5 SIMPLE WAYS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR FAITH:

Mark 11:22-25
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I
say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the
sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says
will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to
you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you

receive them, and you will have them. “And whenever you stand praying, if
you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven
may also forgive you your trespasses.
1. TRUST
This one is a bit obvious, but sometimes the hardest to execute. We must trust Him in
all things. It’s commanded in Proverbs 3:5, but here we see Jesus commanding it
again. Have faith in God, have complete trust and complete confidence. If we have
faith in God feelings of worry, stress, anxiety, fear, and doubt should never surface. If
we have faith in God, then we completely trust that He will provide all provision
needed. Not only do we trust Him to provide provision, but we are completely
confident that He will provide us with an abundant life as well!

“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or
drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food,
and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not
sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds
them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by
worrying add a single hour to your life?”
Matthew 6:25-27
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they
may have life, and have it to the full.”
John 10:10

Practical application: Fully trusting in God is very hard. It calls us to act in great
faith daily, but think about how great life could be if we lived without worry, stress,
anxiety, fear, and doubt. We must intentionally focus on God’s plans for us and not
our own, and sometimes that means setting aside our own plans and expectations.
For me that can be difficult, but I try to remember what Jeremiah 29:11 promises,
God wants to prosper us and not harm us. His plans for us are greater than
anything we can imagine for ourselves. We have to remove doubt from our hearts,
replace it with belief, and trust Him! In doing so our faith will grow stronger and
stronger as we see Him lead us in the directions we are truly meant to go.

2: PRAY
Like you mean it! Pray like God is in the room sitting right beside you. Mark 11:23
instructs us to pray without doubt in our hearts, and believe that what we say will
happen. In the same verse Jesus says that if we do this, it will be done for us.
It’s okay to lift up our every need to God. It’s okay to give Him every single one of
our burdens, worries, and fears. It’s okay to ask God to intervene in our lives, and
ask Him for the provisions we need. He wants to hear our voices, and He wants a
personal relationship with each and everyone of us.
Daily prayer will invite God into our lives and help us establish a deeper trust. Our
faith will grow stronger as we release the power of prayer in our lives. I believe that
any form of prayer is okay, formal or informal, as long as you’re communicating with
God, it’s always good. We are instructed to pray without ceasing, and give thanks in
all circumstances. Therefore, to truly exercise faith in our lives we must live a
prayerful life, constantly reaching out to God.
I know that every prayer I pray is heard. I understand that every prayer I pray may
not be answered in the way I want or the time frame I would like. However, that will
never stop me from praying with my whole heart.

“Rejoice always, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for
you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Practical application: Start every day with prayer! I do believe sitting in the
presence of God is important and I do think there are times when God deserves my
undivided attention. I don’t have a special prayer closet or a prayer room. I do
however have a silent kitchen at 5:15am every morning. While the coffee pot brews
the first pot of coffee, I reach out to God. I’m simply thanking Him for the blessings
and provisions He has given me and asking Him to lead me and guide me through my
day.
I know it sounds really simple, but God already knows all my needs, and honestly, He
probably knows them even better than I do. I just want Him to know that I need Him
and I want Him in my day. I send up quick prayers throughout the rest of the day.
Some are in thankfulness, while others are asking for more guidance, wisdom, and
knowledge. A great deal is for people, I love to pray for people.

When I feel the urge to speak with God I do! I think some of my best conversations
with God happen over hot soapy dish water. Don’t limit yourself, there is no right or
wrong way to pray, God simply wants to hear from you. Talk to Him, no pressure,
just talk.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With
this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Ephesians 6:18
3: READ SCRIPTURES
We must know the Word of God! We must make time to sit down and curl up with our
Bibles. We need His Word inside, in our minds and in our hearts. Knowing God’s Word
goes hand in hand with trusting God and praying. Read His promises, and then have
great faith in God, that they will come to pass. Pray them over your life. In God’s
Word we will find strength, hope, love, peace, and joy. We will also find promises of
provision, and instructions to keep us away from sin and rebuke the devil. We will
gain wisdom, knowledge, and understanding in our lives through His instructions.
Read Matthew 17:20, and then believe that faith can move mountains. Read
Philippians 4:19 and have faith that God will supply all your needs. Read Malachi 3:10
and believe that if God is first in your finances, He will pour out blessings for you until
they overflow. Read Ephesians 6:10-17 and know that you have The Amour of God,
what can possibly come against you.
If we want to exercise faith in our lives, we must let God’s instructions and commands
be our guide. In doing so we will strengthen our faith greatly.

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

 Psalm 119:105

Practical application: I start with a prayer just asking that God would speak to me
through His Word, giving me the knowledge to understand what He is laying on my
heart. I keep a journal with my Bible at all times and index cards. I also have a few
colorful pens tucked away. When something I read “speaks” to me or “tugs” on my
heart, I write it down.
Sometimes I have a verse that I’m taken with and it becomes a focus for me. I break
it down until I truly understand it and can start applying it. I don’t get very far in my
reading daily doing this, but I know that I’m truly leaning into His Word and applying
it to my life. I believe quality over quantity applies here. I’ve made a rule for myself,
and this might sound silly, but until I’ve read for 30 minutes a day… no Pinterest, no
Facebook, and no T.V. God’s Word has to be priority in our lives if we want to
strengthen our faith.

Have you heard the saying “a verse a day keeps the devil away?” It’s a start, if you’re
not exercising your faith in this area, start small, then let God lead you from there.

4: LIVE OUT HIS WORD

We’ve done all that reading, studying, and note taking, now it’s time to start using
our knowledge. Applying the Word of God to the lives we live, will deepen our walk
with Him and strengthen our faith.
Practical application: I think our world would be a better place if the people who
claim to be Christians actually acted like Christians. I understand this statement
is incredibly blunt, but it’s honestly how I feel. Obviously, no one is prefect, but we
have to make a commitment to grow in our faith and commit to living God first
lives. I love the Gospel’s, I love getting to know Jesus, and understanding the life I
am called to live. This is where index cards come in handy when studying scriptures. I
write down verses I know I personally need to work on, and then intentionally start to
apply them to my life. One day at a time, the goal is always to be better than I was
yesterday.

5: BE THE LIGHT
You are the light of the world, so shine bright my darling friend. We are to be loving
and caring towards each other. We are to be encouraging, and build one another up.
We should be joyful people, who don’t spend our days complaining.

We should practice thankfulness and be forgiving. Refer back to Mark 11:25, Jesus
stated that when we pray we must not hold anything against anyone, but we are to
forgive, so our Father can forgive us of our sins.

We must be giving of our time, our talents, and our treasures. When people see you,
let them not only see a person that is a believer in God, but let them see a person
that exercises great faith in their lives. Let them see a role model for a God first life,
let your actions draw people closer to God.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your
good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a
harvest if we do not give up.
 Galatians 6:9
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you
are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
“‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people,
but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:18
Do everything without grumbling or arguing,
Philippians 2:14

Practical application: There are so many more verses I could share, but the point is
simple. Wake up each day with the intention to be good and do good. Spread light,
not darkness. It’s really that simple. Give compliments freely, smile kindly, give
generously, don’t complain, speak only kind words, and never tear people down.
Above all remember to love God and love people.