Copyright by Freedom in Christ, used with permission.
If faith is what we really believe, and an effective faith is one that believes and trusts in God, then we can increase our faith by getting to know Him and all the truth revealed in His Word better.
So if we were to study the Bible and learn lots of facts about God, would that mean we would have great faith?
Well, it is certainly a very good idea to read your Bible. But you don’t get to know God by simply finding out facts about Him. It’s not just about head knowledge. Just like in any other relationship, you also need to interact with Him and learn to trust Him, to see that what He says really is reliable. You do this by taking that verse or that truth you have learned and putting it into practice. You may know from the Bible that God loves a cheerful giver, and that He promises you will always have everything you need if you are generous, but your faith won’t grow until you act on those truths and perhaps give beyond what you think you can afford. Having done that, you then see for yourself that God is faithful, and learn to trust Him with something bigger next time.
That’s how faith grows. As you find out what God has said, choose to believe it (even if your feelings are telling you otherwise), and then act on it, you find that it works. You get to know God’s character better and more intimately, build that relationship with Him, and learn to trust Him with bigger and bigger things.
Is there anything that God might be challenging you to do right now in order to experience the truth in His Word?
