Luke 17:5-6
“The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
Mark 9:24
“Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”’
Through the course of his ministry, Jesus communicated many times the importance of faith. As Christ followers, we walk in faith the moment we proclaim Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Romans 12:3 tells us we have each been given a measure of faith. So if we have a measure of faith, we also have a measure of unbelief. Luke 17:5-6 and Mark 9:24 show us we can ask for our measure to be increased. While faith for our salvation and for the forgiveness of sin is essential, our faith is one of the ways God operates through us. It is a spiritual gift given to us by God. Fortunately, we only need faith the size of a mustard seed for God to move mightily in us and through us.
If we look at faith as a gift, we know according to 1 Corinthians 12:7 that our gifts are not for our own benefit, but for the common good. As we fast and contend for God to heal those we love and intervene in our circumstances with the miraculous, it is important that we remember we are doing this together as a church family. We are not a bunch of islands simultaneously waving our white flags, signally for God to help us. Rather, we are one body filled with different gifts and measures of faith, coming together in agreement for all to be healed, delivered, and set free. The beauty of this is we can link arms in faith for one another. I join my faith with yours and we join our faith with those around us. In doing so, we build up all of our faith so when one of us waivers, the rest of us are there holding them up. We can remind them the God we serve is in the business of doing the impossible.
As we operate in our faith, let’s also keep in mind, faith has some friends it partners really well with. Those friends are hope and love. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” And 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” As we exercise our faith muscle and link arms with one another, let’s remember to pair our faith with hope and love. Love is the greatest motivator and the best filter.
Just as faith has friends, it also has some foes: fear and unbelief. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith, it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Matthew 13:58 shares that Jesus, “did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.” And Mark 4:40 states, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” Fear and unbelief hinder us from experiencing all the benefits of faith. As you personally pursue the gift of faith, let us extend grace to those around us who may be in different places in their pursuit. Rather, let us lend faith to those in need and allow others to extend their faith to us when we are lacking.
So, how do we build our faith both personally and corporately? We fix our eyes on Jesus. Instead of focusing on our impossible circumstances, our infirmity, or our lack, we “look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2) and we ask him to strengthen us. We strengthen our faith by:
- Reading the Word and focusing of God’s promises
- Spending time worshiping God and being in his presence
- Remembering God’s faithfulness through sharing testimonies of his past victories.
God is always faithful. Lean into his faithfulness to grow your faith and allow your faith to minister to the body of Christ. Let us link arms in faith, to believe for God to save, heal, deliver, and set many free in the days and weeks to come.
Listening Prayer:
Ask the Holy Spirit:
- What areas do I struggle with unbelief?
- What caused that unbelief?
- Will you show me the truth about what caused the unbelief?
Then:
- Repent of your unbelief and break agreement with it.
- Renounce unbelief and tell unbelief you no longer want it in your life.
- Command unbelief to go.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to cleanse and purify the places that were occupied by unbelief.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to replace unbelief with faith.
- Ask for an increase of faith.
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, thank you for the gift of faith. Thank you that we only need a little to walk powerfully with you. I surrender to you the areas where I struggle with unbelief. Help me. I ask that you grow my faith and give me a supernatural ability to trust in you. Help me to lean on the faith of my fellow believers when I am struggling. As you fortify me, help me to have faith on behalf of others when they need help. You are more than able to help me through anything I encounter. Lord, be the lifter of my head so my gaze remains firmly fixed on you, the solution to all my needs. You are trustworthy, Lord. I know I can count on you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Resource: Bible verses on Faith
Romans 10:17
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
Matthew 21:21-22
“And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
James 1:2-4
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Philippians 1:27-28
“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.”