Faith is an interesting concept. It’s not something that remains static throughout your life. Instead, it moves and grows with you as time goes forwards.
What’s more, it’s something that has a scale associated with it. It’s not binary. Some people have more faith than others. And Jesus had the most faith of anyone who ever lived – the only person who led a sinless life.
Knowing how to grow and nurture faith, therefore, is something that can benefit us all. You may think achieving it is tremendously challenging.
What does it mean to grow in faith? How do you do it? Is it simply a decision we make?
Growing in faith requires being filled with the fruits of the Spirit. How do we exercise these fruits of the Spirit in our lives?
First, ask the Holy Spirit to fill you. He will! Ask Him to then fill you with His wisdom and guide you in understanding.
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke 11:11-13 The Message
Here’s the deal. We cannot do any of this in our own strength for striving is not what God seeks from us. He simply loves us and wants us to love Him. When we lean into learning His word through reading the Bible, we learn His will and His ways. As our relationship with the Lord grows, so too does our faith.
Practice Gentleness
Being gentle is one of the fruits of the Spirit. It’s an indication of a person who avoids using harsh, abrasive language. It’s somebody who chooses words that fit the occasion. It’s the individual who is righteously angry but also recognizes the sin within.
Gentleness doesn’t rule out constructive criticism. But it has to come from a place of love. It’s not about belittling other people or trying to make them feel bad about themselves for our own amusement.
I read a sign years ago that said, “You must be little to belittle others.” What a powerful truth.
Speak LIFE! Jesus tells us He came to give us life, abundant life.
Practice Self-Control
Self-control is the art of resisting temptations and desires of our flesh, but it can be challenging to maintain. Everything in our spirit and biology works against us. I think that is why it is listed as the last fruit of the Spirit…it is hard, yet it is a choice we make.
Everyone gets tempted from time to time in their lives. The desire to do wrong is small sometimes. But other times it can be overwhelming because we want something so much.
Lack of self-control comes from all quarters: food, sex, money, and relationships. Some people can fly off the rails. Yet God reminds everyone that they have the Spirit living in them and that they can become more godly in their nature with prayer and faith.
When I am tempted, I turn my eyes to Jesus, for He too was tempted yet resisted. I read what the Bible says about temptation to renew my mind and learn how God has designed us to conquer the temptations of the enemy of our souls.
Achieve Goodness
When it comes to being good, we can’t rely on worldly values. We must look to God for answers. Don’t limit God. Instead, see where His hand is guiding you in your life. Sometimes, you’ll feel that God is asking too much of you and that you can’t bear it. But that is the price of fulfilling God’s plan and living in a state of His glory.
Being good means showing love to everyone, including your enemies, just as Jesus did.
It also means looking at the reasons you’re being good. Selfless acts of kindness and giving are, in God’s view, the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Show Patience
Do you have patience? Are you able to wait for the things that you want in life? Or do you expect them to be delivered to you on a plate?
The modern world doesn’t teach the virtue of patience. You can access whatever service you like, whenever you want.
Yet the Bible says that patience is necessary for anyone looking to grow their faith. There are all sorts of examples in Scripture of God teaching His people the lesson of patience. The Jews had to spend forty years wandering in the desert before they understood the true meaning of the concept. Noah built the Ark – before rain was ever seen on the earth – and it took him over 100 years to complete it!
The relationship we establish with God grows our faith as we learn more about Him over time.
Lean in.
Listen.
Learn.
Bear fruit…
Just like a tree. It takes many years for the acorn to grow into a mighty oak or an apple seed to grow into a mature, fruit bearing tree.