Five Ways to Keep Your Faith Strong
The world is a pretty scary place, and it’s easy to fall into a state of fear and panic when you’re faced with the tragedies we experience regularly. It’s even easier to lose your faith when everything seems so bleak and hopeless. But the good news is that there are things you can do to keep your faith strong when times get tough!
A Passion for God
Matthew 22:37 (NIV)
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
God is not just a part of your faith. He is the reason for your faith.
He is not just the object of your love, but also the one who gives you purpose and fulfills you with hope in order to stay strong in your Christian walk, it’s important that you keep God at the center of everything you do—and this means more than just going to church on Sunday! It means spending time in prayer talking with him about all that’s going on in your life; it means looking at his word (the Bible) regularly; and it also means finding ways to give back to others through acts of kindness or charity if possible.
Developing Cultural Discernment
1 Peter 1:6-7 (NLT)
6So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. 7These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
Developing cultural discernment is a lifelong process. It’s not about judging others or condemning them, but rather it’s about discerning what is good or bad for yourself.
Definition of Cultural Discernment: Learning to develop wisdom so that we can live faithfully in a secular, plural world.
It’s like Daniel in the lions’ den—if he had been like everyone else and accepted his culture’s values, he would have died. But because Daniel used his God-given gifts of discernment and wisdom, he was able to distinguish between right and wrong in an immoral culture and stay true to his own moral compass while still being effective at influencing others through their faith in God (Daniel 6:10).
Building Meaningful Relationships
1 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV)
10I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
The third way to keep your faith strong is to build meaningful relationships. Having someone to talk to, share your thoughts with and confide in is important. There’s a reason why it’s called “cheering up.”
Some people find their best friends at work or school, but most of us have found that the best friends often come from church — those who make us feel like family are often those who live close by and are growing in their own personal relationships with Christ.
Colossians 3:13 (NLT)
13Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
Living With Purpose
John 17:18 (MSG)
“In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world.”
Living with purpose is an important part of having a strong faith.
It’s also crucial to living a fulfilling life as a Christian.
When you have a purpose in life, it allows you to focus on what matters most and not get sidetracked by other things that might take your attention away from God.
You are called to be the best version of yourself possible—a child of God who is following Christ.
Serving in the Church
Serving in the church is a great way to grow in your faith. It’s about being a blessing to others, meeting people who are like you and getting involved with your community.
1 Corinthians 12:21-22
21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
When we serve, we feel better about ourselves because we are doing something positive for others. Serving helps us see how we can be an influence on other people’s lives. There are many options available when it comes to serving within the church: teaching Sunday School classes or children’s ministry; helping out with events such as music programs or bake sales; leading Bible studies; serving as an usher at services or concerts; working with missionaries abroad—the possibilities are endless.
Serving also helps us reach out beyond our own little circle of friends or family members and meet new people who share similar interests as ours.
Ephesians 2:10
“10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Faith is a powerful tool that can help you through anything. The world we live in today can be challenging to navigate, but the key is to not lose hope and continue to look for good in others. By keeping God’s perspective on life, we will always have something to believe in.