never have strong faith. Many believers feed on hours and hours of TV and wonder why they have weak faith. Unless you’re hearing the teaching and preaching of God’s Word on TV, watching a lot of secular TV will dilute and weaken your faith. For that reason, I caution you to be careful as to what you expose your ears and eyes to. Worldly influences can and will deaden your desire for His Word, His Love, and His Kingdom. Therefore, we are to avoid the very appearance of evil, and much of what TV offers is evil! (IThess. 5:22)

Where Faith Begins
Your faith begins and grows where the will of God is known. An example is when you heard that Jesus loved you, died for you, and became the Savior of the World. You responded and accepted Him into your life. Faith came to you through the message of salvation because the will of God was made known to you through His Word. Thus, FAITH BEGINS WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S WORD. Since faith begins with the knowledge of God’s Word, just how important is God’s Word in your life? It is absolutely essential! You must understand that the Word of God is the will and heart of God. Therefore, the will of God is for you to know His Word.

Each One is Given a Measure of Faith
As a born-again believer you have faith. As a matter of fact, we each begin with the same measure of faith. “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has given to each a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). What we do with that measure is up to us. Some are satisfied with that measure and they do nothing more with their faith; they are only concerned with getting to heaven. Jesus has called us to use our faith to pray heaven down upon the earth, to speak to mountains, to cast out devils, to love those lost in sin. You have faith and as you exercise it, it will change the world for the glory of God!

How to have Strong Faith
Faith begins as you hear the Word of God and is built by doing the Word of God. If you want to have strong faith, here are important keys: Hear the Word of God; feed on the Word of God; meditate on the Word of God; pray the Word of God; and obey His Word. If you will make this your daily practice, you will develop great faith. Practicing these keys will cause Jesus and His Word to become more and more real to you, and His Word will explode in your life. These keys may be sound simple, but practicing them will require self-denial and discipline. Are you willing to pay the price?

Where to Begin
Don’t get overwhelmed by thinking that the Bible is too difficult for you to understand. We all start with small steps. Look at it as a wonderful adventure of discovery. Begin your study by finding a subject that interest you — “forgiveness,” as an example. What does the Bible say about forgiveness? Listen to teaching on forgiveness and your faith will start increasing. Take time to study what God says about forgiveness. Then meditate on that truth and practice forgiveness as the Bible teaches. You will develop a strong faith in that area. Then apply this method to any other area of your life. When you do, you will please your heavenly Father, and you will see faith working and growing in you.