Growing Faith Is Hard Work

old-farmer-webby Rex Rouis

I would love to tell you that growing faith is easy, but it is not. There is nothing easy about growing faith. The things of God are contrary to the things of the world, and the things of the world will fight the things of God every step of the way. You will have to swim hard against the current of this age or it will carry you downstream; you’ll float downstream with all the other dead things in this world.

Don’t give up. Keep doing everything you know to do. The Bible says that we are to “labor into the rest (of faith).” Growing faith and walking in faith is a labor; it is hard work, and it must be worked every day.

There remains a rest (of faith) to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest (of faith), he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His. Let us labor (diligently) to enter into that rest (of faith), lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. Hebrews 4:9-11

You either labor to enter into faith or you stay as you are in unbelief. It is one or the other. The path of faith seems difficult at first but in the end it is restful and victorious. The path of flesh and unbelief seems easier but in the end it is difficult and destructive. For those who choose to stay in unbelief, there is no rest.

The faith walk is not complicated but it is demanding. Demanding because it requires transparency, honesty, and diligence on a deep personal level. No game playing or spin is allowed, for all is seen by an all-knowing God.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Hebrews 4:12-13

I know a good Bible teacher who tells the story that after a very powerful teaching on faith, he felt grieved in his heart. He knew what he had taught was correct but there was something just not right. He decided to seek God about it, and the Lord spoke to him. Jesus was very stern and told him that what he taught was technically correct but that he had left the impression that overcoming was easy and did not require much effort. The Lord told him, “Don’t you ever again teach that walking in faith is easy, because it is not.”

Faith is the confirmation that God has given us the answer. It is the witness to our heart that we have met the conditions of His will pertaining to a certain promise. Because of that confirmation, we actually have the answer now, ‘by faith.’ It is actually an ownership communication of a hope that you desire. If you hold onto that faith, by believing and acting obediently to it, you will receive the things that you don’t yet see.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not (yet) seen.  Hebrews 11:1 – KJV

Now faith is the title-deed (ownership document) of things hoped for, the conviction of things which are not being seen.  Hebrews 11:1 – Wuest – The New Testament: An Expanded Translation (See more about this)

Some things in God come easy and some do not. Some things require prolonged seeking and commitment. We never know exactly when we will reach the goal of faith on each endeavor, that is why we must never stop but keep going till we get it. Nothing is impossible to the person with faith, and no faith is impossible to the individual that is willing to do whatever it takes to receive that faith.

“Don’t you ever again teach that walking in faith is easy, because it is not.”Jesus
We are to seek Him with our ‘whole heart’ (Jeremiah 29:13) until we receive the answer He will answer us. Faith is the victory. Go out and do whatever it takes.

And 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. Hebrews 11:6

Growing faith and walking in faith is a labor; it is hard work. Get to work!

Comments

  1. always remember we are the ones who choose, God has given us a free will and if we possess the Holy Spirit as we profess then we have God’s power in us to choose God’s will in our situations! It’s not denying that the situation exists but acknowledging Jesus is in our situation with us and if we trust Him in it – we are trusting/putting our faith in Him. Too many think God is going to do it for us. Jesus said it is finished now if we are going to be over comers it has to be through Jesus and his word for this to happen. We choose our spouses, we choose our jobs, we can choose to believe God or we can choose to believe Our circumstances, If we say we have no faith, well walk with Jesus, learn his will, and believe him, that’s our choice. Jesus had a choice when he was tempted by the devil for those 40 days and he Chose to believe His Father, now we can choose to believe Jesus and trust that he is faithful. I know this sounds hard but too many of us are waiting on God and he’s waiting on us! The Centurion, the woman who touched his garment, Jesus said your faith has healed you. What’s really happening is that the fear that’s coming upon us because of our situation is choking out trusting in Jesus and his word. Faith only comes one way! Hearing in our hearts and acting upon what Jesus and his word says rather than what the situation appears to be, Jesus said the Way is narrow and hard but greater is Jesus in us Than He That is in the world! Don’t let condemnation stop you because we are not perfect people, but we have to learn to make better choices – if we fail we repent and receive the love of God in Christ Jesus and have the same Boldness you had before you made a mistake! It’s not because of us but because of Jesus – but we still have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling choosing to trust his word more than what our senses and the world dictates. We choose to be over comers through the blood of Jesus and the word of our testimony! Stay close to Jesus, (in His Word) fear not because he is faithful, doesn’t always look that way but it is because he says so!!! He has not given us a spirit of fear – but of power, love and a sound mind. We have to lay hold of God’s word, that’s a choice and a privilege God has blessed us with, (Enter in )

  2. Really good Rex!!! That’s the way it is! Thank you for your diligence in the truth (Jesus)

  3. Adebisi Alaba, what you need is not more faith but less unbelief. Every born again christian has “the faith” of the Son of God- Galatians 2:20. Also we’ve been given “the measure of faith”- Romans 12:3 (KjV). Listen to “hardness of heart” by Andrew Wommack( http://www.awmi.net, under Audio teaching.

  4. Faith is labor. Yes. We need to work out on our faith. Build up the muscles of our faith and develop the abs for action equals Growth.

  5. Faith comes by hearing (in your heart) and hearing comes by the Word of God. God is the giver of the faith…believe what you read…because it is true. God is truth. Believe what he Word says about whatever situation you are facing. When faith is birthed in your heart (not just your mind)… you will know it. When this faith (pistis) comes alive in your heart, you know that you know. You can trust God and His word. You must also have faith in your faith. You cannot help but grow/increase in faith if you are persuaded that what God says in his Word is true. If you could just believe (God), all things are possible to him who believes.

  6. My faith is very terrible, though I strive to study the word. I pray that Christ will increase my faith.

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