What does it really take to live the Christian life?

Bible knowledge?

Self-discipline?

Courage?

Years of experience?

All of those may have a place, but Scripture points to something even more fundamental.

Something we cannot please God without.

Something necessary not only when we first come to Christ, but every day afterward.

And yet it is also something many believers struggle with.

What happens when we know we should trust God—but our faith feels weak?

Can faith actually grow stronger?

If so, how?

Do we simply try harder to believe?

Ask God for more?

Wait for a difficult experience to strengthen us?

Hebrews 11 gives us example after example of men and women who lived, obeyed, endured, and sometimes suffered because of faith.

So where did that faith come from?

And how can ours grow stronger?

The answer may be simpler—and more practical—than we think.

Welcome to “God’s Word Day by Day,” where I blog through the Bible in a Year. I hope you’ll join me every day. If you’re not already signed up, you can do it here or subscribe and watch on YouTube.

Today’s Readings:

Ezekiel 25 & 26
Psalm 128.1-6
Proverbs 28.25
Hebrews 11.17-40

What Do You Do When Your Faith Feels Weak?

Hebrews 11.17-40:

Hall of Fame of Faith

As we continue through the “Hall of Fame of Faith,” notice that all the Old Testament saints listed throughout this chapter received the blessings of God “by faith.” They didn’t achieve great things for God because of any inherent goodness in them, nor did they receive it because of their own bravery or intelligence or any other characteristic, but rather, through faith.

Yet, one of the striking things about Hebrews 11 is that faith did not produce the same earthly outcome for everyone. Some conquered kingdoms, escaped the sword, and received back their dead. Others were tortured, imprisoned, persecuted, and killed. Yet Scripture commends both groups for their faith. Biblical faith is not confidence that God will always give us the outcome we desire. It is confidence that He is trustworthy whether He delivers us from the trial or sustains us through it. 

The theme of faith runs through all our readings today: faith to be saved (Eph. 2.8-9), faith to trust God’s ways in our Proverbs reading, faith to live the Christian life (2 Cor. 5.7), faith in prayer (Jas. 1.6, 5.15), faith to keep us from the pride we see condemned throughout Proverbs, and more.

We are to do all that we do in faith. In fact, Scripture says that anything not done in faith is sin (Rom. 14.23). Faith is essential—but biblical faith is never faith in faith. It is trust in Christ, His finished work, God’s promises, and His faithfulness. Over and over again, we must put our faith in Jesus’ finished work on the cross, the Holy Spirit’s power, and the Father’s faithfulness in our lives. So, where does it come from, and if our faith is weak, how can we strengthen it?

Growing Our Faith

First, like everything, it comes from God:

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith (Rom. 12.3).

And if our faith is weak, we can strengthen it by spending time getting to know God through His Word. Scripture shows that faith comes through hearing God’s truth, and throughout the Christian life our trust in Him is strengthened as our minds are increasingly shaped by His Word.

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Rom. 10.17).

It’s strengthened further when we obediently act on it.

¹² For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. ¹³ For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. ¹⁴ But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (Heb. 5.12-14).

The New American Standard Bible says, “ ^… who because of practice have their senses trained to discern both good and evil.”

So, as we practice living obediently, we grow in our understanding of and faith in God and His Word. And we grow in our ability to discern how to apply it to our lives. That requires a steady intake of the Word by reading it, meditating on it, and hearing it preached.

Today’s Other Readings:

Ezekiel 25 & 26:

Those Who Put Their Faith in Him

In these two chapters, God declared his intent to bring judgment on the pagan nations around Judah and Israel. But even while He brought judgment on those nations, He always responded in mercy to anyone who put his or her faith in Him. We see a great example of this in our New Testament reading in Hebrews, where we are told that Rahab, a pagan and a harlot, was saved because she put her faith and trust in the One True God (Heb. 11.31).

Psalm 128.1-6:

The Fear of the Lord

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways (v. 1).

The fear of the Lord is a reverential respect.  It’s an acknowledgment that He is God. He is the Potter; we are the clay. It’s an understanding that His ways are good and that He has the right and the authority to command His creation to live as He sees fit.

But it’s also the understanding that God is perfectly holy and righteously angry with sinners every day (Psalms 7.11-12; Rom. 1.18).

Jesus said:

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt. 10.28).

Proverbs 28.25:

Proud or Trusting in God?

He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the Lord will be prospered.

Pride causes us to think our way is better than God’s, our timing is best, that we are somehow smarter and more efficient, and know what we need. Pride causes us to try to take control of matters. Instead, we often create a mess and stir up strife. But when we wait patiently on God, walk in His ways, and trust Him, Proverbs says He can even cause our enemies to be at peace with us (Prov. 16.7).

Your Thoughts on Faith:

How has God spoken to you today? Perhaps you saw a passage in a new light or an area where you need to grow and change. Did you find a truth to hold on to? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Coming Up:

In the next few days, we’ll discuss the questions: “Where is God when life is hard?” “Should we submit to church authority?” and “Is believing ‘in’ God enough?”

I hope you’ll join us.

Getting Ready for Next Year:

The holidays are just around the corner, and the new year will be upon us before we know it. What will you do to make Bible reading an ongoing habit in the coming year? I want to encourage you to set a goal to read through the Bible again or for the first time. If you join me, I’ll take you through a plan that covers both the Old and New Testaments in about 30 minutes a day. You can read each day’s post or watch as I read through the passages on YouTube. Sign up so you don’t miss any of them. The emails can serve as a gentle reminder to stay on track, and I believe you’ll benefit from the additional information I share and grow as you learn to apply God’s Word to your own life.

You can check out our YouTube channel here.

If this post spoke to you, I would love it if you would share it on your favorite social media platform.

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years.

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)