5 ways to develop your faith

Hebrew 11:32-40
³²And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, ³³who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. ³⁵Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. ³⁶Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. ³⁷They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated― ³⁸the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.  ³⁹These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. ⁴⁰God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.



How timely that the previous entry was on going by faith, on Sunday, our pastor preached a message on 5 ways to develop your faith. Here's what the gist of the sermon is about. We hope you'll be blessed!

Luke 17:5
Romans 1:17
Hebrews  11:6
There is nothing that pleases God except faith!

5 Ways to develop FAITH:

1) FEED your faith on the Word of God(WOG)
Faith comes by hearing the WOG.
John 15:7
Matthew 4:4
Romans 12:2
By reading the WOG, it renews your mind (don't be mistaken! NOT removes your mind by the way =P )

A question for you: What is the opposite of faith then?

Many would say the opposite of faith is doubt.

No. The opposite of  faith is not doubt; it is UNBELIEF.
Mark 16:14


2) EXERCISE your faith
James 2:17
James 2:20
James 2:26
Romans 12:3

To exercise your faith, you have to test your faith with everyday life, in everything that you do.
Faith in God, not faith in humans, not faith in yourself.


3) SHARE your faith

Think about it:
How much do you know?
How much substance do you have?

James 1


4) CELEBRATE your faith
Colossians 3:16
Romans 12:15
Hebrews 10

We ought to celebrate our faith as it encourages our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.


5) LIVE your faith!

We all have experiences and through these, we also learn from others.
We have to live by faith.
We need to trust God with every choices we make.
2 Peter 1:3-8

Reflect: Are you feeding your faith with the Word of God daily? Have you been exercising your faith in your life? How? When was the last time you shared your faith with someone else? How was it like? How can you celebrate your faith this week to encourage another person and even yourself? Will you trust God and live your life by faith? Why?

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FAITH FUEL

1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

By FAITH

Hebrews 11

By Faith

 ¹Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. ²This is what the ancients were commended for.  ³By 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. ⁴By 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.
 ⁵By 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. ⁶And 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.
 ⁷By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
 ⁸By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
 ¹¹By faith Abraham, even though he was past age―and Sarah herself was barren―was enabled to become a father because he^[a]considered him faithful who had made the promise. ¹²And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
 ¹³All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. ¹⁴People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶Instead, they were longing for a better country―a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
 ¹⁷By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, ¹⁸even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring^[b] will be reckoned."^{[c] 19}Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
 ²⁰By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
 ²¹By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
 ²²By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.
 ²³By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.
 ²⁴By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. ²⁵He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. ²⁶He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. ²⁷By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. ²⁸By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
 ²⁹By faith the people passed through the Red Sea^[d] as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
 ³⁰By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.
 ³¹By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.^[e]
 32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, ³³who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. ³⁵Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. ³⁶Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. ³⁷They were stoned^[f]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated― ³⁸the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
 ³⁹These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. ⁴⁰God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.



FAITH can stand for Forsaking All I Trust Him.
Another acronym would be Fantastic Adventures In Trusting Him.

What is faith? Hebrews 11:1 tells us clearly that it is being sure of what we hope (in line with God's plan for us) for and certain (very very sure; absolutely sure; no doubt about it) of what we DO NOT SEE.

In the passage, so many examples of acts of faith were recorded. How true that these people commended for their faith indeed forsake their all and trust God to deliver them. Take for example, Moses. He forsake all the riches and glory as a King's son and gave his trust in God as he led the people of Israel out of Egypt. How much that will take! Imagine yourself in the shoes of Mosses, would you forsake all the 'luxuries' and exchange it for sufferings? Bear in mind that these sufferings are only on this earth, temporal. For these 'sufferings' in the eyes of others are what brings about eternal joy and blessings to come.

Look at all the examples of by faith. Don't they all experience fantastic adventures? Okay, maybe not so at their time. But as we ourselves look back now, don't you think those are really great adventures and experiences that only in trusting God will you receive? Look at each of their situations. They are in a position where they are not in control but they do have a choice. They could have gone the easy way out, but why do they choose to go the other way on the straight and narrow, the "uncertain"?

All of these people are commended for their faith, because they believe and trust God to deliver them. They have great faith, not in themselves or what they can do. Rather, they have faith in the God of all, the God of possibilities. How much is your faith? Is it worth to be commended for at the end of your race?

Have faith in God! Mark 11:22-24



Reflect: Have you been in situation when you cannot do anything about it? What did you do? Have you ever trusted God in situations like this and went with a decision by faith? How was it like? Do you think God is pleased with your actions? Why?

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OBEDIENT CANARY

1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

Don't Give up!

Galatians 6:7-10
Don't get tired of doing what is good. (v. 9)


NO SUPERMARKETS. No pizza delivery. No convenience stores. No drive-throughs. No restaurants.
That's what things were like when the apostle Paul wrote his letter to the churches of Galatia. You see, in those days, most people grew their own food in their own fields.
During the spring they would have to work long, hard days plowing the ground and planting seeds. Then all summer they would take care of what they had planted, which involved weeding, watering, and keeping the wild animals from stealing or destroying their crops. In the fall they would harvest and store their food for the winter.
If a man and his family got tired of planting or weeding or harvesting and decided to quit, they would be in big trouble. The only way they could be assured of having something to eat that winter would be to keep going. They couldn't run down to the grocery store or supermarket for a can of creamed corn. They couldn't order a pizza. If they didn't work hard through the spring, summer and fall, they would go hungry all winter.
It's the same with us. Fighting temptation and making the right choices can be hard. It can be a pain sometimes to be the only one in your family (or class or neighbourhood) who's trying to do right. That's why Paul, in today's Bible reading, says, "Don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time" (Galatians 6:9).
No matter how hard it gets, don't give up. No matter who makes fun of you, don't get discouraged. No matter how tough it is, don't get tired. Keep leaning on God. Keep asking Him to help you. Keep making right choices.
It may not be easy, but it will be worth it. God's Word assure us that those who persevere will someday "reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time."



Reflect: Do you ever get tired of fighting temptation and making right choices? Do you ever get discouraged and feel like giving up? What does God's Word promise to you if you keep following God and obeying His Word?

1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.