Thousands of books have been written on faith. . .hundreds of thousands of sermons and millions of words discuss faith. . . yet God stirred me to write seven things to make your faith grow. So, growing our faith is an ongoing project . . .  one that never ends.

Faith is like a seed. . .plant it in your heart and your mind.  At the appointed time. . .God will give you a mega harvest of what you need just when you need it.

Colossians 2:7 in the New Living Translation says:

“Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

How do you grow strong in faith. . .so you can overflow with revelation, blessings and thankfulness?

It’s a process.

Smith Wigglesworth, the anointed English Bible teacher and healer once said:

“How can one come to possess great faith? Now listen, here is the answer to that: First, the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. Faith must grow by soil, moisture, and exercise.” 

Here are the seven things to make your faith grow.

1.         Feed your faith. . .through the Word

Brother Kenneth Hagin said:

“Faith begins where the will of God is known.”

How do you know the will of God?

READ YOUR BIBLE. . .BEGIN DOING WHAT IT SAYS AND YOU WILL HAVE A GROWTH SPURT IN FAITH.

Psalm 34:8 says:

“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”

The Message Bible translation of Psalm 34:8 says:

“Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—how good God is.  Blessed are you who run to him.”

Psalm 119:103 in the Message Bible says:

“Your words are so choice, so tasty; I prefer them to the best home cooking.  With your instruction, I understand life.”

By feeding on the Word. . .you never have to wonder or worry about what to do next. The Word of God is alive.  It is like food that nourishes our souls. Our faith activates the Word.

John 14:26 says:

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

Reading the Word allows the Holy Spirit to bring to our remembrance exactly what we need to apply to our daily situations.

2.         Exercise your faith. . .by your actions

Here are seven keys to exercising your faith.

First, what you do in life. . .will be a reflection of what you’ve learned.

John 8:38 in the Amplified Bible says:

“I tell the things which I have seen and learned at My Father’s side, and your actions also reflect what you have heard and learned from your father.”

Second, our greatest desire should be for our deeds to reflect His instructions.

Psalm 119:5 in the New Living Translation says:

“Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees!”

Third, faith must be an action or it will always be inactive.

James 2:17 in the Amplified Bible says:

“So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).”

Fourth, it’s a team effort. . .faith. . .knowing that God’s Word is true. . .and actions which unleash faith into the natural realm.

James 2:22 in the New Living Translation says:

“You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.”

Fifth, you will be rewarded for the actions you take. . .and consequences when you don’t.

Proverbs 24:12 in the New Living Translation says:

“Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve.”

Sixth, our commitment to bring glory and honor to His name. . .will automatically bring success to ours.

Proverbs 16:3 in the New Living Translation says:

“Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed.”

Seventh, you’ll be paid for your faithful actions.

Revelation 22:12 in the Amplified Bible says:

“Behold, I am coming soon, and I shall bring My wages and rewards with Me, to repay and render to each one just what his own actions and his own work merit.”

3.         Speak to your faith. . .to make it grow.

I love preaching in churches where the people speak back to me.

I’m reminded of a story I heard once about a preacher who had a congregation that would talk back to him during his sermon as they got excited about their future.

One Sunday morning, the preacher said, “this church is like a crippled man who needs to get up and walk under the power of Jesus.”

The congregation replied with enthusiasm, “let it walk preacher, let it walk.”

Then the preacher said, “This church like Elijah on Mount Carmel has got to run.”

The congregation replied with enthusiasm, “let it run preacher, let it run.”

Then the preacher said, “This church has got to mount up on wings like eagles and fly.”

The congregation replied with enthusiasm, “let it fly preacher, let it fly.”

Then the preacher added, “Now if this church is going to fly it’s going to take MONEY.”

The congregation replied with lack of enthusiasm, “let it walk preacher, let it walk.”

That’s not exactly what I would call speaking your faith.

2 Corinthians 4:13 in the Good News Translation says:

“The scripture says, “I spoke because I believed.” In the same spirit of faith we also speak because we believe.”

There are also times. . .when you will speak about things of faith before they ever manifest in the natural realm.

Romans 4:17 in the Amplified Bible says:

“(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.”

Your boldness in your faith will open doors of opportunity for you.

1Timothy 3:13 in the Good News Translation says:

“Those helpers who do their work well win for themselves a good standing and are able to speak boldly about their faith in Christ Jesus.”

4.         Free your faith. . .from negativity

Brother Kenneth Hagin often said:

“Feed your faith and starve your doubts.”

The word negative isn’t really in the King James Version of the Bible.  However, when I think about the word negative I’m reminded of the word doubt.

F.F. Bosworth, the author of Christ the Healer, said “faith and doubt cannot live in the same house.” 

James 1:6 in the Amplified Bible says:

“Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.”

When doubt leaves your life . . .you are presented with unlimited opportunities.

Matthew 21:21 in the New Living Translation says:

“Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.”

How do you get rid of doubt. . .or negativity?

James 4:7 says:

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”

Someone once said:

“You get faith by studying the Word. Study that Word until something in you “knows that you know” and that you do not just hope that you know.”

John 10:17 in the New King James Version says:

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

READ YOUR BIBLE. . .BELIEVE WHAT IT SAYS.

5.         Believing the impossible as possible

The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir has a great song entitled “Nothing Is Impossible.”  Here are some of the lyrics:

“Nothing, nothing at all

 Nothing, nothing at all is impossible, impossible, with God

 Nothing, nothing at all

 Nothing, nothing at all is impossible, impossible, with God

It is no secret what my God can do

 What my God has done for others he can still do for you

There's nothing impossible, impossible, with God”

I recently posted the following statement on Facebook and Twitter.

Never let fear of the unknown or untried prevent you from doing what appears at first to be impossible...when in reality...it's possible.

Luke 1:37 in the Amplified Bible says:

“For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.”

With God. . .nothing is impossible.  Well, there is one thing. . .it’s impossible to please God without faith.

Hebrews 11:6 says:

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

The Amplified Bible translation of Hebrews 11:6 says:

“But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].”

According to Strong’s Concordance the Greek word for rewarder is misthapodotēs (G3406) and it means:

“one who pays wages, a rewarder”

He is one who pays wages to those who diligently seek him.

Are you getting this?

Jeremiah 17:10 in the New Living Translation says:

“But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”

What are your due rewards for diligently faithfully seeking him?  You’re going to get paid for it.

Hallelujah!!

6.         Share it with others

Do you want to know how you can understand and receive every blessing God has for you? 

The answer is found in Philemon 1:6 in God’s WORD Translation which says:

“As you share the faith you have in common with others, I pray that you may come to have a complete knowledge of every blessing we have in Christ.”

Every blessing we have in Christ.

Can somebody shout HALLELUJAH?

1 Chronicles 16:8 says:

^“Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.”

The Message Bible translation of 1 Chronicles 16:8-9 says:

“Thank God! Call out his Name! Tell the whole world who he is and what he's done!  Sing to him! Play songs for him!  Broadcast all his wonders!”

When our favorite athlete does something remarkable. . .we want to talk with all our friends about his/her accomplishments.

When our favorite team wins the big game. . .we want to brag on them.

When we see our favorite actor/actress give an Oscar worthy performance. . .we want to talk about it.

When we’re recognized on our jobs. . .we want to tell all our friends about it.

When we’re selected for special recognition at church or in any sort of activity . . . we want to let people know about it.

When our children excel in a sporting event, academic or extra-curricular pursuit, we like bragging on them.

Why, we even brag on our pets for doing a particularly good trick, our cars for their gas mileage or how they look. . .our big screen TV. . .the list could go on.

There is nothing wrong about the various scenarios I’ve just listed . . . unless, we testify about everybody or everything else except our great God Jehovah.

The question each of us need to answer is. . .how much time do we spend bragging on our God. . .the one who woke us up this morning. . .clothed us in our right mind. . .gave us air to breathe and food to eat?

The scripture is very clear. . .we’re to tell the world “who He is and what He’s done.”

In fact, the Message Bible translation of 1 Chronicles 16:9 says that we’re to “broadcast all His wonders.”

Psalm 34:3 says:

“O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.”

One more scripture.  Colossians 3:15 in the Message Bible says:

“Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.”

The way you thank Him. . .is by doing what He says in His word. . .share your faith.

7.         Discuss your faith. . .frequently with your Manufacturer

Our manufacturer created an instruction manual for each of us to survive and thrive in any and every situation, circumstance and problem we face in life.

Here’s a revelation. . .if we don’t read and study it, then we’ll continually have problems all the days of our natural born life.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says:

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

If something is profitable . . .it’s going to be beneficial.  The word profitable in the Strong’s Concordance is from a Greek word that means “profitable, advantage.”

If we want to have advantages in life then we need to understand our instruction manual. . .God’s Holy Word.  Every answer to every problem we face is in the book.

Smith Wigglesworth said:

“I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe.”

Matthew Barnett said:

“Faith is believing that God is going to take you places before you even get there.”

Mark Victor Hansen, the author of the Chicken Soup books said:

“Your belief determines your action and your action determines your results, but first you have to believe.”

One final quote by Smith Wigglesworth:

“Fear looks; faith jumps. Faith never fails to obtain its object. If I leave you as I found you, I am not God’s channel. I am not here to entertain you, but to get you to the place where you can laugh at the impossible.”

Now it’s time for you to take what you’ve heard and read. . .and begin to make your faith grow even stronger than it’s ever been.

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