Prodigal: Boy am I tired, I have been rock climbing all day long trying to get in shape.
Me: Well rock climbing is good exercise!
Prodigal: I am ready to take a break now though.
Me: I can tell you some pointers on how to exercise your faith, if you like.
Prodigal: Sure, I am open to that.
Catherine Marshall in her book Beyond Our Selves shares ways to strengthen our faith.
First, we cannot trust God until we know something about Him. The way to begin is by reading His word and thinking about it. The Bible acquaints us with the nature and character of God: His power; His unselfish, unchangeable love; His infinite wisdom. We read instance after instance in which God has exercised His power and wisdom in helping and delivering His people.
Second, faith is strengthened only as we ourselves exercise it. We have to apply it to our problems: poverty, bodily ills, bereavement, job trouble, tangled human relationships.
Third, faith has to be in the present tense–now. A vague prospect that what we want will transpire in the future is not faith, but hope.
Fourth, absolute honesty is necessary. We cannot have faith and a guilty conscience at the same time. Every time faith will fade away.
Fifth, the strengthening of faith comes through staying with it in the hour of trial. We should not shrink from tests of our faith. Only when we are depending on God alone are we in a position to see God’s help and deliverance, and thus have our faith strengthened for the next time.
This means that we must let Him do the work. Almost always it takes longer than we think it should. When we grow impatient and try a deliverance of our own, through friends or circumstances, we are taking God’s work out of His hands.
You are tempted to listen to the voices of the world and not pay attention to Gods quiet voice telling you to just have faith at this hour. Turn to the quiet voice. Surrender desire to take things in your own hand. God is going to make a move.
Psalm 104:24
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Jennifer Van Allen,
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
