Ask The Pastor

December 4, 2006

> thank you pastor i have another question how can you have more
> faith in god? i just want to know thank you

Hello Natasha,

You have asked a very good question. Obviously faith is important because the Scriptures say "without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." (Heb 11:6) So faith is very important.

One answer I could give to your question is to suggest that you simply ask God for more faith. In Luke 17:5 the apostles themselves were grappling with some of Jesus' teachings and they said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" Another time there was a man who was asking Jesus to heal his son. Jesus said, "All things are possible to him who believes." The man responded, "I do believe; help my unbelief." (Mark 9:23-24) So it is entirely proper to ask the Lord to help you have more faith.

Let me add something else. If you find yourself doubting and are asking "How can I have more faith?" the answer isn't to try harder or to beat yourself up. Think of the solution this way - suppose someone said to you, "I find myself doubting Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. I'm not sure Old Faithful can be trusted." Your advice wouldn't be "just try harder," but rather "just hang out with Old Faithful. Get to know Old Faithful" and because Old Faithful is faithful, the better you know it, the more you trust it." The same is true with God. The key isn't to muster up our own faith, but to get to know God better. Since God is faithful, the more you know Him, the more you will trust Him. (Parts of this paragraph taken from Poor Country Boy's blog of 3/19/06.)

This is in line with what Jesus was teaching in Luke 17 when he spoke of the power of just a little bit of faith. The point is not the power of the faith but the power of the one your faith is in! As you read the Bible and fellowship with God you will find your faith grows on its own. So exercise your faith by trusting God in the little things and getting to know Him better. You might just be surprised at what a "little" faith can do!

Blessings,
Nathan

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