Faith is defined as the confidence or strong belief that is placed into a person, entity, circumstance, or potentially favorable outcome. Biblically speaking, faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,” (Hebrews 11:1). This motivating force steadies one’s focus and propels one to transition into a greater level of maturity. Though faith is one of the most powerful attributes that someone can obtain, its developmental process is not immune to the many growing pains that are encountered along the journey.
We have all encoutered certain seasons in life where our faith has gone from steadfastness to constant wavering, or even being non-existent. Having a lack of faith is a natural occurrence in our divine journey. However, the key is to not remain in faithlessness, but to rise above it. A new level of faith can be achieved by using these simple steps: acknowledging the lack of belief, conquering doubtful thoughts, and reconditioning the mind to meditate on gratitude.
A few years ago, I was driving home and listening to one of my favorite songs titled, “My Name is Victory” by Johnathan Nelson. This song is about being confident in our God-given identity and living in a place of victory. I’ve heard this song several times, but the lyrics deeply resonated with me that day. After singing along for the third time, I became silent and meditated on the lyrics. While it blasted through the stereo, tears began pouring down my face. I wept because I was struggling to believe that the lyrics that I sang for the past fifteen minutes were applicable to my life. I wept because I felt so defeated without a notion of the constant troubles ending anytime soon. Despite knowing God’s promises for my life, I was singing words that I believed to be far removed from my current reality…..or at least that’s what I thought. While I sat in my car on the side of the highway (I was bawling my eyes out by this time, so I had to pull over, lol), my tears were the profession of my unbelief. Does this scenario sound familiar to you?
Acknowledgement
There’s an old saying which proclaims that the first step to solving a problem is to admit that there is one. The same can be applied when we acknowledge the lack or absence of faith in our lives. When we confess our lack of faith in God, it always results in the opportunity to enter a deeper relationship with Him. Abba already knows where our faith tends to wander, and He wants us to use that as a time to draw closer to His presence. Not only does confessing our doubts make us free from the heavy yoke of discouragement, it also positions us to receive the answer to our prayers! This is exactly what happened to me when I released my doubts to the Lord. Another example can be found in Mark 9:23-27. Jesus encounters a man who wants healing for his troubled son and assures the father that his son will be healed if he believes. The father responds,” ‘Lord, I believe; help me with my unbelief (v.24b).’” When he boldly confessed his doubt, Jesus didn’t rebuke him. Instead, He healed his son from all his afflictions (v.25-27).
Conquering Doubt
Whenever I reach a challenging time in my life, I’ve found that increasing my devotional time to be a sure-fire way to elevate my faith and conquer my doubts and discouragement. Devotional time is a great tool to daily restore the soul and counteract what has taken the place of faith. It can consist of various things including prayer, journaling, reading and meditating on the Word, praise/worship, etc. I believe the most imperative tools are reading and meditating on the Word. Reading the Word teaches us what God declares regarding every situation and anchors our soul in the truth. As we come into agreement with what God says, we must also fall out of agreement with the hopeless thoughts and emotions that opposed our faith. Meditation on the Word renews our thought life, keeping our hearts and minds in perfect peace.
Gratitude
Speaking of meditation, another way to elevate our faith is by practicing grateful reflections. You may be asking yourself, “what are grateful reflections?” They are meditative thoughts that evoke gratitude towards the Most High. Grateful reflections can include thankfulness for our blessings, growth and maturity, personal testimonies as well as the testimonies of others. It’s also a way to remember that we have been predestined for greatness and to live a life full of abundance! Fortunately, we are in covenant with a God who loves us and will hold no good thing from us…we must believe that, especially in trying times. Philippians 4:8 gives us excellent guidance on grateful reflections: “ Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Beloved, I encourage you to apply what you’ve learned from this post. Here are a few scriptures on which to meditate as you enter into a higher level of faith:
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
“’ For I know the thoughts that I think towards you’, saith the Lord, ‘thoughts of peace, and not evil, to give you an expected end.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)
“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.” (Proverbs 30:5)
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever.” (Psalm 136:1)