How to Strengthen Your Faith
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" Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. 5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:1-6 NIV)
Review
Two weeks ago, we began this series of messages by looking at five characteristics of "A Faith That Pleases God."
· Faith that is grounded in God's Word
· Faith that is focused on God's will.
· Faith that believes God can and that God will…!
· Faith that moves us to action
· Faith that perseveres.
Last Sunday, we began thinking together about, "How to Strengthen Our Faith."
We learned that…
· The first step is to feed your spirit by spending time in God's Word.
· Second, to pursue God's presence through prayer and worship.
Then, we began talking about third step. This is where we want to take up our discussion this morning.
1. Benefit from the faith stories of others by spending time with God's people.
The power of personal testimony to stimulate faith in others…!
"24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV)
" 1 By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. 2 And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. 3 There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, 4 and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. 5 In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! " (Romans 5:1-5 The Message)
"1 A maskil of Asaph. O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old— 3 what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. 5 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in
"6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." (Deuteronomy 6:6-9 NIV)
How to share your faith story (testimony):
· Make it personal. (Your faith story has power…!)
· Make it real (Don't pull punches or try to gloss over the reality of your circumstances, your emotions, your "highs" and your "lows." Tell it LIKE IT IS, not as you WISH it were…!) Telling the TRUTH brings Holy Spirit anointing for He is the Spirit of Truth…!
· Make it open-ended, like the Book of Acts. Show that God is still at work in your life.
2. Experience God's power in action by spending time doing God's work.
Faith is like a muscle that grows stronger through exercise.
" Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 2 It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." 5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" 6 He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you." (Luke 17:1-6 NIV)
In a certain sense, the real issue is not the quantity or even the quality of our faith, but the activity of our faith – what we do with our faith…!
Faith comes by hearing faith and brings blessing (produces fruit) by doing…!
" 46 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." " (Luke 6:46-49 NIV)
Calling (an action based upon belief) upon the name of the Lord brings salvation…!
"8 But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."" (Romans 10:8-13 NIV)
Steps to moving into the supernatural through God's work:
· Pray in the Holy Spirit.
Value of praying in tongues as a doorway into a supernatural life.
" Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. 2 For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit. 3 But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. 4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified….12 So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church. 13 For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. 16 If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say "Amen" to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? 17 You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue." (1 Corinthians 14:1-5, 12-19 NIV)
Learning to pray in the Holy Spirit in tongues strengthens you.
Jude – building yourself up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.
"20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit." (Jude 20 NIV)
Learning to pray in the Holy Spirit in your mother tongue for others is an important step toward moving into the prophetic…!
· Ask God to give you strengthening, encouraging, and comforting words to speak to others.
"3 But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort." (1 Corinthians 14:3 NIV)
· Attempt to meet needs that are beyond your abilities and resources.
"Attempt great things for God; Expect great things from God…!" (William Carey)
The "gifts of the Spirit" are when God's Spirit reaches out to meet a human need through a yielded human being.
The Holy Spirit is "the Helper." He helps us "be" things we need to be that we cannot be without His help (fruit of the Spirit); "know" things we need to know that we cannot know without His help (word of knowledge, word of wisdom, discerning of spirits), "say" things we need to say that we cannot say without His help (tongues, interpretation, prophecy); and "do" things we need to do that we cannot do without His help (faith, miracles, healings).
"4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines." (1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NIV)
Notes:
By faith from first to last is a fair paraphrase of the Greek ek pisteĊs eis pistin, 'by faith unto faith'. The phrase emphasizes that God's righteousness is experienced by faith and nothing but faith. The quotation from Hab. 2:4 reinforces the connection between 'righteousness' and 'faith'. Indeed, it may be that Paul wants to connect these terms even more closely than is suggested by the niv rendering, for we could also translate the phrase as, 'the one who is righteous by faith will live' (see the av and rsv). 'Will live' refers, in the context of Romans, to eternal, spiritual life.
Note. 17 In Hab. 2:4 God is reminding the prophet that the person who is part of God's covenant people ('righteous') will experience God's blessing and understand his ways only through faithfulness to God and his covenant. In Paul's use of the verse (cf. also Gal. 3:11), each of the key terms—'righteous', 'live', 'faith'—is given a deeper significance in light of the coming of Christ, but the general sense of the original is maintained. Habakkuk and Paul both affirm that life before God demands the wholehearted commitment of the individual.[1]
[1]D. A. Carson, New Bible Commentary : 21st Century Edition, Rev. Ed. of: The New Bible Commentary. 3rd Ed. / Edited by D. Guthrie, J.A. Motyer. 1970., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., USA: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), Ro 1:16.
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