Building Faith

By Greg Laurie, Op-ed contributor Wednesday, March 17, 2010

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. - Romans 12:3

A lot of people talk about their faith. They sing about faith. They even analyze the word "faith." But they never actually use their faith.

Faith is the consent of the will to the assent of the understanding. Faith always has in it the idea of action. It is movement toward its object. Faith is a restless, living thing. It cannot be inoperative. Faith moves. Faith acts. Faith does. It doesn't just sit; it has to move.

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And faith develops by listening to, studying, and immersing ourselves in the Word of God. Romans 10:17 tells us, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." That is why Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Matthew 11:15). It is another way of saying, "Listen up." It is attention with intention. It is all in how we listen.

If we hear the Word of God, our faith will grow. And when we hear the Word of God, it puts everything else into perspective, because in the light of Scripture we see God for who He is. Thus, we see all of the challenges of life for what they are. We see everything the way we ought to see it. The apostle Paul wrote, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).

Faith is also developed through use. Some of us treat faith like it is fragile. But that is not what faith is like. Faith is tough. Faith is resilient. Faith gets stronger through use. Faith is like a muscle. You build up your muscle by effectively tearing it down, by using it. You get stronger by applying yourself. And the same is true of faith.