In the eyes of many, faith is something that’s nearly unattainable. It’s something that you have to get, and that you never have enough of. You constantly need more and if you don’t get more, then the Lord won’t give you what you want in life. But that’s not how faith is at all.

”For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).

Faith is a gift from God, just like everything worth having in life is. But it is something that is particularly allotted to each person, and so, each believer has just as much faith as they will ever have. However, I do believe that it is something that can grow and build, similar to a muscle.

The Definition of Faith

Now, if you look throughout scripture, you won’t find a verse about building faith, and you won’t see it compared to a muscle. So, take what I say as my interpretation of faith, and my understanding based on my personal experience.

The Greek and Hebrew words for faith, always refer to a few definitions. Some of which include trust, assurance, and belief. Another side of the word refers to stability, a strong foundation, and steadiness. Whatever definition you use, you can be sure that a sureness, or a firmness, is crucial to this idea.

There is an analogy that Jesus uses in Matthew 7 that explains faith well.

”“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock” (Matthew 7:24-25).

Anyone that listens and adheres to the words of Jesus here, is like a man that builds his house on a strong foundation. In this analogy, there is something that gives the house its strength and stability. And it isn’t the house itself, but the foundation. The strong foundation allows for the house to be built up, and only in the strong foundation, can the house and everything built upon the foundation, be stable.

Our faith works similar. The strength is in its firmness and in our trust in the Lord. So, to strengthen and build our faith, we must make our trust in Him and His goodness, steady, strong, and stable.

The Keys to Strong Faith

There are many ways to strengthen our trust in the Lord. But I want to make this very practical, so I’ll lay out a few great ways to build your faith.

• Grow closer to the Lord. This is the most important aspect of the Christian life, and is the number one way that we can grow in our trust in Him. After all, faith is trusting in the Lord’s power and character. How are we going to trust in the Lord, if we do not know Him? How would we trust anyone, if we didn’t know them?

• Mediate on His character. Everything builds on our relationship with the Lord, and as we discussed, we need to trust both in His power, and His character. However, I’ve found that I never doubt the Lord’s ability to do something. But I have found myself doubting His desire or willingness to do something. I would encourage you to find some verses to think about. Find some that particularly touch on the Lord’s character and feeling towards you.

• Be faithful with little. The word often teaches this idea that those that are faithful with the little that they have been given, will be blessed with much. If you’re faithful with your current work position, for example, you’ll probably find yourself getting promoted eventually. And, if you are faithful with the little revelation, and little faith that you have, your faith will grow. You will see the faithfulness of the Lord, and you will be much more sure of His goodness and power the next time that your faith is tested.

Keep It Simple

I often find myself complicating the things that are really super simple. Faith is one of those things. It’s overall pretty simple. It all comes down to belief.

We all believe in something. If you’re reading this, then you probably believe in Jesus, and in His life, and resurrection. You probably also believe in most of what is on this site. But when it really gets down to it, do you believe everything that the Bible says? You think that Jesus was around at one point, but do you believe He gave up His life for you?

Going further, do you believe that the Lord wants to see you well? Do you believe He wants to heal you, or meet your needs? What do you believe about heaven and hell, or the supernatural things we can’t see? I don’t expect you to answer all these questions, but I do want to challenge what you actually believe and trust in, versus what you think you are “believing” in.

It all comes down to belief, trust, and a steadfastness to the Lord. Building your faith is simply making yourself more and more sure of what it is you believe in. It’s making yourself more sure that the Lord wants to see you well. Or that the Lord wants to prosper you, as the Word says. It making yourself so sure in every word that is written within the Bible, that you would go out on a limb for it.

It all comes down to belief. But we all have to make sure that we are actually sure of what we believe in, for our faith to grow. Just keep it simple, but make sure that you’re always real with yourself, and with the Lord.