Increasing Your Measure of Faith

Elvira Bujanda

In the scriptures, we see that since the beginning of time God has highly valued faithfulness. When famine struck, God tested Abram’s faith as he went to Egypt where there was food.

“Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe” (Genesis 12:10).

Abram had shown his faith in his actions, but it was his belief in the Lord that made Abram right with God. We, too, must have a relationship with God, trusting Him for direction, as it says in Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding.”

Our faith is in the Word of God and not on what we feel. God also desires that we walk a blameless path and live with integrity.

Psalm 101:6 says: “My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with Me. He whose walk is blameless will minister to Me.”

So faith is based on a right relationship with God, and a heartfelt inner trust that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do.

Abraham believed the Lord and He credited it to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). Now to every believer God has dealt a measure of faith, it says in Romans 12:3.

There is no need to pray for faith or to try to have faith. We all have it.

But if we don’t realize it, we can’t use it.

The trouble comes when believers feel they don’t have faith, and then doubt comes in. “For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Our small measure of faith must grow in order to move mountains (Mark 11:23). That is real faith that grows in the heart and not a doubtful mind.

Romans 10:10 says that with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth, you confess and are saved.

The Bible speaks of two kinds of faith: mental faith like that of doubting Thomas, and heartfelt faith like that of Abram who believed in spite of the circumstances.

God demands that we have faith in order to please Him, it says in Hebrews 6:11: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.”

Then we must begin to exercise faith so that it may develop and grow. It is hidden inside of man, in his heart, in his spirit, and therefore it is part of the unfading beauty of a gentle, quiet spirit which is of great worth in God’s sight (I Peter 3:4).

In order to increase in our faith, we must set our hearts to feed on the Word of God, which is to our spirit what food is to the body. It is God’s Word that will give assurance and confidence, and that will put faith in our spirits and hearts.

Romans 10:8 says the Word is near us, in our mouths and hearts: the word of faith that we proclaim.  The Holy Spirit of God is the guarantee of eternal life to us who walk by faith and not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7).

Christ was the key example of the Law of Fidelity, being faithful till the end. Although we live in a body of flesh we are spiritual beings, and faith is in the spirit and the heart of man.

We must have the ability to make wise decisions during difficult circumstances. The Bible tells us when we persevere under trial we are blessed because we have stood the test by faith and we will receive the crown of life that God has promised to all who love Him.

“But when he asks he must believe, and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-8).

When we have faith in God’s divine wisdom which is beyond all understanding, we believe and don’t doubt. Believing in His existence and in His loving care, we can rely on God and expect Him to hear and answer when we pray.

My hope, as it says in Ephesians 3:17-19 is: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, so that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”