Can faith really grow and become stronger?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: My faith is so weak. Is strong faith something reserved for only a few special people? Does faith mean shutting out our doubts and pretending they don't exist? Can faith really grow and become stronger? -- D.A.
A: Faith grows when it is planted in the fertile soil of God's Word. Not only must we be saved by faith in God, but we must also live by faith, because we need God's grace and help at every turn. The Bible says, "We walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).
God wants our faith to grow stronger and He has given us the resources to achieve this. They are like tools in the hands of a skilled woodworker, giving him the ability to shape even the roughest piece of wood into something useful and beautiful.
The first tool God has given us to strengthen our faith is the Bible. It is so essential that lasting spiritual maturity is impossible without it. If our faith isn't rooted in the Bible, it will wither like a plant pulled out of the soil. Only a strong faith -- a faith based on God's Word -- will protect us from temptation and doubt. Otherwise we will find ourselves "tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming" (Ephesians 4:14, NIV).
For our faith to grow we need to let the Bible saturate our mind and soul. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). For centuries ordinary believers had no access to the Bible. Today it's readily available in hundreds of languages -- even on the internet -- yet most Bibles remain unopened and unread. We must not let this be true if we are to grow our faith.
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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)
(c)2019 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
