What is Faith?

How you can grow in your faith walk with Jesus

True Faith is Believing

What comes to mind when you think of faith? Maybe trust, belief or confidence in something. We often use this word in different contexts such as “I have faith this will get better.” Or, “I have faith that he or she won’t let me down.” Maybe you have heard it in terms of a question like, “What is your faith?”

While these are all ways you can use the word, have you considered where true faith begins? True faith is believing, trusting and placing your confidence in Jesus. Through surrender and repentance we learn to trust him completely with our lives. This is true faith

Hebrews 11:6 says,

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Therefore, we know that true faith is essential for anyone who calls themselves a follower of Jesus. When our hearts have been transformed by the Holy Spirit, our desire is to please Him in our lives.

Faith in Jesus is a beautiful thing. We know that God is a good Father. When you place your trust, belief and confidence in Him, he will bless you with the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Growing In Faith

However, faith does not always come easily. In fact, your faith will grow throughout your walk with Jesus. You will go through moments of deep, deep faith where it cannot be shaken and difficult seasons where your faith may waver. A great example of this can be found in Matthew 14:22-33. This is the story of Jesus walking on water, which you may be familiar with. During this story, Jesus calls one of his disciples to faithfully walk with him:

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

As you can see, Peter demonstrated his faith by walking toward Jesus, but it was shaken when he became afraid. He was afraid because he took his eye off of Jesus and paid more attention to the wind. Just like Peter, we take our eyes off of Jesus with the challenges of the day. Jesus calls us to turn to him with faith even in times when things seem overwhelming or uncertain.

Growing Stronger

Your faith will become stronger and deeper as you walk with Jesus. Romans 10:17 says “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Hearing Jesus’ word can help your faith grow. Here are a few ways you can practice this in your daily life:

  • Spend time reading the Bible daily
  • Pray and ask the Lord to grow your faith
  • Connect with a small group
  • Find a mentor or prayer partner
  • Attend church regularly
  • Listen to Christian teaching or videos
  • Memorize your favorite Bible verse

What ways will you grow your faith in Jesus this week? Need help connecting to a small group? We can help! Connect with us.