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How Much Faith?

During his time on earth, Jesus spent much time developing the faith of his disciples.  He did this so they would be prepared for what he had called them to do.  Jesus would often use his teachings and the scripture but some of his instruction was done through demonstration.  These guys had a front row seat as He healed the sick, cast out demons, fed thousands, and calmed the sea.  Just like us, the disciples faith at times was small and weak, but Jesus never gave up on them.  He questioned them when they did not exhibit the faith they should but also complimented them when they showed strength.  They would be tasked with the same thing we are today, to go and make  disciples.  Without faith, they would have failed and so would we. 

Strengthening our faith is essential to our Christian life.  There are two primary ways that we can strengthen our faith.  The first is studying scripture, the holy inspired Word of God, which tells us what we are to know about Him.  The second is through the tests that we go through today.  The difficult situations we face are not always a punishment from God but may be a teaching opportunity where we learn to rely on God instead of our self and our own means.  Rick Warren has said, "You never know God is all you need until God is all you have." 

So how strong is our faith?  Do we have enough faith to be able to accomplish all that God desires for us to do?  If we will strengthen our faith through daily bible study, prayer time, and experience with Him, He can use for amazing things!  But if we do not grow our faith we are putting a limit on what God can accomplish through us.  Charles Stanley writes, "He uses us only to the degree that we trust Him." 

That last line gets real to me.  I often time claim to walk by faith and not by sight but how often do we look at our options in life and seek advice from un-spiritual people before making a decision regarding life choices like jobs and income, dating, where to live etc.?  If you feel that God is leading you in a certain direction, place your faith in Him and He will speak to you "by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways" (Experiencing God).

Big dreams require big faith.  Thankfully we have a big God.

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