How To Acquire More Faith

As Christians, there may be a time we wonder to ourselves “how do I acquire more faith, I truly want to believe God for…” We can fill in the blank as to what it is we need- be it health, clarity, provision, a job, relationship etc. But the way we obtain it is still the same.

The book of Hebrews states:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”(Heb 11:1 KJV)

The Lord tells us in this verse that faith can bring us our desires. It is also describing faith as a substance – something tangible. So what is it? Let us break down this verse in the Greek.

faith
πίστις (pistis)
Strong’s Concordance: Faith, belief, trust

is
Ἔστιν (Estin)
Strong’s Concordance: I am, exist.

[the] assurance
ὑπόστασις (hypostasis)
Strong’s Concordance: to stand under

of what [we] hope for
ἐλπιζομένων (elpizomenōn)
Strong’s Concordance: To expect or confide.

[and the] certainty
ἔλεγχος (elenchos)
Strong’s Concordance: A proof a persuasion

of what
πραγμάτων (pragmatōn)
Strong’s Concordance: A thing done, a deed

we do not see.
βλεπομένων (blepomenōn)
Strong’s Concordance: (primarily physical), I look, see, perceive, discern.

If we change the verse and use other renderings of the Greek words we could say “faith exists under the confidence of being persuaded a deed was done.”

The deed that was done is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. An act all Scripture pointed to from Genesis to it’s fruition. God cannot lie- it had to be done. And this sets the reality that all of God’s Word can be counted on.

The foundation of Christianity is faith in God’s Word. And faith then becomes the avenue by which we receive all of the promised blessings outlined in the Bible.

“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”(Rom 10:17)

Acquire Faith By Reading, Meditating and Consuming The Word

Faith enters us like food- by devouring it. I’m sure you have heard the saying that someone is a voracious reader. This is how we must be when it comes to the Word of God. We must voraciously consume it daily so that it can change our thinking.

Food contains nutrients we can’t see, yet these nutrients change our cells. So it is with the Word of God- we take it into our minds yet we cannot see the changes happening in our Spirit. Every verse of Scripture read, memorized and meditated on, builds our faith until the words we read become fact to us.

The Word, aka Bible, is God! Here is the proof:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”(John 1:1)

Reading Scripture allows God Himself to live within us.

In the past we may have held onto words our parent said to us and those words changed us – for good or for bad. Similarly our heavenly Father’s Word changes us, strengthening our belief in all He promises us, like Abraham.

18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations….20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.(Romans 4:18, 20, 21)

Abraham was in the presence of the Spirit of the Lord and thus believed. We too have free will to come into contact with the Spirit of the Lord through His words.

Acquire More Faith By Reading The New Testament

The Last Will and Testament of Jesus Christ- aka the New Testament- delineates what believers receive. The Apostle Paul states:

” I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” (Eph 1:18-23)

The more time we spend in the Word the more we are enlightened to this Truth. All things are possible to those who believe.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”(Matt 19:26)

Jesus also told all believers: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” (John 14:2)

In MacLaren’s Commentary he explains it like this:

What is it then, that He commends to our acceptance? … because of, and after Christ’s departure from earth, He will, in response to prayer, work upon faithful souls in such a fashion as that they will do what He did, and in some sense will do even more.

WOW! Please read that again.

Our prayers become powerful change agents to our life circumstances when we have enough of the Word of God=faith, within us. I not only believe this I have experienced this on several occasions. The most notable time in my life when the Word of God changed my life, was in the spontaneous healing of my broken foot. I immediately prayed God’s Word back to Him and my foot was changed before my very eyes. This supernatural act set my faith and relationship with God on a new and higher trajectory and He desires to work miracles in all of our lives.

Acquire Faith By Coming Close To Jesus

When we choose to read the Bible we are choosing to spend time with Jesus and this act itself increases our faith.

Faith then continues to increase as we are obedient to what we read. This is due to the fact that if we believe God’s Word enough to act on it, we will believe God’s Word enough to see prayers based on the Word- answered. The bible tells us that Angels come to carry out the promises of God.

“And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.”(Gen 28:12)

Then He declared, “Truly, truly, I tell you, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:51)

“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Is 55:11)

“My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”(Proverbs 4:20-22)

“If you have seen Me you have seen the Father.”(John 14:9)

The Word=God=Jesus=Son of Man.

Faith Increases When We Find Promises In The Word

“Then the Lord said to me, you have seen well for I am ready to perform My Word.”(Jer 1:12)

God is ready to perform whatever we see in His Word. If the promise is a conditional promise, by being obedient to the request, we are guaranteed the promise will come to fruition. For instance, If we honor our Mother and Father we will live long on the earth. (Ex 20:12)

“His divine power has given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3)

God’s divine power has already accomplished everything we need. All we have to do to attain it is gain knowledge of God and have faith in His Word. For more on faith see here

Prayer: Thank you Lord that you said My Word will not return to you void, that you will indeed accomplish it and allow it to prosper in the person you sent it. (Is 55:11) Therefore I am basing my prayers on your Word and they will prosper and my family will be blessed.

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou may prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers.”(3 John 1:2) Our soul prospers by being in the Word and this then, is where we find promises of health and prosperity*.

Food For Thought,

Lisa

*prosperity in the Greek means: welfare, well-being, happy and successful journey