essay about strong faith

Short Essay On Faith In God

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Faith in God

Humans are innately vulnerable that is why we tend to be dependent on someone or something. Even from ancient times, people needed a ruler to rely on. In life, we all needed a force that will urge and guide us to live. A being to reckon and serve as a pillar for our strength. After all, the burden of tomorrow’s uncertainty is too much to bear.

God is the word that resonates since the start of time. People from different religions have God: In Hinduism, they have Shiva; in Buddhism, there is Buddha; in Islam, there is Allah; in Judaism, they call their God Yahweh; and in Christian, they have God and Jesus. Although separated by the diverse religions, there is one thing in common, the strong faith of the followers. The believers are what compose every religion. People nowadays are given the freedom to choose what religion they want to believe in.

Faith is a very complex word to be explained. It is a word that is much more powerful than love or hatred. It takes really a lot to fully surrender yourself and believes in something you don’t see. It’s a devotion to something or someone an intense belief that you will not betray no matter what. A person who has no faith is like walking on an endless circle moving forward but with no certainty and conviction.

There are many reasons why people develop a strong faith in God. It can be because of too many sufferings. People tend to seek help and comfort when confronted with difficult times. It can also be because they are raised from a God-fearing family. After all, family is the strongest influence on a child. A certain circumstance that made you believe that God exists cause most people to ask for a sign like the saying goes—" to see is to believe” . Others claimed they have been called upon, they felt a force that urges them to devote their lives to serving God.

Faith teaches people important things. Not everything you see matters and not everything you can’t see doesn’t matter. It also teaches us about patience and humility. Knowing someone is above you is life-changing. The thought of this will keep your feet on the ground. You will not feel alone anymore for you know that you have someone to rely on when things get rough. Faith is not someone’s weakness but rather a strength.

The virtue faith holds can change one’s life. People with strong faith know how to handle too much stress. They are not easily conquered and succumb to negative emotions. People learned to be contented. Sometimes we ask for things we wanted so we fail to see the things we needed that were given to us. Through faith, we have someone we can tell our deepest secret that we can’t afford to tell anyone. Faith makes someone open up their heart. The fear of being a judge is erased because God will always understand and forgive.

The strong force, called faith, connects people from different places and races. The barrier that divides people is shattered by the common goal which is to surrender completely to God. In faith, you don’t need to speak. The heart will understand what things you can not express through words. It’s a great feeling to have someone who shares the same passion as you. Someone to accompany you to burn the intensity of your devotion towards God even more.

Faith can be the faintest whisper of prayers at night or a loud cry of praise during a church gathering. It’s a gift to mankind. It holds so much promise and meaning. The life that was filled with darkness can be lightened up with just a small light of faith. The trust a human can easily give without worrying about being betrayed. It’s the best thing the world can offer. The most beautiful thing everyone can afford.

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How To Have STRONG Faith In God (even in tough times)

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Do you want to have STRONG faith in God?

You probably know men and women that seem to have unshakeable faith in God. No matter what happiness or heartache comes their way, their faith in God is immovable.

How can you have that same kind of faith?

What Is Faith In God?

Faith in the Lord means having confidence that God is good, that He’s on your side, and that He’s always working, even when you can’t see it.

The entire Christian life, from start to finish, is by faith. You’re saved through faith. You please God through faith. After all, Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it’s impossible to please God. You believe God’s promises in the Bible through faith.

How To Have Strong Faith In God

So how can you grow in your faith? Do these things.

Focus On God’s Character

Strong faith in God is much more than merely hoping things turn out okay. It’s much deeper and more profound than the belief that things will somehow turn out for the best. It’s not like naive optimism of the Beatles, who crooned, “It’s getting better all the time.”

No, unshakeable faith in God is based on the very character of God.

Scripture tells us that God is all-powerful. It also tells us that God is good and wise and full of love.

When you blend the omnipotence and goodness and wisdom and love of God, you end up with a God who is worthy of trust and praise and adoration.

This is why Peter could say in 1 Peter 5:6-7 :

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

The reasons you can have strong, unshakeable faith in God are:

God is almighty (“…the mighty hand of God)
God cares for you personally

You can cast all my cares on God, no matter how large, no matter how bone-crushing, because you know that He is all-powerful and all-loving.

If God was only one of those things (almighty or loving), you couldn’t have faith in the Lord. If he was all-powerful but not all-loving, there would be no guarantee that his power was working on my behalf.

But God’s love marshalls his power on my behalf. God’s love for me means that his earth-shaking, circumstance-changing, heart-moving power is always at work on my behalf.

Focus On God’s Power

The Apostle Paul’s unshakeable faith in God was based on his intimate knowledge of God’s glorious power. At one point, Paul found himself in circumstances so dire that he was convinced death was the only outcome. Death would mean the end of Paul’s ministry.

Yet Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:9 , “Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.”

Paul knew that even if he died, God could raise him from the dead. Even if the absolute worst happened, it couldn’t stop God. It turns out that even the great enemy of death is no match for my almighty, all-loving, merciful, gracious God.

And so you can have faith in God. You can cast my cares on him. Lay your burdens at his feet. His grace is sufficient for you .

You can have strong, immovable faith in God because he is good and loving.

Focus On God’s Promises In God’s Word

Incredibly, God has promised to do certain things for you and in you, and your faith in God is based on these unbreakable, unchanging promises.

Immoveable faith in God takes hold of God’s promises and won’t let go until they are fulfilled.

Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

To grow your faith, look at all the promises in God’s word!

What sorts of things has God promised to do on your behalf?

To constantly work in you until you are fully conformed to the image of Jesus Christ ( Philippians 1:6 ).
To meet all your needs with his glorious abundance ( Matthew 7:11 ).
To give you divine wisdom to navigate the complexities of life ( James 1:5 ).
To produce good fruit in and through you ( John 15:5 ).
To answer your prayers in big, unimaginable, world-changing ways ( James 5:16 ).
To never leave me or forsake you ( Hebrews 13:5 ).
To do more than you can think, ask, or imagine ( Ephesians 3:20 )
And so much more…

Faith in God is not random. Rather, it is attached to the concrete, unbreakable, you-can-stake-everything-on-them, promises of God.

Charles Spurgeon said this:

You can’t out believe God and God has never out-promised himself. If God promised it, you can stake everything on it.

If you want to have faith in God that isn’t easily moved or shaken, you need to immerse yourself in the promises of God. God has given me reason upon reason to hope in him , and I must hold fast to those glorious promises.

Focus On God’s Past Faithfulness

Strong, immoveable faith in God always looks back to God’s past faithfulness as a guarantee of his future faithfulness.

God never changes, and if he’s been faithful to you in the past, it’s a guarantee that he will continue to be faithful in the future.

The story of your life is one of God being faithful. God has always been faithful to his people, and you are living proof of that.

The past faithfulness of God assures you that he will continue to be faithful in the future. You can have faith in God that he will continue to sustain you through every trial, provide for your every need, and keep you close to him even in your darkest moments.

Bible Verses About Faith In God

If you find your faith in the Lord dipping, read and meditate on these Bible verses:

Faith In God Looks Up and Back

Strong faith in God is the result of looking up and back. We look up to God’s unshakable character and the unbreakable promises he has made to us. We look back to his constant faithfulness.

The result of looking up and back is a faith in God that can stand firm even in the midst of the hurricane.

This verse in the classic hymn “ Amazing Grace ” sums up how to have strong faith in God:

The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope secures; He will my Shield and Portion be, As long as life endures.

God has promised good to you in his word. As long as you’re alive, he is your shield and portion. You can have strong faith in God.

Stephen Altrogge

Hey, I'm Stephen Altrogge. I'm a dad and published author. I've written for The Gospel Coalition, Desiring God, ERLC, Church Leaders, Crosswalk, and many more outlets. You can follow me on Instagram and Facebook .

24 thoughts on “How To Have STRONG Faith In God (even in tough times)”

Oh how I pray that sometime I too with have this much faith in God’s love for me “individually”. Someday I pray that it will be more than “knowing” the outcome of salvation at the end of my life. All it feels like today and in my walk thus far, is a way to endure until the end. I’m exhausted in the heartache, pain, disappointments of the “there will be trials and turmoil” and that being all there ever is. I’m left with instead, always unanswered prayers and seeking strength to see through and hope that maybe someday it will be me too that is blessed with answers to this life’s unending trials and not just for others… “with I guess more faith than I”. Persevere… seemingly my lot in this life and a joy that in the end it will be all worth it. In the mean-time keep the faith and the “face on” so as not to discourage anyone around me. There just has to be more in the here and now that simply hope.

Hey Ron, Wow, the old saying misery loves company, though cliche, lets face it, it works. I would like to comfort you as a sister in Christ because I too, have your EXACT sentiments… as I continue on a 2 year, still no answers trial, I still cry most days, and as Im sitting here reading Phillipians as part of my daily devotional, I feel GOD stirring me to reach out to you. I really next to never write comments either. Often I feel , as in Phillupians 1:22 &. 23 in my shortened translation, if Im gonna stay here, I will be fruitful in my labors but Im torn cuz I just would rather go hang out with JESUS. St Paul felt the same way we do. He proclamed the Gospel and practically wrote half the Word of God, look how much he did while being severly persecuted, and he was still willing to continue on even though he would rather just hang out with JESUS. I pray your heart feels encouragement today and the Light of Christmas which is JESUS the best gift we could ever want or need is ALWAYS with us ,sweet and precious JESUS. I LOVE HIm SO MUCH. Dont give up on HIS LOVE , its as big as an ocean , my favorite creation of HIS. God Bless You !!!!!!

Ron, “Walking with GOD through Pain & Suffering” by Timothy Keller. ????

Having unshakeable faith is persevering through all the trials in life. God has chosen us to be overcomers and set apart from the world. This isn’t our home. Heaven is.

Ron/Marie. Me too. Ron says “face on”. Me too. Every single day. Just had the worst (and this really beats the rest) Christmas ever. It’s so , so hard to not say to God “why have you forsaken me”. But I carry on and hope. And pray. One day this will end.

Mark and Ron why don’t we lift each other up in prayer and renew our complete trust in God Despite the circumstances in front of us and hope for a wonderful 2019. I’m proclaiming next year our comments are undeniably wonderful.And thank you Steven for the awesome article and you’re very real down to earth sharing of your faith.

I want to really have Faith in God. Pls can you put me trust.

Thank you I been working on application of faith since this morning and this will help me a lot. Absolute trust in God that He is busy working out the answer after I pray. I am getting there.

Nourishing and Comforting, always Strengthening, certainly reassuring especially while sitting in the dark.

Hey Ron (sorry for my bad english), Thank you for writing about your feelings. I want to tell you that you are not alone. Oh, you’re not alone! I live many thousands of miles from you, in a country whose name you may never have heard, but I often feel just like you. Today I will pray to God and remember you, I promise. Thank you Steven for the awesome article.

Pastor,I am an avid reader of your articles. I am continually nourished and challenged by them. I appreciate you!! Blessings, Rose Shichende.

my wife and i need healing in our marriage she has backed herself into a corner only god can bless her heart to change please pray for us we have known each other for 40 yrs

I need your prayers for GOD Protection,wealth & prosperity

God bless more and continue to use you to enrich his children. I desire and pray for rock-like be faith for God

Keep the commandments and BE the Be Attitudes and watch and see what happens!

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God is known for the production of all, so don’t lose your confidence in him. Despite the fact that there are challenges throughout everyday life, he is consistently there sponsorship you up. How about we investigate probably the most renowned confidence in God cites that make certain to fortify your convictions as the strength of confidence comes from the inside.

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I must thank you for this wonderful article and verses. I truly needed this and it literally opened up my heart fully. I had been down on myself wondering if my Faith was strong enough, because I had been dealing with so many obstacles in life lately. This truly had me in tears happy to feel my heart stirring again renewing my mind towards my Faith in God.

Thank you for your speaking notes.

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The role of faith in spiritual growth.

God is Faithful , Faith , Identity in Christ , God is Good , Starting with God

Everyone knows that faith plays a significant role in our spiritual growth , but practically speaking it either occupies too much or too little of our understanding. If our conception of spiritual growth is nothing more than self-effort, we will not experience life transformation.

But if every spiritual pothole is paved with “just trust God,” we will also miss out on true spiritual growth. This is not to detract from the centrality of faith in becoming more like Christ, only to understand its role, so we can better coach those whom we disciple.

In the Christian life there are certain truths that are either so formative, or so fragile, that your disciple may require special assistance in learning to hold them in the shopping cart of faith. As mature Christian we are used to toting these truths around like a handbag (such as the security of our salvation), but young Christians need to develop the spiritual muscles that we take for granted.

What follows is a partial list of these foundational truths that require the exertion of faith, and may require your assistance. It is in these areas that the need for faith is most acute and where the lack of it will have the greatest ramifications.

Faith and Forgiveness

Few of the great battles in life are ever won overnight, so it is safe to assume that your disciples will see many spiritual failures before they finally see the flag raised, hear the national anthem, take their place on the winner’s platform and the world is joined together under the Nike swoosh. It might be a small failure or a stunningly gross one, but in either case they will desperately need to experience God’s forgiveness.

The problem with many sins is that even after we’ve confessed them, it is difficult to feel cleansed, to not berate ourselves, and not suspect that God’s still fuming over the incident. When we sin we instinctively feel someone must pay a price. No one gets off easy. What we need to decide is who is going to pay. Your disciple will therefore move in one of the following directions:

ALTERNATIVE #1 “I am pig swill.” This is one of the terms I use when beating myself up for having fallen into the same trap of sin, yet again. I’ve not copyrighted the phrase so feel free to use it. In essence, I’m crucifying myself for the sin. Yes, what Jesus did was nice, but I’m going to cover the tab—check, please. Someone must pay and rightfully it should be me, so I pound myself for my stupidity.
ALTERATIVE #2 “You, you made me sin.” That “you” could be a person, Satan, or even God, but either way someone needs to take the fall for the sin I’ve just committed, and I’ll be darned if it’s going to be me.
ALTERNATIVE #3 “Now that you mention it, I’m not sure that really was a sin.” Recognize that phrase? It’s called justification. As the word implies, we decide to make a judgment over and against our conscience, declaring that what we did was actually right, or at least not that wrong. Why go to the effort? Because someone must pay for sin, unless of course there is no sin and that’s what we’re shooting for in this approach: to eliminate the offense.
ALTERNATIVE #4 “I couldn’t help myself, it’s just my personality.” Let’s call this rationalizing, which is equivalent to the courtroom plea of insanity. What I’m saying is, “Yes, it was sin, but I didn’t have the moral capacity to say ‘no.’” My personality was such, and circumstances were such, that I could do no other than what I did. The effectiveness of this strategy lies in how good you are at convincing yourself that it’s really not your fault. I’m pretty gullible, so I usually believe me.

Of course what makes this all unnecessary is that someone has already paid the price, Christ. What is needed is confession. The problem is that we can confess our sins while failing to employ faith. Faith involves a choice of the will to believe that God has forgiven us through Christ’s death, while turning a deaf ear to doubts. We reckon that God is more merciful than we can imagine and believe that through Christ’s death we are completely forgiven, and “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).

We often ask our disciples to scribble out their sins on a piece of paper, and have them write the verse 1 John 1:9 across the list, and tear up the list. I see no expiration date on this exercise. It is effective because it develops the faith component of confession: a visual aid to under gird a young and underdeveloped faith muscle. It might be useful to walk your disciples through the different responses listed above to help them see where in the process of confession, they are failing to exercise faith. You must teach them confession but you must also teach them that confession involves faith.

Faith That God Can Make You Holy

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

Most of the great heroes of the Bible share two things in common: they all wore sandals, and they were all required to persevere in their faith, though final victory was often years in the future. We, too—no matter how many setbacks we encounter—must never waiver in our belief that God can make us holy, and, if we persevere, will ultimately lead us in triumph.

Every disciple is willing to trust God for victory over sin at least once. The problem is when the war turns into Vietnam, with infrequent victories, heavy losses, and no foreseeable exit strategy. It is at this juncture that they need to know that faith is a long-term struggle and holiness a lifelong battle. Point to the many battles of faith in scripture fought and won over years, and not days. Show them how the Promised Land was taken one battle at a time.

When victory is elusive they will need someone to help make sense of it and prepare them for the long war. Without a proper perspective, they may resolve the conflict with a ceasefire, and an acceptance of behavior far from godliness. Help them persevere in the battle believing God will, in time, bring victory.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Here is another truth into which faith must sink its teeth: we must choose to believe that our temptations and struggles are not unique and therefore never insurmountable, unfixable, or unforgivable. It is a lie to believe that any temptation is irresistible, or that we are unique in any of our struggles.

God always provides what we need to remain holy, even if it’s simply an escape hatch. Every disciple is tempted to believe that in some area of their lives, they deviate from the norm. Satan desires for us to feel alone. You might ask your disciples if they have ever felt this way or in what area they tend to think of themselves as having unique trials or temptations. Forfeit faith in this area and you’ve dangerously increased the power of sin.

Faith That All Things Work For the Good

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

The next battle of faith is for all those who have experienced damage in their lives, or within themselves, due to sin. God can take any manure and from it grow a garden, as you participate in this promise by faith. While it may be impossible to imagine how God can bring good out of our train wreck of past and present failures, this is hardly a limiting factor. For God can do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).

There is no limit to God’s capacity to redeem evil. Everything in our past can be taken and used for good. Every failure (like Peter’s failures) can be transformed by God’s mercy. Every weakness (like Paul’s weaknesses) can be a vehicle for God to demonstrate His strength. Though we must persevere in faith, and sometimes for years, the equation will always add up: crap + God = life. And faith is the means by which God enters the equation.

Through the examples of biblical characters such as Peter and Paul, and through examples from your own life, you must help your disciples strap on the shield of faith against the lie that anything in their lives is unredeemable, gratuitous, or random.

Faith in Our Reward

Now, there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Timothy 4:8).

Some years ago I was in China and like any tourist I visited the Great Wall. Along the bottom of the wall, a worker of this communist country was picking up trash. I clocked him at one piece of trash a minute, which at that rate would have taken him longer to clear the grounds than it took to build the Great Wall.

Where we visited included a maze of concession stands, tons of them—Great Concession stands. Someone told me that those who operated the stands employed principles of the free market, meaning that the more they sold and the more they charged for what they sold, the more they profited. One of the women at the booths actually grabbed my coat and dragged me to her counter. It would be an understatement to say that it was a motivated workforce.

The difference between these two workers was a chasm. Let’s call it the Great Chasm. One worked like a sluggard because he knew that he would always make the same amount no matter what he did (communism). The other worker knew that her effort would be rewarded (the free market).

The doctrine of eternal security (that we can never lose our salvation) was never meant to negate the teaching of rewards. In many places in the Bible, God makes it clear that our obedience and faithfulness will be rewarded. We are called to exercise faith in future rewards, choosing to believe that our actions or inaction will be compensated. When our minds move down the trail of “what difference will this really make?” the response of faith is—a lot. We are not told what these rewards will be, but simply given the assurance that it will be worth our while.

Teaching our disciples to maintain an eternal perspective, or to live for eternity, can cultivate their faith toward this truth, provided that our definition of what is eternal encompasses far more than evangelism, for Jesus states that even a cup of water given in his name will not fail to be rewarded.

Faith in God's Goodness

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

If you go back to the Garden of Eden (which is probably now a parking lot in downtown Baghdad), you will notice that the first sin was a distrust of God’s goodness. Adam and Eve became convinced that God was holding out on them. Eating from the tree was in their best interests. The foundation of most sin is a lack of faith in God’s goodness, and disbelief that His plans for us are really best.

When things are going wrong, we justify our sin with self-pity. We find ourselves thinking, “Well, I’m going to do this because God isn’t taking care of me anyway, and rather than helping, He’s allowing my life to disintegrate.” Such reasoning is designed by our scheming mind to bring us to a sense of entitlement to sin.

More innocuously, many of us fall prey to pessimism and distrust that what lies in wait over the time horizon is anything but good, often brought on by a nagging suspicion that God never did forget our sin, and payday is right around the bend.

We must fight the battle to deny or disbelieve God’s goodness, with faith, never giving an inch. Everything God does in our lives is motivated by love, and any minor deconstruction of that truth is a lie that can have serious ramifications.

In helping your disciples with this struggle, you might ask some questions to discover if their mind has a proclivity to move down this path. You might also share in what ways you tend to doubt the goodness of God. Intimacy with Christ is the best answer to any and all doubts of His goodness. When we feel close to Christ, we sense that He is on our side, and when we feel distant, we come to suspect that He is not.

Memorizing scripture is great, but passages of scripture are animated by our intimacy with Christ.

Identity: Identity Theft

“I got me some of them mud flaps with the naked ladies on them. Ohhh mamacita.”

In a series of ads for Citibank’s identity theft program, the viewer sits and listens to the thief who, having stolen the person’s credit card number, recounts their various bizarre purchases and exploits. What makes the ads humorous as well as memorable is the thief’s story is told (lip-synced) through the identity theft victim, sitting forlornly mouthing the words.

In some way we are all victims of identity theft. Having trusted Christ, we are heirs with Christ of all that is in Him. Most of us never fully grasp what God’s Word says is true of us in Christ, or worse, we simply don’t think about it. We are children of God, chosen before time to be in the family of God, yet these concepts don’t make it to the starting line-up of thoughts that propel us into the day.

In the movie "Cheaper by the Dozen," the youngest child is treated as the family outcast. The other kids call him “FedEx” because they suspect he was adopted and simply delivered to the family, not born into it. Over the course of time he begins to believe it, rumors become a lie, and the lie grows in power until he runs away from the family believing he has no place within it. There’s a message from an otherwise boring movie: our identity matters.

Our faith in our identity in Christ is absolutely foundational to our lives. Faith is fed by reading the Bible. “The Daily Affirmation of Faith” was written to provide a concise, clear statement of the truth of God’s Word as it applies to our victory in Christ (what is true of us in Him). Commend it to your disciples for daily reading particularly during times of deep trials and temptation when they are most prone to forget who they truly are, and believe things about themselves and God which are not true.

The Daily Affirmation of Faith

Today I deliberately choose to submit myself fully to God as He has made Himself known to me through the Holy Scripture, which I honestly accept as the only inspired, infallible, authoritative standard for all life and practice. In this day I will not judge God, His work, myself, or others on the basis of feelings or circumstances.

I recognize by faith that the triune God is worthy of all honor, praise, and worship as the Creator, Sustainer, and End of all things. I confess that God, as my Creator, made me for Himself. In this day, I therefore choose to live for Him. (Revelation 5:9-10; Isaiah 43:1,7,21; Revelation 4:11)

I recognize by faith that God loved me and chose me in Jesus Christ before time began (Ephesians 1:1-7).

I recognize by faith that God has proven His love to me in sending His Son to die in my place, in whom every provision has already been made for my past, present, and future needs through His representative work, and that I have been quickened, raised, seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenlies, and anointed with the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:6-11; 8:28; Philippians 1:6; 4:6,7,13,19; Ephesians 1:3; 2:5,6; Acts 2:1-4,33).

I recognize by faith that God has accepted me, since I have received Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:6); that He has forgiven me (Ephesians 1:7); adopted me into His family, assuming every responsibility for me (John 17:11,17; Ephesians 1:5; Philippians 1:6); given me eternal life (John 3:36; 1 John 5:9-13); applied the perfect righteousness of Christ to me so that I am now justified (Romans 5:1; 8:3-4; 10:4); made me complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10); and offers Himself to me as my daily sufficiency through prayer and the decisions of faith (1 Corinthians 1:30; Colossians 1:27; Galatians 2:20; John 14:13-14; Matthew 21:22; Romans 6:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-3,11).

I recognize by faith that the Holy Spirit has baptized me into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13); sealed me (Ephesians 1:13-14); anointed me for life and service (Acts 1:8; John 7:37-39); seeks to lead me into a deeper walk with Jesus Christ (John 14:16-18; 15:26-27; 16:13-15; Romans 8:11-16); and to fill my life with Himself (Ephesians 5:18).

I recognize by faith that only God can deal with sin and only God can produce holiness of life. I confess that in my salvation my part was only to receive Him and that He dealt with my sin and saved me. Now I confess that in order to live a holy life, I can only surrender to His will and receive Him as my sanctification; trusting Him to do whatever may be necessary in my life, without and within, so I may be enabled to live today in purity, freedom, rest and power for His glory. (John 1:12; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Galatians 2:20; Hebrew 4:9; 1 John 5:4; Jude 24).

Our Salvation

We’ll conclude with the most fundamental of truths, and ground zero for faith. All things build upon this.

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12).

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13).

In describing our spiritual armor, Paul uses a helmet to illustrate the truth of our salvation: that which protects the mind, and protects us from a fatal blow. We make it a critical part of basic follow-up, because scripture affirms that it is. Let your disciples doubt that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Let them doubt that the Cubs will ever win a World Series. But, rehearse this with them until that helmet cannot be pried off their head.

How Faith Grows

Faith is like a muscle; it grows by lifting weights. Weights are the resistance—the doubts, mental whispers, and circumstances that tell us the opposite of what faith must believe.

When God seems absent and horrible circumstances swirl around us, everything seems to shout, “God isn’t here! And if He is, He certainly doesn’t care.” In those circumstances, faith curls the barbell toward the heart and says, “No, God is good. He is for me. He has a plan.” Thus, it is the circumstances adverse to our faith that become the vehicle for our growth—they are the weight on the barbell.

And so all disciples are periodically tossed into a boat and sent out into a raging storm, where God is conspicuous by his absence. We are not trying to rescue our disciples from the situations and circumstances that will cause faith to grow. Our role is to come alongside them, strengthen their feeble arms and help them to curl the heavy weights that will cause their faith to bulk-up. (I think I just described a steroid.)

God provides the weight (adverse circumstances and trials), but they must continue to lift the weight. We must spot them helping them push out more repetitions than they thought possible while making sure the barbell doesn’t pin them to the bench-press.

Alternatively, faith grows through new challenges and we serve our disciples well by calling them into circumstances where they will need to trust and rely on God. They take courageous steps, God shows Himself faithful, and their faith grows.

Through the stress and strain of faith development, the truths discussed in this article are the most common fracture points, and the places your disciples may most need your encouragement to wind their way up the hill of faith.

What Hope Looks Like

Sometimes, finding hope means looking in a new direction.

How to Experience Life Change

Use spiritual breathing to fill you with the Holy Spirit’s power.

25 Ways to Build Your Faith in God and Trust Him in Everything

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Since pleasing God is essential to an abundant life, building our faith is a natural step. We are living in a world where the temptation to doubt God is constant. His children need more than ever to learn how to trust in His goodness and have strong faith.

Below are some practical ways to move toward a stronger faith and a heart that trusts God’s promises. Take a moment to review the following list and discover your next step to deeper faith and trust in God.

1. Remember God’s Faithfulness

Our faith will naturally grow when we make a conscious effort to look for ways to trust God. Pray and seek the Lord’s help when faced with a need or going through a difficult time in your life. Then, watch and wait. He will move because you are trusting in Him.

Once you see His intervention or Him speaking into your difficulty, you will have something to hold onto; your heavenly Father cares and moves on your behalf! The next time you find it difficult to trust God, remember He moved on your behalf before, and He will do it again. Step by step, you will build a strong faith that will help you overcome life’s challenges.

2. Start a Prayer and Praise Journal

When we stand face to face with spiritual obstacles and feel the crushing weight of our burdens, it causes us to forget what God has already done for us. A simple way to keep your focus on God in those moments is to start a prayer and praise journal.

Use a journal to write down prayer requests, including the date you entrusted them into God’s hands. When God answers your prayer, add that information to your journal. Your journal will contain the evidence you need to face difficult times with a deeper trust in your loving Father’s faithfulness.

3. Reflect on God’s Promises

Difficult things often arrive suddenly in our lives, as if dropping out of the sky onto our path. All you can see at that moment is a mountain. It blocks your progress and your vision of what lies ahead. When we focus on the mountain, we lose faith in God.

The Bible tells of God’s children overcoming obstacles with His help. Ask God to give you the strength to climb your mountain or make a way through to the other side. As God takes you by the hand and leads you to victory, your trust will soon overshadow all your mountains.

4. Trust God’s Plans

When we receive bad news or come face to face with a difficult circumstance, often it shakes us to our core and fear sets in. A perfect way to build the kind of faith that does not fail is to always trust in God’s plans. He knows your future and has plans to prosper you. Life-shattering moments are no surprise to God, even if tears fill our path.

Memorize Jeremiah 29:11 and hold it in your heart. When you face the temptation to doubt God’s presence in your life, this Bible verse can be a reminder that you never walk alone. Walking with the Lord is the best way to learn to trust Him with everything.

5. Pray God’s Promises Back to Him

A great way to increase your faith is to pray for the promises found in God’s Word. Some promises in the Bible are for a specific person or people. Faith, however, calls us to believe that if God did it for those people, He can do it for us.

Search for Bible verses that you can pray over any situation. Your faith can easily grow with each answer to a prayer that you receive, each promise He grants, and each deliverance He provides. He can also test your faith when He determines it is in your best interest for you to pass through the circumstance. Praying His Word back to Him will show you a lot about your faith and teach you about the will of God.

6. Set Aside Time to Listen

Our lives are full of things demanding our attention and draining our time. There is a remedy for these distractions: start listening to the Word of God on a daily basis. Instead of listing to music on the radio during your commute, you could try listening to a podcast of your favorite pastor. Instead of spending two or three hours a night watching your favorite TV programs, set aside some time for a Bible study instead.

Philippians 4:8 provides a list of what we should focus on, but life chokes these things out. Taking intentional steps to listen to the teaching of His Word will bring direction, hope, and growth to your life.

7. Ask the Lord Jesus to Increase Your Faith

There is a simple way to grow your faith: ask for Christ Jesus to increase it. His followers asked Him to increase their faith in Luke 17:5, and they saw His miracles and listened to His teachings firsthand. If they needed more faith to accomplish the Lord’s will, how much more do we?

To build your faith, ask the Lord to increase it to the measure needed to fulfill His will. God is faithful to His children, and His desire is for us to walk in faith. So, boldly ask the Lord for a full measure of faith.

8. Read and Memorize God’s Word

There are a lot of bad things dominating our hearts and minds, most of which will serve no purpose in hard times. In comparison, the Word of God is a pillar of fire guiding us through the darkness of difficult circumstances.

Reading the Bible reveals God’s goodness and faithfulness. Your faith will deepen when you learn about the God you serve. Memorizing Bible verses will help you when faced with trials. You will come out the other side of your trial in victory. You won’t be victorious because of your strength, but because you trusted in God. Each time you overcome with help from the Word of God, your trust will be stronger.

9. Surrender Your Trust to God

The sin of self-reliance is a prime example of lacking trust in God. If you are not trusting God, then your faith is based on something else. Having faith in other things restricts the power of God in your life. Eventually, you are disappointed because of human limitations.

Note the areas of your life in which you have not surrendered into God’s hands and then ask Him to take control. Trust your life to God’s plans and God’s ways. This will grow your faith because you learn that His ways are far better than anything you could have imagined. Surrender results in a stronger faith and a deeper trust in God.

10. Identify Areas of Unbelief

Mark 9:24 is a picture of what happens when unbelief meets Jesus Christ face-to-face. The father in this story brought a profound, personal need before the Lord, and the encounter revealed his unbelief. It is best not to wait until you are in a crisis to discover your unbelief because unbelief hinders your faith.

Ask God to examine your heart and write down what He reveals. Fight against your unbelief with the help of the Word of God. As you move from unbelief to belief, your faith and trust in God will flourish.

11. Trust God with Your Pain

When difficult times come, it is easy to question the goodness of God. Your heart then starts equating God’s goodness with your will, and this leads to disappointment. Resist the urge to think God does not care about you when things do not go as you desire. You must fix your mind and spirit on the promises of God and trust Him no matter what happens.

The purpose for suffering in your life is in God’s hands. He knows your deepest and most desperate needs and is ready to discuss them with you. He has prepared enough faith for you to be victorious, so ask Him to fill your spirit with all you need. There is pain in the night, but with Him, joy comes in the morning.

12. Denounce Empty Substitutions of Faith

The Old Testament tells how some of God’s children trusted in everything but Him. The results were devastating and painful. Today’s culture offers many idols for us to trust, but they are just empty substitutions for the Living God.

Good things like church, jobs, and family can become idols, and God directly opposes idols of any kind. Pray and ask Him to reveal if you have based your faith on anything other than Him. Tear down any substitutes the Holy Spirit reveals and request His help to have faith in God alone. Once the Lord helps you remove the obstacles to growth, you will experience a greater measure of faith.

13. Take Your Thoughts Captive

Many Christians struggle with doubt, and God’s Word teaches us that we are not alone. John doubted Christ’s identity, and even Thomas did not believe it was Christ when he saw Him.

God is always calling His children out to deeper waters and into unknown areas. Why? To help us learn to trust Him. So, how do you deal with faith-crushing doubt? Pray and confess it to the Lord and ask for forgiveness. Fight against your doubt with the Word of God. Look up Bible verses that will help you make your every thought captive & obedient to Christ. Ask the Lord to grant you the faith to overcome your doubt, and it will surprise you how much your trust will grow.

14. Align Your Life under His Will

Sin erodes our faith in God and causes us to feel we have lost God’s love. When we do not feel loved or are ashamed, we avoid God’s presence, just like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Our feelings drive us away from faith in God and His Word.

A great way to build your faith is to repent and confess your sins. Acknowledging God’s holiness and aligning your plans under His sovereignty will open your life up to new and exciting ways to grow your faith. Ask God to show you if you have sin that needs forgiving. As you make His will the desire of your heart, you give glory to God and start your journey to a stronger faith.

15. Focus on the Needs of Others

Often, we see people who seem to radiate strength and faith in God. If we are honest, we wish we had that kind of faith. How did they get to their spiritual condition? They stepped out of the boat, tested the waters, and trusted that God would hold them up or teach them to swim.

Serving others is a perfect way to step out in faith and see how God works. The first thing to do is to find something you enjoy doing and serve in that area. Your church should have many opportunities to serve. If they do not have a ministry for you, then start one! God can use your joy in serving as a catalyst for growth in your life and impact the eternal life of others.

16. Make God Your Security

What do you depend on for your security and wellbeing? Is it a person other than Jesus? Is it in your job, talent, intelligence, or status? When you base your faith on things or people, then in time, your security crumbles. Jobs and fortunes are lost, and people die or leave us. There is always someone more intelligent, and your status is only a social media post away from being destroyed. It only takes one catastrophe to awaken us to the realization that we have been building our lives on sand and not on the Lord Jesus, our Rock.

Make a list of the important things in your life, then pray and give them into the Lord’s faithful hands. Ask the Father to bless you with the faith you need to trust Him completely. Then, you can stand firm no matter what bad things happen.

17. Practice Contentment

It is hard to be content if things do not go the way we want or when in the middle of a long trial. Discontentment, while natural, shows a lack of trust in God. The children of God must fight against discontentment. We should decide in advance to stand firm in our faith and trust in the goodness of God, no matter what.

Whatever you are facing, focus on what He is accomplishing through your disappointment or suffering and on the promises of God. Remember to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of your faith, and He will help you grow and trust even in your suffering.

18. Utilize Your Shield of Faith

A great enemy of our faith is spiritual warfare. The Apostle Paul wrote the book of Ephesians in AD60, but God’s Word is just as alive, active, and relevant today.

Satan’s desire is for the children of God to doubt and lose faith. Satan attacks our faith because it is our shield and protects us from his fiery darts (Ephesians 6:16). Before you find your faith wavering, read Ephesians 6 and make the Armor of God a part of your daily life. We find the secret to having enough faith in verse 10, “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” We do nothing in our strength, but our faith in God activates His power. Pray and confess your need for His power and protection. Ask Him to strengthen your faith so that you can stand against anything the enemy sends your way.

19. Remove Prideful Thinking

Pride causes significant damage to our faith by challenging our trust in God. Pride teaches us we have all the answers, so we believe the lie and look to our own understanding more than God’s truth. Psalm 139:23-24 provides a template for testing our lives for any offensive ways.

Pray and ask the Father to reveal any areas of your life dominated by pride and ask for His forgiveness. List what He reveals in a notebook, then find Bible verses to help you overcome these prideful areas. As you pray and make a conscious effort to eradicate pride from your life, you will develop a deeper trust in God’s promises. A deeper trust leads to a closer relationship and a stronger faith in His love for you.

20. Build Trust Through Prayer

Prayer is a conversation with the Living God, yet His children often neglect it. When we pray, we get a sense of the heartbeat of God for the lost, our family, and our spiritual condition. When we do not have the words to pray, we can ask the Holy Spirit to pray for us.

God has provided all you need to grow through prayer. So, start today and spend some time in the presence of the Lord. It may seem awkward at first, but when you pray and feel His presence, your faith will become firmly established. The Christians who make prayer a part of their daily life will continue to grow in faith and trust as they see God move.

21. Be a Witness of His Faithfulness

Talking to others about Christ is scary for many people, mainly because we think we do not have all the answers or we aren’t sure what words to use.

Pray and surrender yourself to be an instrument for telling others about His love. Confess your fears and ask the Lord to help you share the good news of Jesus Christ. God will open doors of opportunity for you to witness. You will find that God is faithful to give you words to speak, and the power of the Holy Spirit will touch the hearts of the people through you. Your measure of faith will increase as you walk under the influence of His love and power.

22. Call on the Holy Spirit

We have all been in a situation where we know we need to step out in faith, but we shrink back. How do we overcome those moments when fear rules over our faith? A long time ago, our Heavenly Father provided all we need through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus called Him our Helper in John 14:26, so the next time you find yourself in a situation where you want to shrink back, stop, and pray.

Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help to strengthen your faith to step out and do what God is calling you to do. When you complete your assignment, He has given you, your faith in Him will soar as He uses you to do great things.

23. Be a Good Steward of Faith

Often, Christians long to have more faith even though they are not faithful with what they already have. One of the best ways to grow your faith is to be obedient to what you already know you should do but are not.

James 1:22 tells us to be doers of the Word of God. The first step toward a strong faith is to compile a list of what you already know you should be doing. For example, prayer and reading God’s Word should be a part of your daily life. If they are not, your next step would be to make time for each of these things. Be faithful with what you have, and you will grow with each step of obedience you take!

24. Remove Obstacles to Peace

The lack of peace is an obstacle to building faith and trust in God. There are many times we are not sure what to do, and the lack of peace freezes our progress. Other times, we are not sure we know the will of God, and the lack of peace keeps us from doing anything.

In Isaiah 26:3, God promises to “keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Here is the secret to your peace: trust in God . Pray for God’s guidance and trust that the Spirit of God will not allow you to take one step outside of His will for your life. If you take Him at His Word and trust what He says is true, His perfect peace will dominate your mind resulting in the growth you desire.

25. Walk Closely with Christ Jesus

In Colossians 2:6-7, God instructed us to “walk in Christ Jesus the Lord.” Walking close to Him will give your faith the roots it needs to flourish.

Here are some practical ways for you to walk closely with the Lord Jesus. First, read about Him in God’s Word. Learning more about what He has done and said will naturally lead you to the next step. Worship Him, praising Him for His sacrifice and love. Then, follow His lead in all areas of your life, including the service of others. As you walk with Him, you will be strengthened in your faith.

These steps are not all-inclusive, but they certainly are a good start. God has gone to great lengths to make it possible for you to have a close relationship with Him, and faith and trust are crucial to that relationship. Let this list be your first step toward pleasing God.

Without faith, it is impossible to please God. However, the Bible tells us of many people who did please Him. The significance is that it is possible, so pray and seek the faith needed. O Lord, we ask this day for Your help and provision to live faithful and pleasing lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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George Fox University

What My Faith in God Looks Like

By Dustin Junkert

July 20, 2009

I grew up quietly and without thought. My mom was a secretary at the Baptist church, and I led the worship team senior year of high school. My youth pastor was one of my best friends. I believed in God and my parents, my friends, and the four walls of my house. All things were within reach, simple and inspiring. And I told my girlfriend I wanted to be a writer.

She told me I was very smart and of course I’d be a writer. I wrote a rhyming 12-line poem over the course of three days, a maze of abstraction. I read it over and over until I had it memorized. In high school English, I dazed off reciting my poem in my head, the poem that would soon be recited by everyone in 12th-grade English across the country, once I settled on a publisher. Soon after, I began work on my first novel, a period piece about a 17th-century Huguenot family fleeing the Inquisition.

Eager to continue my spiritual journey, I went to a private Christian college in Oregon complete with a lifestyle contract. Freshman year, I met Frank, a lifelong philosopher. He was a couple rooms down from me. He asked me all sorts of wild questions I had never thought about before, like, “Well, why do you believe that?” Everything I said that year, Frank would ask me that question. Then I started asking myself that question about every thought I had. It was a sort of game, which most of the time sounded like this:

Why shouldn’t I have sex before I marry?

Because the Bible says it’s a sin.

Because it keeps you from Him.

Why doesn’t all sex keep you from Him?

Because premarital sex does not require any commitment.

Why do you need commitment?

Because sex is special.

Why do you think that?

Because it says so in the Bible.

Why do you believe the Bible?

Because it’s God’s word.

How do you know that?

Because it says it in there.

Well, I am speaking the words of God right now, do you believe me?

Because. . . .

The game generally started with a question, cycled through my beliefs, and ended with “because. . . .” Soon it was ending in just “. . . .”

I took a class called “The Problem of Religious Diversity” that quickly had me believing that just about any belief system could be true and that no one could prove anything. It never occurred to me until then that people who believed something other than Christianity had the same reason for believing their faith as I did for believing mine.

How about that?

I ran into an old Sunday school teacher sophomore year and told him I’d been thinking that maybe it’s not true that everyone who’s not a Baptist will go to Hell. He looked me straight in the eye with saintly gravity and said: “The Bible is very clear: if you believe that, you aren’t a Christian. In fact, if we were in the 17th century right now, you’d be burned at the stake.” I, of course, knew this from all the research I’d done for my novel. But the way he said it put me in a state of fear at first, then repentance, then confusion, and lastly anger. I rebelled from the religion that contained all the smallness of my childhood. I cursed my Baptist teacher, God and the novel, and fled to Russia for a study-abroad semester sponsored by a coalition of Christian colleges.

The first person I talked to there was Dan, a student at Grace College in Michigan. He immediately asked the last question I wanted to hear: “So what’s your faith look like?” I went cold. I wanted to bleat my usual Jesus-story and be done with it, but the ice on my ribs wouldn’t let me lie. I reluctantly collapsed and told him that honestly, I didn’t know anything anymore and nothing was real. Turns out, Dan was in the same place I was.

Together we raved and doubted and yelled and trembled all semester long. We felt the black blood of Dostoevsky and descended the dark stairs of Derrida and Sartre. Some nights, we would just sit across from each other and stare, estranged by the cold of a new, uncertain world. After one of these nights of existential fog, as I got up to go, I turned to Dan and said, “The only meaningful thing left to do in this world, it seems, is to sit quietly with a friend until dark and then say goodnight.”

Then, on a snow-gray Russian day, riding a packed bus, a song came on my iPod that froze me in time. In a sense, I’m still there on that bus listening to that song with watering eyes. It was a song called “Clouds” by As Cities Burn that said: “Is your god really God? / Is my god really God? / I think our god isn’t God / If he fits inside our heads.”

With the terrifying pull of rubber bands, I expanded beyond the length of the bus, grew from the street to the sky. Then I snapped and everything came undone. I resigned entirely. God won’t fit inside our heads, and if He does, we’re missing something. And I knew all I’d been waiting for was to know that to admit doubt was not to lose faith. A few simple lines of an Indie rock song pushed me to see hope amid uncertainty.

It snowed continually my last two weeks in Russia. I met Dan one morning at a small cafe, Biblioteca, where we drank bottomless black tea and watched the snow pile up on the street. He said he had prayed the night before. I said I was ready to step back into a church.

Our last Sunday in Moscow, we attended Mass, an Orthodox church, then a mosque. Dan said we were a Protestant service away from a monotheistic grand slam. At Mass, I wrote in my journal, “God, see that I’m trying.”

It was the first time I had prayed in more than a year.

Dustin Junkert, George Fox University, class of 2009, writing/literature major

100-Word Faith Stories: (Very) short essays about unexpectedly experiencing God in the world today

In new life—whether in the priesthood or bringing a child into the world—we can experience God in new ways. Faith comes from surprising places. We asked readers to share stories of surprising moments of faith in no more than 100 words. In these (very) short essays, they describe their faith journeys found through these experiences with life. They show how faith can be strengthened in these small yet meaningful ways.

I am currently pregnant, but my husband and I know there are several problems with this pregnancy. We don’t know what the end will look like, but there is a chance our third baby will not survive. In the midst of this, I feel God tapping me on the shoulder through prayer, Scripture or those around me trying to say: “No, you don’t know the outcome yet, but I’m with you through it all. I haven’t abandoned you. Trust me. I’m here, I’ve got you, and I love you. Elizabeth Hokamp Sterling, Kans.

We’ve lost our intimacy with the life and death of things we eat. Humans can pretend their meat wasn’t a living being before it arrived at the market elegantly wrapped. I have never said grace so earnestly as I did after hunting, cooking and eating a woodcock. As the instrument of my dinner’s demise, I felt sad and grateful for its life and that it died on my behalf. Giving thanks to God for his creature, I thought of how serious a decision it is to eat meat, to take a life, when other options are available. God provides. Anthony Giattino Yonkers, N.Y.

May 17, 1975. I lay prostrate on the cold marble floor of the cathedral in Trenton, N.J., preparing to be ordained a Catholic priest. I listened to the Litany of the Saints being sung. When the music concluded, I began to right myself from the floor. My hands touched the marble where my body had been, and it was warm. This was what servant priesthood would be for me; to draw from the cold world, and absorb in my body all that is cold, and make it warm with the love of God within. My soul smiled with joy. Msgr. Charlie Cicerale Willingboro, N.J.

The day arrives. The manufacturing business that sustained the family over generations succumbs, a victim of change. Virtually nothing is left. He worries. What will he do now, in middle age? How will he provide for his family?

On his weary way home, he feels conflicted. To visit a cheery, well-lit pub or a quiet church? Both are on his path. Inexplicably, he chooses to trudge into the church, slipping into the back pew. It is deserted and peaceful; the light of the tabernacle comforts. “Fear not; I am with you always.”

Comforted, he walks out of the church. Faith strengthens. Tom Thomas Bengaluru, India

It’s his smile, a toothy grin that, spread wide, creates five deep dimples across his face. It brings God close every time I see it. During the pandemic, his smile was lost in the confusion of a deaf child unable to read lips concealed behind masks. But he refused to disappear. Educators taught him creative ways of connecting, like using big buttons with their smiling faces on it, and being more intentional with their eye contact. He and his teachers navigated the barriers until the barriers finally came down. It is his smile that, for me, is faith made real. Gretchen Crowder Dallas, Tex.

Related: 100-Word Faith Stories in our November 2022 Issue

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Mary Rowlandson’s Strong Faith, Captivity and Restoration Research Paper

In his book, A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs Mary Rowlandson , the author reproduces his own story of the captivity of the Wampanoag Indians during their attack on the town of Lancaster in 1676. Throughout her captivity, Mary Rowlandson faced many trials, both physical and emotional. Despite the difficulties, the heroine drew strength from her faith in God. Her strong faith helped her to endure her captivity and ultimately be restored to her family. This paper will examine how Mary Rowlandson’s strong faith helped her through a difficult time of captivity.

Mary Rowlandson was born in England in 1637 and immigrated to Massachusetts with her family in 1643. Rowlandson grew up in a Puritan family and received a decent education for a woman of her time. In 1656, she married the minister of her town, Mr. Joseph Rowlandson. They had three children together before he died in 1669. In 1678, Mary Rowlandson married Captain Benjamin Whitman. The couple had one child together before Captain Whitman also passed away.

Rowlandson’s faith was evident from the beginning of her difficult situation. When she was first taken captive, she was separated from her three young children. Rowlandson was understandably distraught at this separation, but she turned to God for comfort. She narrates her imprisonment: “Oh, the sorrows of a gentle mother when she is forced to leave her dear children in the hands of the enemy! The Lord sustained me with His strength so that I would not drown under my burden” (Rowlandson 38). Rowlandson’s faith in God gave her the strength to endure this difficult situation.

She was constantly reminded of the power of God, even amid her suffering. For example, she writes of a time when her captors were considering whether or not to kill her. She writes, “I thought now my end came… But it was not the will of God that I should yet die, for the Lord had work for me to do” (Rowlandson 70). Once again, Rowlandson’s faith helped her to overcome a difficult situation.

Rowlandson’s strong faith was evident in her words and actions, showing compassion and forgiveness toward her captors throughout her imprisonment. For example, she cared for a sick child, even though the child’s mother had been cruel to her. She also showed forgiveness when she was finally released from captivity. In her narrative, she writes, “I forgave them [my captors] all that was past, and was willing to live peaceably with them” (Rowlandson 107). Rowlandson’s actions show that her faith was more than just words; it was a way of life.

Her physical hardships also tested Rowlandson’s faith in captivity. She was forced to walk long distances, sometimes barefoot, and she slept in the cold and rain with only a thin blanket for warmth. She was constantly hungry, as the Indians only gave her enough food to keep her alive (Brooks 273). Despite all these difficulties, Rowlandson never lost faith in God’s ability to protect and provide for her.

The psychological trials she faced were perhaps the most difficult to bear. Rowlandson was constantly afraid that the Indians would kill her or torture her. She was also burdened with the guilt of knowing that her captors had killed her husband and children. Despite all this, Rowlandson found comfort in her faith (Moots 123). She believed God was using her ordeal to teach her patience and fortitude.

Rowlandson’s belief that God used her captivity for a higher purpose is also apparent throughout her narrative. Rowlandson often reflects on how her captivity has changed her and has led her to a greater understanding of God. Rowlandson also believes that her captivity has given her a greater appreciation for her family and community. Rowlandson’s eventual return to her family and community is a testament to her strong belief (Newman 28). After spending more than eleven weeks in captivity, Rowlandson is finally released and can return to her family. The heroine’s return to the community proves her strong hope as she can share the story of her imprisonment with her community and help them understand how God can protect and comfort them.

In her book, Mary Rowlandson describes how her faith helped her to endure her captivity. Rowlandson writes about how she turned to God for strength when feeling weak. The author describes the power of her inner faith to overcome her fear of death, forgive her captors, and return to her family because of God. Mary Rowlandson’s strong faith helped her to endure her eleven weeks in captivity. Her faith was evident in her words, actions, and attitude. Despite the hardships she faced, Rowlandson maintained a strong faith in God. This faith helped her endure captivity and make peace with her captors. The heroine is an inspiring example to all who face difficult life situations. Her story reminds us that no matter how difficult our circumstances are, everyone can always turn to God for strength and help. The author’s narrative is quite informative and engaging for the reader, and it allows, through the prism of personal example, to look at the inner spiritual values of everyone.

Works Cited

Brooks, Lisa. “The Captive’s Lament: Reinterpreting Rowlandson’s Narrative.” Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War , Yale University Press, 2018, pp. 253–298. JSTOR.

Moots, Glenn. Anglican and Episcopal History , vol. 87, no. 1, 2018, pp. 121–126. JSTOR , Web.

Newman, Andrew. “Rowlandson’s Captivity, Interpreted by God.” Allegories of Encounter: Colonial Literacy and Indian Captivities , University of North Carolina Press, 2019, pp. 19–49. JSTOR , Web.

Rowlandson, Mary. A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson . Open Road Media, 2016.

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IvyPanda. (2023, August 26). Mary Rowlandson’s Strong Faith, Captivity and Restoration. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mary-rowlandsons-strong-faith-captivity-and-restoration/

"Mary Rowlandson’s Strong Faith, Captivity and Restoration." IvyPanda , 26 Aug. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/mary-rowlandsons-strong-faith-captivity-and-restoration/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'Mary Rowlandson’s Strong Faith, Captivity and Restoration'. 26 August.

IvyPanda . 2023. "Mary Rowlandson’s Strong Faith, Captivity and Restoration." August 26, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mary-rowlandsons-strong-faith-captivity-and-restoration/.

1. IvyPanda . "Mary Rowlandson’s Strong Faith, Captivity and Restoration." August 26, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mary-rowlandsons-strong-faith-captivity-and-restoration/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Mary Rowlandson’s Strong Faith, Captivity and Restoration." August 26, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/mary-rowlandsons-strong-faith-captivity-and-restoration/.

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How to be Strong in Faith

Posted by Carolina | Nov 18, 2019 | Faith | 6

She never imagined that her once handsome and strong husband would be completely bedridden, paralyzed and unable to talk.

A series of strokes changed her life and her husband’s forever.

You can’t tell by talking to her how hard this season in her life has been. She loves The Lord with all her heart and completely trusts Him.

She is always positive, always has a smile on her face, there is peace and joy in the midst of the storm. I know her secret, she is strong in Faith !

I admired her so much because even though she has been through hell and back her faith in God is unshakable and unmovable.

We all go through seasons of hardship in our lives, nobody is excluded. Sooner or later you will experience one of those storms in life, and once you are in the storm it’s too late to prepare.

Having a strong faith will determine how you handle life, the good times and the bad times.

Would you walk by faith and not by sight?

Would you fall apart when hardship comes?

Would you trust God no matter what?

You can’t be strong in The Lord without being strong in faith . Bill Winston

Faith is vital for the believer.

Why do you need to keep your faith strong

Faith means you trust God. You trust that He is who He says He is, and that He can do what He says He can do. Faith is believing in God, that’s is the reason why without faith it is impossible to please God.
Strong faith enables God to work in us and through us.
It makes us strong in our weaknesses.
A strong faith opens the door to the supernatural.
You need strong faith in order to be a disciple.
Faith keeps you rooted and grounded when the storm comes.
It helps you receive the promises of God (Romans 4:18-20).
God expects you to grow in faith (2 Thess 1:3).

How faith grow stronger

Without faith it is impossible to please God. Learn a few steps that will help you to be strong in faith.

This post contains affiliate links, for more info check out my disclosure page .

1. Feed your spirit

Whatever measure of faith God gives you, He wants you to grow it. You grow your faith by feeding your spirit with The Word of God.

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Romans 10:17

There are many ways that you can put the word of God inside of you, here are just a few ideas:

Reading and meditating on the Word of God daily.
Listen to faith-filled sermons while you do chores or get ready.
Listen to podcasts from anointed teachers while you commute. A few of my favorites are Andrew Wommack , Rick Renner , Andy Andrews , and Tony Evans.
Read faith books. A few of my favorites are: Ever Increasing Faith , You’ve Already Got It, A Sure Foundation , Foundations for Faith.
Keep post-it notes with bible verses around your house and speak them out loud.
Listen to an audible bible.

2. Renew your mind

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2

Align your thoughts with the Word of God. If God said it, believe it and let that settle the issue.

You have to be kingdom-minded by keeping your focus on The Lord and His word. Cast down every thought that does not align with the Word of God.

When you control your thoughts, you can control your emotions. Let your life be led by The Spirit of God and not by your thoughts.

3. Watch what comes out of your mouth

Your words have power, and they have the power to keep you from developing a strong faith.

We need to change our thoughts (renew our minds) in order to change the way we speak.

Instead of always speaking negative, we need to speak The Word of God. Don’t talk doubt and unbelief, that is one of the enemies of faith .

So, talk faith instead, talk healing, peace, joy, prosperity, deliverance.

Speaking faith is one of the elements of faith , it’s how faith works!

4. Pray In The Spirit

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. Jude 1:20

When I started praying in The Holy Spirit my life changed. I developed a stronger and deeper relationship with God. It requires faith and complete reliance on the Holy Spirit.

Many churches do not teach about tongues because they do not understand it, but this is where the deeper manifestations of God begin. When we pray in this manner, not only are we depending on the Spirit to give us utterance, but we are also building up our spirits, our souls, and our physical bodies Creflo Dollar

Lastly, Jesus said that in this world we would have many tribulations. When we have a strong faith we are ready for anything that life throws our way.

Build your faith up, when the tribulation comes it’s already too late. Be wise and be ready like a good soldier!

Please share this post, when you share, you help me spread the gospel across the earth.

Your faith can move mountains. Your faith can keep you strong during the storm. Your faith pleases God. Come learn how to be strong in faith. #faith, #christian, #christianliving

About The Author

Born in Costa Rica. Wife and mother of 2 boys. Studied Biblical and Ministerial Studies and graduated from Harvest School of Ministry. Helping you and encouraging you to develop a personal relationship with the Lord so you can live a beautiful kingdom life.

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This is awesome! A simple and actionable plan for how to be strong in faith. I especially like the part about posting Bible verses around the house and Reading them Out loud!

It works too! That way we are constantly reminded of His love and faithfulness.

I love the four points you made. I definitely need to do more of meditating on the word, renewing my mind, and praying in the spirit. Great read. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.

Thanks for stopping by!

#7 read all the Christian blogs! This is great! Each time we go through a trial we can trust that God is using it to build our faith to help us through a bigger trial down the road!

God is bigger than anything that tried to come against us, the stronger our faith is, the more we believe that truth.

The Power of Faith: 6 Ways Faith Enriches Your Life

Having faith in something means trusting it completely. People with strong faith are confident in their knowledge that they can do anything they set their minds to and weather the toughest times. Having faith in yourself, the people around you, your luck, and the universe can help you achieve even your loftiest goals.

The power of faith can enrich life in many ways. Here are six:

1. Faith Improves Your Daily Work

Faith impacts what you do and how you live. You can say that faith keeps you going. If you do any task, you need to have faith that you will accomplish it. If you have faith, you feel motivated to get things done. Faith helps you move forward.

Being faithful in your day-to-day life can help boost your mood, which, in turn, can help you complete your work with a genuine smile on your face. Even something as simple as wearing inspirational Christian t-shirts , to remind yourself to have faith, can lift your spirits enough to tackle the day.

Also, having faith in yourself and your abilities helps you be more productive in life and succeed.

2. Faith Helps You in Difficult Times

There is a popular phrase, “whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” If you have faith, you will have hope, and hope will help you endure difficult times and uncertainties in life. Times can be bad, and you may find yourself drowning in despair. But never lose hope. Even when you lose your job, suffer the pain of losing a beloved, don’t have enough money, or face any other challenge, having faith means to release control to a greater power, the universe or God.

Faith also helps you see the positive aspects of all these things. When you focus on the positive things, you can deal with problems more confidently. Because of faith, you can be more joyful, hopeful, motivated, and ever ready to take on challenges and welcome new paths in your life.

3. Faith Encourages Others

Have you wondered how creative-minded people come up with new ideas or directions to take after failing multiple times? Simply stated, it’s because of faith. They have faith that they can achieve their goal. No matter what comes their way, they remain focused and motivated, even after facing backlash from people. Their example can encourage others to follow the same path. You too can be the same way by having faith. People around you will learn from you. They will follow your lead.

Don’t forget. Unshakable hope or faith is noticeable, which eventually leads your circle of family and friends to be firm in their faith, just like you. From a Christianity standpoint, it can help someone commit to faith in God when they see your faith in the creator. Hence, when your faith is genuine and strong, it can definitely inspire others and can make a difference in their lives.

4. Faith Gives You Courage

Courage helps you do the things that scare you. It plays a significant role in motivating you to act on something despite the risks or dangers involved. If you have courage, you show more strength in times of pain or grief. Courage comes directly from faith. For instance, you gather the courage to go on a job interview. You think you won’t get the job, but there is always a chance you will. You have faith in yourself and your abilities and take a bold step in going after the job, which can lead you to success.

5. Faith Helps you Discover Purpose

The ups and downs of life can take a toll on you. In some cases, it leads you to question why you’re here. But when you do, faith can save you from falling. It guides you to move in the right direction and helps you discover your purpose in life . Of course, this can’t happen overnight.

When you find yourself stuck in difficult situations, you feel you don’t have any purpose, think about the incredible person you are—your unique talents and skills, your strengths and values, the love you give, and all you’ve accomplished. You’ll start collecting the strength to find your life’s purpose. Whether you have faith in yourself, in others, or God, that faith should set you free. You can say that it is a guiding light that pushes you to find your purpose.

6. Faith Can Help Overcome Anxiety and Stress

It is easy to become a victim of anxiety and stress while juggling so many tasks in this fast-paced world. These worries lead to extreme mental stress, followed by physical problems.

When you allow anxiety to control your mind, you are allowing yourself to get damaged. However, faith helps you keep stress at bay. Even when there is no way that your situations can get better, it is faith that can improve things. Take the example of doctors. They try to save patients, even when the patient’s chances of survival are low. They keep the faith that things might improve with the patient. You can look at anxiety and stress in the same way. Just keep faith that things will get better at the right time. Until then, don’t lose hope and faith. You will see anxiety and stress lessen if you have faith in yourself and a higher power.

Bottom Line

If you believe in the power of faith, you will have hope, courage, motivation, purpose, joy, and much more. You can say that faith is the key to living a better and more fulfilling life.

Blake McDaniel is the owner of Rooted and Grounded . She loves all things home decor, clothing, and accessories. She enjoys combining inspirational word art with stylish clothing and decor. She has a passion for helping to remind people of the important things in life through quality, everyday products. As the owner of a Christian-based company, she loves connecting with other similar brands that have the same heart.

Reader Interactions

2024-01-22 at 4:15 AM

Faith ignites the dormant spirit in a believer

2023-09-11 at 1:22 PM

Faith is the foundation that we can build anything upon, no matter how big or small. Remember that failing makes us stronger when we get up again.

2023-05-04 at 1:45 PM

Yes, indeed, faith is the fuel that makes the engine move!

2023-02-02 at 9:06 PM

The power of faith in God and yourself work together to save us. Thank you for strengthening or FAITH.

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How Does the Bible Define Faith?

Faith is the fuel of the Christian life

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Faith is defined as belief with strong conviction; firm belief in something for which there may be no tangible proof; complete trust, confidence, reliance, or devotion. Faith is the opposite of doubt.

Webster's New World College Dictionary defines faith as "unquestioning belief that does not require proof or evidence; unquestioning belief in God, religious tenets."

What Is Faith?

Faith is the means by which believers come to God and put their trust in Him for salvation.
God provides believers with the faith needed to believe in Him: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).
The entire Christian life is lived out on the foundation of faith (Romans 1:17; Galatians 2:20).

Faith Defined

The Bible gives a short definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1:

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

What do we hope for? We hope that God is trustworthy and honors his promises. We can be sure that his promises of salvation , eternal life , and a resurrected body will be ours someday based on who God is.

The second part of this definition acknowledges our problem: God is invisible. We can’t see heaven either. Eternal life, which begins with our individual salvation here on earth, is also something we do not see, but our faith in God makes us certain of these things. Again, we count not on scientific, tangible proof but on the absolute reliability of God’s character.

Where do we learn about the character of God so we can have faith in him? The obvious answer is the Bible, in which God reveals himself fully to his followers. Everything we need to know about God is found there, and it is an accurate, in-depth picture of his nature.

One of the things we learn about God in the Bible is he is incapable of lying. His integrity is perfect; therefore, when he declares the Bible to be true, we can accept that statement, based on God’s character. Many passages in the Bible are difficult to understand, yet Christians accept them because of faith in a trustworthy God.

Why We Need Faith

The Bible is Christianity’s instruction book. It not only tells followers who to have faith in but why we should have faith in him.

In our day-to-day lives, Christians are assailed on every side by doubts. Doubt was the dirty little secret of the apostle Thomas , who had traveled with Jesus Christ for three years, listening to him every day, observing his actions, even watching him raise people from the dead . But when it came to Christ’s resurrection , Thomas demanded touchy-feely proof:

Then (Jesus) said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:27)

Thomas was the Bible’s most famous doubter. On the other side of the coin, in Hebrews chapter 11, the Bible introduces an impressive list of heroic believers from the Old Testament in a passage often called the "Faith Hall of Fame ." These men and women and their stories stand out to encourage and challenge our faith.

For believers, faith starts a chain of events that ultimately leads to heaven:

By faith through God's grace , Christians are forgiven. We receive the gift of salvation by faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ .
By trusting wholly in God through faith in Jesus Christ, believers are saved from God's judgment of sin and its consequences.
Finally, by God's grace we go on to become heroes of faith by following the Lord into ever greater adventures in faith.

How to Get Faith

Sadly, one of the great misconceptions in the Christian life is that we can create faith on our own. We can’t.

We struggle to stoke up faith by doing Christian works , by praying more, by reading the Bible more; in other words, by doing, doing, doing. But Scripture says that’s not how we get it:

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8–9).

Martin Luther , one of the early Christian reformers, insisted faith comes from God working in us and through no other source:

“Ask God to work faith in you, or you will remain forever without faith, no matter what you wish, say or can do.”

Luther and other theologians put great stock in the act of hearing the gospel being preached:

"For Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?' So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:16-17, ESV)

That’s why the sermon became the centerpiece of Protestant worship services. The spoken Word of God has supernatural power to build faith in listeners. Corporate worship is vital to fostering faith as the Word of God is preached.

When a distraught father came to Jesus asking for his demon-possessed son to be healed, the man uttered this heartbreaking plea:

“Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’” (Mark 9:24, NIV)

The man knew his faith was weak, but he had sense enough to turn to the right place for help: Jesus.

Faith is the fuel of the Christian life:

"For we live by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7, NIV).

It is often difficult to see through the fog of this world and beyond the challenges of this life. We cannot always feel God's presence or understand His guidance. It takes faith to find God and faith to keep our eyes on Him so that we persevere until the end (Hebrews 11:13-16).

Book of Ephesians
Meet the Apostle Paul: Christian Missionary Giant
Do Babies Go to Heaven?
35 Bible Verses About Life
Faith Is the Key - Hebrews 11:6
The Best Spiritual Gifts to Give the Savior
Who Is God the Father Within the Trinity?
21 Inspirational Bible Verses
Say Happy Birthday With Bible Verses
What the Bible Says About Becoming a Christian
Are Christians Justified by Faith or by Works?
The Benefits of Spending Time With God
Christian Symbols Illustrated Glossary
26 Bible Verses About Change
25 Bible Verses About Grace
Jesus Our Hope: A Christmas Devotional Reading

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5 Tips for Stronger Faith while Facing Times of Crisis

"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." Yet sometimes, when the world seems to be in crisis all around you, resting in the Lord seems nearly impossible. With worldwide pandemics, civil unrest, and violence on every news headline today, how can you turn your focus to the Lord and find your hope in Him? In the year of COVID, you may find that your stress and anxiety levels are higher than normal. How should you respond?

As a believer, you have practical tools you can use to get help when you need it. Here are five steps to take to keep your faith strong, even in times of crisis. Whether the crisis is a global one or simply the stress of managing your college experience, these practical steps will help you get through the storm with your faith intact.

Pray (Build Your Faith)

As a believer, your ultimate hope relies not in the people and circumstances around you, but rather in the God who is above it all. Prayer is one of the most powerful resources we have, yet it's one we tend to ignore. During crises, prayer is vital.

Sometimes, especially when facing serious issues, you may feel as though you have no words left. That's not a problem for God. Remember, Romans 8:26 says that the Holy Spirit makes intercession on behalf of us. When you don't even know how to pray, pray what is on your heart, and know that you have an intercessor who is standing in the wings for you.

When you feel trapped with the same prayer day after day, ask your intercessor to help. Find prayers in the scripture and pray those on your own behalf. Praying will build your faith and help you to keep your eyes focused on the Lord, even in times of crisis.

Meditate (Calm Your Stress)

Meditation is powerful, especially for the Christian. Meditation is not some whimsical clearing of your mind. It is rather a spiritual discipline when you close out the world around you and focus your mind and heart on prayer and Bible study. It is taking the time to reflect on God's attributes and interactions in the world, based on what you learn in Scripture. It is thinking deeply about the truths you are learning in your own Bible study.

So how do you do this? Find a quiet place with your Bible and a notebook and pen. Acknowledge God's presence and choose to focus your mind on Scripture. Practice memorizing a passage or studying it in depth using commentary. Use the time to copy a favorite passage into a notebook. Think deeply about a small passage and how it applies to what you are dealing with in life. Clear your mind of other cares and concerns while you are practicing meditation.

Talk to Someone (Family or Professional)

Times of crisis are extremely taxing on you emotionally and spiritually. Sometimes, you are going to need someone else to help you sort out what you are feeling and experiencing. It is OK, even as a Christian, to look for help.

Talking to someone else can help you prioritize your life. It can help you determine what's important and vital to your faith, and what is not. You may find a trusted family member, such as your parent or sibling, can help you sort out your thoughts and feelings. A pastor may be the right person to turn to.

Sometimes, if your anxiety and feelings of turmoil are extremely high, you need professional counseling. There is no shame for a Christian in protecting your mental health by getting professional counseling or therapy.

Read Your Bible (Calm Your Anxiety)

When the news around you feels physically painful, turn it off and grab your Bible. The Bible is the ultimate source of comfort, especially in a troubled world. The Psalms, where King David cried out to the Lord over and over, are incredibly calming.

As you immerse yourself in God's word, you will find your anxieties start to calm. The more familiar you become with the Scripture, the less worried you feel about what is going on around you. Yes, there are times when the world feels like it is in crisis, but ultimately as a Christian, you know where to find hope.

Stay Active (Exercise)

Taking care of your physical body can actually improve your spiritual and mental health. Exercising releases endorphins, which are the "feel good" hormones that boost your mood. In times of crisis, you need to exercise regularly to keep negative feelings at bay.

When it comes to exercise, choose something you enjoy doing that gets the heart pumping. You don't have to go to the gym, though that's always a nice option if you want to work out with others. Simply strap on your running shoes and go for a walk or a jog. You will find that your mind and heart clear and you're ready to tackle the next crisis after you get a little exercise.

Next Steps for You

We live in a world that is challenging. Sometimes it can feel like we are simply waiting for the next crisis. As a Christian, your hope is in the Lord, not in the world around you. So, what are the next steps?

When you're feeling overcome by the amount of suffering around you, turn your eyes up. Evaluate your spiritual health, and make sure you are spending time in God's word to ground yourself and put your focus where it needs to be. Take care of your physical health as well, and don't be afraid to get professional counseling if it's needed. Soon you will find that you're able to weather the challenges of today's life with peace and hope because your hope comes from outside this world.

If you’d like to learn more about keeping your faith during times of trouble or want to learn more about a biblically-based, Christ-centered education at Geneva , we’d love to chat with you. For more information on how Geneva College can help you pursue your education goals, please phone us at 855-979-5563 or email [email protected].

Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.

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A Filipino practice of faith

French Jesuit Pierre de Charentenay has just completed a year in the Philippines. He offers here his impressions of faith as it is practised in the Philippines. He considers how the numerous massive processions and other major religious practices in the country can be seen as authentic expressions of faith. He begins by considering the four known ways of living the faith: the simple faith, the faith of intelligence, the faith of the heart and the faith of the modern Christian. He then looks at the common characteristic of these religious practices – all these events involve a physical commitment of devotees who participate in great numbers together as a community of faith.

Fr Charentenay explains that devotees build faith by physical commitment, build the community by being there together, and build a way of living together as Filipinos. The Filipino version of faith entails a real physical or bodily effort from each member of the community similar to making a pilgrimage but with a community density dimension. He explores threats to these religious practices and concludes that the Filipino practice of faith is alive and well despite its limitations.

Read Fr Charentenay’s essay below.

A Filipino Practice of Faith

The many massive processions organized in the Philippines, in Naga, Quiapo or Cebu, their intensity and the crowds they attract are sometimes described by external observers as expressions of popular religion (with a slight depreciative accent), a deformation of faith, or a new expression of fanaticism. Whatever these opinions, these religious manifestations are a reality which is part of the cultural and religious landscape of the Philippines.

The interpretation of this unique phenomenon is not easy. Since we make the hypothesis that they are true expression of faith, we have to clarify what kind of faith might be expressed here.

Faith has several ways of expressing itself. It depends on the local history of the church, the national tradition, a whole set of cultural elements which make the expression of faith unique in some places. We will see how different traditions regard the meaning and the expression of faith. Then we will be able to look at the way the Philippines has found a specific way of expression of faith. Let us first consider four main and already known ways of living the faith so far: the simple faith, the faith of intelligence, the faith of the heart and the faith of the modern Christian.

1 The Simple Faith This is the strong faith of ordinary people, workers, farmers, employees, all men and women of good faith who do not have the words or the will to define their faith. They just practice it. They live with it all along their life without asking questions.

This faith is not threatened or destroyed by any external event or personal difficulties like death or accident in the family. These people are immune from the consequences of change of civilization or ways of living. Their faith is part of their life forever, and they will not lose it, by any event. It is so deeply rooted in them that nothing can take it away.

They are quite individualistic since they are very independent from external events. The simple faith does not communicate itself outside. There is no common practice, no community exchanges behind this strong faith. Each person lives her faith the way she wants and how she can.

Less and less people are living their faith that way, because of the difficulty of being independent from external influences from culture, media, communication, trips, and so on. No one is isolated in one’s practice anymore.

2 Blaise Pascal or the Faith of Intelligence

This model of the faith of intelligence is well represented by a French of the 17th century, famous for his hate of the Jesuits but also for his spiritual sense and his capacity for writing. He was impressed by, and afraid of, the infinite space out there. He did not have a simple and straightforward faith, but a very intellectual one: the world being what it is, he would bet on the existence of God. Nothing can be certain, but it is worth betting on the presence of God in the world. What could be more intellectual than that?

This type of faith is strong and articulate when one remains in the spirit of God, as he said in his Thoughts , avoiding the “distractions”: “All the evil of the world is summed up by the fact that one cannot remain quiet and still in his room”. The problem is that the world today is made of distractions, from the society of consumption to the last electronic instruments, the desire for leisure, of seeing the world, of being connected with everyone. It becomes difficult to concentrate one’s life on an objective.

The second problem is linked to the disappearance of transcendence in the modern developed world. The modern citizen is preoccupied by his or her day to day life, insurance for the future, health and well-being. He or she does not see the infinite space out there as a question. There is no more space in the mind for questions about the source of being and life. So one can end up without questioning oneself, since one has no particular sense of anything existing outside of oneself. The intellectual faith of Pascal is in danger in the modern world.

3 Mother Teresa or the Faith of the Heart

We know now through her correspondences that Mother Teresa had been left in the darkest night of faith most of her life. She did not see God, she could not say anything about him, she did not experience his presence.

But she had the faith of the heart of Jesus, a heart given to the poor ad infinitum, a heart who would love the very many poor of this world. This made her choose service to the dying in the worst place of the world, in Calcutta, decades ago. Those who did not exist for anybody, who ended their life on the sidewalk, became her privileged friends in the Lord.

Her faith in God was linked to her love for the poor because of the love of Christ for the poor. This faith of love is more easily understood by modern people, because it does not need the faith in transcendence. It can be exercised from inside the world on the level of human feeling, of attention to one’s neighbor, of applying the golden rule: “Do to others what you would like them to do for you”. This is the Gospel, and the whole gospel, with Matthew 25 in the background. With the humanitarian movement, the modern world has launched a great series of attempt to love others by helping and supporting them in all circumstances. There is here faith in human beings, not in God, while Mother Teresa, although unable to see God, would refer to him constantly. Humanitarian feelings are not religious, even if they are generous. But they are grounded in strong values of human right and human dignity which can maintain a strong level of commitment from even non-religious people. Religious or not, people can dialogue on the basis of love of others. The faith of the heart can be shared even if there is no faith.

4 The Faith of the Modern Christian Hero

Another model is now present in secularized countries of Europe, the Christian believer who has resisted all elements of secularization, power of science, leisure preoccupations, modern pleasure, insurances by the state, etc. Beyond all the changes and the worldliness of daily life, he discovers and lives the reality of faith. While the culture is totally secularized, and transcendence has disappeared from the public sphere, the believer has made a choice: that of living for Christ. Beyond all temptations, he is like a hero of modern time who made the choice of faith although the whole modern civilization is turning its back to it.

As a matter of fact, this transformation is not specific to the western world; it is also true in all regions of the world where development has arrived and has given other preoccupations and distractions to inhabitants, be they the business people in Abidjan or the students in Mexico, Mumbai or Manila. They are all taken by the secularized movement, and their attention has been diverted from their faith. They have many other possibilities than following the religious belief and they actually do it. Vocations to the priesthood or religious life are coming in much smaller number, like in the developed world. The globalization of unbelief is on the way at different paces. It demands now a strong personal decision to live one’s faith in this context. You have to be a real hero to maintain this life.

Simbang Gabi for instance has disappeared for some years, prohibited by Rome which was worried about non-religious transformations of the event. But eventually, it re-emerged in the Philippines, being now a well-known practice of Masses celebrated as early as 3:00 or 4:00 am for nine days before Christmas. Crowds flock to churches all over the country, as friends and Christians together.

The procession of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo on January 9th has never been so well-attended as now, at the beginning of the 21st century, with over 3 million people. The same can be said about the procession of the Santo Niño in Cebu on the third weekend of January.

What is the common characteristic of these events? They involve a physical commitment of devotees who participate in great numbers together as a community of faith. People must get up early in the morning for nine days for the Simbang Gabi, they must walk up to 18 hours to Quiapo, or 5 hours in Cebu after they had been following the fluvial parade since the same morning. This does not mean that the heart or intelligence is absent, but they are not the basis of that faith: here the devotee is totally physically involved with others in the practice. He/she is even exhausted by such act of faith. He/she shares the concentration of people by standing for hours together in a very dense togetherness. He/she builds faith by physical commitment, he/she builds the community by being there together, he/she builds a way of living together as Filipinos. Being together for such an effort is a cement, as it were, for the community and is a sign of one’s identity.

This physical and communal commitment is the condition for the answer to the grace or petition that the devotee has been asking. It guarantees a response from God. It is like the demand that the poor widow made to the unjust judge who finally answered the demand because he got tired of the repetition and of her presence.

The attempt to organize more comfortable forms of these practices show that the faith is not understood in its strong practical involvement. So the practice of Simbang Gabi on the night before makes the practice easier and more comfortable: but it loses part of its value because the commitment of the devotee has been softened and eased. It becomes a more individual practice chosen by people who do not share the same community feeling. The Filipino version of faith entails a real physical or bodily effort from each member of the community.

That is why these practices are so appealing to young people who might have no intellectual sense of faith or do not know how to practice it as charity. It appeals to them because they know their identity lies somehow in that practice. The challenge of being entirely committed to it by one’s own bodily involvement with friends and companions makes it more challenging and real.

It has some relation to the past practices of pilgrimage where faith was expressed through the reality of walking for thousands of miles, like St. Ignatius of Loyola going to Jerusalem, or like today when thousands of people walk to Santiago de Compostela. This is an expression of faith. But the community density dimension is missing, while it is essential to the Filipino version of faith.

This physical and community experience does not exist anywhere else anymore. Even in Spain, Portugal or Mexico, the density of the population does not reach that level in Guadalupe or in Fatima. Processions are important but not at that level. What is unique in the Philippines is also the repetition of the phenomena in different places: Simbang Gabi, which has disappeared everywhere else, is celebrated all over the country in overflowing churches. This is the will of lay people, not of the hierarchy: the whole Black Narazene procession is managed by lay people who decide where they want to go, how and when.

Is this faith? Clearly yes, because it is an expression of belief in God, in the Cross, in the Child Jesus to which the crowd gives its confidence and directs its questions and prayers: God will answer them, console them, welcome them.

Can it be transmitted? It is already transmitted by the presence of many young people. There is nothing intellectual here. It is not the fruit of a decision after a moment of freedom and of distance: the young devotee follows his or her brothers and sisters in the community. The transmission is working.

This expression of faith is nevertheless threatened by many factors, like the different forms of faith, but differently. The more individualistic expression of faith puts a question to that physical and community practice. Each believer is looking for each one’s own comfort, each one’s best way of practicing the faith: that physical and community practice does not respond to an easy project. But so far, this expression is resisting the threat of individualism.

Does this faith relate in some way to the social reality? Does it produce some social effect? That is a very important question since the catholic faith has a strong relation to work for justice and attention to one’s neighbor and especially the poor in society. This vision of faith through popular manifestations does not seem to give this type of fruit. There is a de facto separation between the religious and social fields. That faith is not socially oriented, not in connection with social or personal morality. Corruption goes on, family violence goes on. Faith here is expressed beyond all ethical practices.

There is an attempt from the bishops to transform the strength of these manifestations into social action. In 2013, the Archbishop of Nueva Caceres has put all over the city the banners of the Peñafrancia with the inscription, “Growing in Catholic faith in Jesus Christ with Mary at the Service of Social Transformation”. Such a proposal is new, but it is less than evident, because the roots of the event are not related to society and it is not a reflexive faith, but an existential faith.

Another threat would be excessive commercialization. Tourist agencies, private contractors, all merchants know that these events attract a lot of people. What a good occasion to open a new market! Tourists could flock to observe the processions and participate in these movements. Participants would be pushed to transform these religious events into secular and spectacular dances like the festival of Rio since they are often already associated with a secular festival which follows the religious event. But this commercialization just remains a threat so far.

This Filipino practice of faith is well alive despite its limitations. It is not in danger of disappearance. The only shadow could be the possible commercialization and folklorization of these events.

Essay on Faith

Faith is hope, faith is believing, faith is you know it is going to happen you just do not know when and how it is going to happen. One should always believe and trust in themselves and hold onto faith in their challenging period because that is exactly the point of faith, “it works”. Faith is aspiration that an individual has, that decides how the individual chooses to lead his life.

Faith gives power and strength to accept the failures of life to the individual, it gives them motivation and eagerness to achieve the goals of life and it comes from within the individual it cannot be taught or forced on anyone. When one’s faith is low or lost then he must be prepared for, as the failure is approaching.

Faith works as the base of any task / operation and if one is lacking the base which is faith, does not matter what skills or capabilities an individual has he cannot achieve its task / goals. Of course, having faith does not mean that your tasks or your life is going to be easy but by having faith you get strength to face those difficulties and hardship that may come in your way.

Lack of faith will lead to hopelessness which can affect the individual of how he sees himself and others. Hopelessness usually make a person negative he no longer feel the importance of things which once was precious to him, it is a powerful emotion that can influence an individual in suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, eating disorder it all leads to poor mental and physical health of the individual.

Faith does not need to be religious or non-religious it just makes your struggles, difficult times easy for the individual by giving them hope, people have faith in themselves, in others, in the God, does not matter who do you have faith in, the only thing that matters is that you believe something or someone.

If you have faith in yourself then you will follow your dreams and make them real, if you believe in yourself then you will also have faith in others that way others will also believe in you and if you have faith in God then you will also have faith in his timing, he will make you calm, make you believe that he is with you all the time, he takes control of all your struggles and worries and tells you to stop stressing yourself out and trust him.

With a little courage, hard work and faith by your side you can make the unachievable possible. Faith keeps your heart alive, it clears out the sadness, hopelessness and darkness away from you and bring happiness, hopefulness, calmness and satisfaction.

To sum up everything that has been stated so far, we all have faith in something or someone there are all sorts of faith and you must choose whatever makes your heart at ease.

“Faith demands you to believe in something you cannot see. You choose!”

-Bob proctor

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