Among all of the worthy aspirations for a new year, growing stronger in the faith should be one of them

3 min read

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith…

2 Peter 1:5

One of our favorite things to do here at DOTR is to encourage people in the faith. We understand that sometimes – maybe even most of the time – life and faith don’t get along too well. That said, if our faith in God is going to grow, we’ll need lots of help and support along the way.

You see, faith is like a muscle in that it can grow stronger and stronger, or it can suffer from atrophy and gradually diminish in strength. What makes the difference? You guessed it. Whether faith is growing or not depends largely on the amount of stimulation it receives.

With that in mind, here are three doable and repeatable moves that are sure to strengthen your faith:

1. Read and reflect on Hebrews 11. Whether you read it all in one sitting or a few verses at a time over several days, reading this chapter about living by faith will inspire you. It gives examples of believers from long ago who kept on believing God even when it was tempting to quit. These folks kept on believing in the face of some very difficult things. Their story is documented for our benefit, to remind us that we can overcome our challenges in the same way they did – by faith.
2. Get together with other believers. In God’s plan, something life-giving happens when Christians gather together. It says in Acts 2:1, “On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place.” It is not coincidence that the Holy Spirit came upon them when they were together. God abides with us when we are alone, but His presence is accentuated when we get together. Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Friend, whether it’s an exchange over coffee, a small Bible study, or a large worship gathering on Sunday, it helps our faith. Connecting with other believers helps us believe and keep on believing.
3. Give of yourself. There is nothing that will reinforce your faith like the practice of giving. You give any part of yourself away in Jesus’ name – your time, your energy, your compassion, your money – and watch, your faith will be infused with life as you see God give it back to you, and then some. Like Jesus said, “give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

This list of faith-building moves isn’t exhaustive, but it’ll get you on your way to a stronger, more lively faith. Are you ready? Let’s get moving!

And by the way, someone is praying for you and cheering you on today.

It’s a new day with God. Run with it.