Grow Your Faith (by Thanking God for It)

[Build] yourselves up in your most holy faith… Jude 20

There will be times when you seem to be making little progress, and you wonder, “What’s wrong with me? Am I a Christian at all?” Jude says, “You need to build up your faith.” How do you do that?

Satan loves to point out how puny, pathetic, and embarrassingly small your faith is. You should counter by recognizing the faith you have—however small—is a miracle, a gift from God, and by giving thanks for it.

When you begin to thank God for what he’s done and for what he’s doing, you’ll find that the cloud lifts and your faith begins to grow. If you cannot see anything God is doing—in your life or in other believers—the problem is not with God, the problem is with your eyesight: “My Father is always at his work” (John 5:17, NIV84).

Faith is like a bulb that is planted in the ground and then gets a pile of dirt dumped on it. You’d think that would be the end of its life, but the miracle is that it survives and grows. Think of everything arrayed against your faith. How did your faith survive all the unanswered questions, all the bitter disappointments, and all the exhausting struggles of your life?

The amazing thing about your faith is not that it is weak, but that it exists at all. There is only one explanation: The faith that you have, however weak, is the work of Almighty God. Thank God for that miracle. Recognize what God has done, and your faith will begin to grow.

What is God doing in your life? If you can’t see anything right now, try to identify a few unanswered questions, disappointments, or struggles your faith has survived.