grow in faith – Yeshuah Boyton

If you want to grow in faith because you feel stuck or you need a breakthrough in your walk with God, I want to give you 7 practical tips to help you move to the next level. Just so we're both on the same page: This is the faith I am talking about. So, here is the situation… Someone asks you for prayer, right there on the spot. You are surprised, encouraged, excited that you are being asked. “Yes, sure! What can I pray for?” The prayer request is being shared. You pray. Nothing happens… You pray some more… and some more… and feel the other person with half-opened eyes peeking, expecting the prayer to end. But you really want to see this thing through. You want to see a miracle right there and then, or at least some kind of proof that God is moving in this moment. But nothing happens... Well, you end with “amen” to keep face. A warm hug and a “thank you, bless you”, “bless you too” are being exchanged. You feel thankful you were able to pray, but kind of bummed that nothing happened. You think about what you prayed. Thoughts about what you could’ve prayed rush through your mind. You think of all the promises in the Bible where God assures you of an answer or even a miracle. But you look back at the prayer situation - and none of that happened. “Is God’s Word not true? Was it my lack of faith? Did I not pray enough?” More thoughts... And then Holy Spirit’s conviction sets in… You get upset because you realize your spiritual state. First, you realize, there is always room to grow in your faith in God. Then you realize that God hasn’t played that much of an important role in your life lately after all. Social Media became more important than Bible reading. Your favorite show on Netflix took the place of real quality prayer time with God. Lazy Youtube time-wasting reveals itself right there and then. Busted - by the Holy Spirit. Suddenly, the prayer request, you confidently prayed for a couple of moments ago becomes now like an unmovable mountain an insight into your actual spiritual state. You realize something needs to change. No. More specifically: Someone needs to change. You. You realize You need to put God first again in order to grow in faith. (Don’t worry, I am not pointing fingers. Been there, done that, writing out of experience here, lol.) Show of hands – who knows this situation? For sure, yes! This year (2020) God challenged me with this passage in the Bible in which the disciples tried to cast a demon out of a boy but are not able to succeed. Jesus then comes to them and gets upset about their lack of faith. He literally asks, “how long do I still need to be with them”. He was really upset at His disciples. Then he heals the boy. I was hit by this because I realized how important it is for Jesus that something happens when we pray. That people get actually healed and delivered or at least God moves in some way when we pray for them. The Bible says in Mk 16:15-20 that signs, wonders, and miracles follow those that believe. So, according to that passage, if I say I believe in Jesus and I pray for someone, stuff should happen! I realized that it is not okay to just get by in our faith with Christ. Jesus wants us to have big faith. In fact, he wants it to be as big as a mustard seed. That's not so big you say? Well, it’s the size that moves mountains, lol. Btw, I am talking about Matthew 17:14-21. Don’t get me wrong. I know God is gracious and we have seasons in which we walk from faith level to the next faith level. But in this case, these disciples didn’t need anything more… They had the authority to cast out demons and heal the sick (Mt 10, Lk 9). And they saw signs, wonders, and miracles on a daily basis. Yet, Jesus calls them a “faithless and perverse generation” and tells them bluntly in their face, that nothing happened because of their unbelief (or little faith). Aren't we in the same circumstances? We have everything we need as well. The authority in Jesus, the Bible, testimonies, sermons, even daily "encouragements" through the internet if we want. Gosh, we even have the Holy Spirit in us. Remember the disciples were not baptized in the Holy Spirit yet. So, what needs to happen to get us fired up again? What do we have to do to get out of our slouch mode, out of our unbelief and doubt, and turn little faith into big faith? What can you do to grow in your faith to move spiritual mountains? As a little appetizer, you can watch this video I found for you (my 7 practical tips are down below): https://youtu.be/gvY8eNu8iC0 Btw, if you think it’s less your faith but more your hunger for God, I have 6 tips for you on how to grow in hunger for God! How To Grow Your Faith To Move Them Mountains Before I get into how to grow your faith, we have to understand what faith is. According to Hebrews 11:1 faith is the realization of the things we hope for, it’s the evidence of things we can’t see. It means to trust in the things I can’t see and have deep confidence in them to be true or to be there. To exemplify it in a simple way: When you sit on a chair, you turn and don’t necessarily need to see it anymore to sit down. You trust the chair to hold you and not to break. Same with jumping out of an airplane with a parachute. You jump and pull the line having trust in the parachute. That’s exactly what biblical faith should look like. Trusting in a God that you can’t see with your physical eyes and trusting in his saving work on the cross. You can’t see him, but you can experience him and therefore build this trust. Now, faith is also a gift by the Holy Spirit that everyone carries who has the Holy Spirit. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12 that only by the Holy Spirit you can call Jesus your Lord. Romans 10:9 supports that. And when you look at Ephesians 1:13 you see that you are sealed with the Holy Spirit as soon as you get saved. Of course, there is also the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I believe through this baptism you are not only sealed but now filled with the Holy Spirit. The gift of faith comes out of this same Holy Spirit. Like all gifts, services, and activities (for God) is also the gift of faith empowered by God in everyone who is filled with the Holy Spirit. All these gifts manifest or come up whenever the Holy Spirit needs them. But sometimes they can only work in a certain measure because they are boxed in by something. Those can be things like fear, doubt, unbelief, insecurities, disobedience, stubbornness and pride, worldly worries, and worry about what people might say or think. It all roots in selfishness. That by itself can indeed be a huge box. That’s why we have to be set free and take those boxes off ourselves (2 Tim 2:20). It’s less about having a better Christian life but more about growing as a follower of Jesus. See, God has a growth perspective on those things! But more on that later. Enough of these preliminaries, let’s dive into the first tip that can help us grow in faith… 1. Setting The Outline To Grow In Faith: Repentance The outline to grow in faith is acknowledging that you can’t do life by yourself and that you actually need Jesus' forgiveness of all your sins! This is the foundational truth about Christian faith: Turning from your way, from your sin, towards Jesus and making Him your Lord and Savior over your life and receiving forgiveness for your sins. That is called repentance and following Christ. Not just praying one sinner’s prayer, once. But daily recognizing that you ain’t got it all and that you need Jesus’ forgiveness to make it up there. When we recognize that something is blocking our faith but you want to grow and get out, it is wise to ask Jesus. You can ask him about what stands between you and Him. Whatever it might be, to get going it should always start with repentance. The second step is similar to the first… 2. Pouring The Foundation To Grow In Faith: Jesus First, daily. The foundation to grow in your faith is putting Jesus first, every single day! In the first tip, I told you to make Jesus your savior. Now, He needs to become your Lord and number one in life. Matthew 6:31 says: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Even though this context is about worry, this verse is key for your Christian faith in general. Put God first. In Everything. Every single day. Make a decision. Once and for all. It’s simple and very effective. It’s a mindset thing. See, you can’t change your habits on the outside if you don’t change on the inside first. Satan works from the outside in. God works from the inside out. So, if you really want to grow in faith and want to see some awesome God-stuff happening in your life, you need to have Jesus as your number one! Here is the thing. You can put oil on the fire: by prioritizing Jesus, spending time with God, studying your Bible, spreading the Gospel, praying for people, living out your purpose in life, and consistently growing with a growth plan. Or you can put water on the fire: by putting yourself and others before God, or doing stuff that does not have eternal value. “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”1 Corinthians 3:11-15 If He isn’t first in your life you really need to do some soul digging! Let me ask you some questions to help you out: When you slouch on the couch YouTubing, Netflixing, tv-ing, who is first in your heart? Your flesh or Jesus? Maybe you are more of a busy bee and you are constantly on the go. When everything else is more important than God, God is not number one. But He needs to be first in order for you to grow in faith. Take some time to reflect, write down your answers, and pray about them. Mainly ask “why”. Why is Jesus not number one in your life? Why are other things more important?Why are you in the mindset and in the situation you are in? Again, take some time to reflect and pray. This might already bring you the breakthrough you need. It did for me. In any case: Put Jesus first. 3. Building Upon The Foundation To Grow In Faith: What’s Your Life’s Purpose? A simple question that will change your life and your walk with God no matter how long you have been a Christian: What is your life’s purpose? In other words: Why did God create you and put you on this planet? Why at this time? Why in the midst of these people? Why in this place? I have heard someone say once summarized in my own words: The day you discover your life’s purpose, the why behind your life, your life will never be the same again. If you already know your purpose from God I want to encourage you to get back up and pursue it with all you have. The fulfillment you seek in all the short-term, quick satisfaction run-away things you will never find but in the purpose, God has put on your life! If you have heard this for the very first time... get ready, because the answer will rocket launch your faith in an unimaginable trajectory. Take some extra time to ask God this question: What’s your specific purpose for my life? What did you create me for? Get ready to be launched! 4. Enlarge The House: Take Off The Boxes Maybe you've put Jesus first already and you know your purpose (or you also don't). But if you feel the need to grow in faith, it might be that you simply need to take off the boxes that confine your faith. This might mean a real spiritual fight for some people. In any case, whatever your box might be, you can’t just “unbox” your faith out of yourself. You need God, and you need to do things His way. Most boxes have something to do with a mindset and maybe even with strongholds. But the Bible teaches us that … “(...) though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”2 Corinthians 10:3-6 We are taking off the boxes to grow in faith by using God’s weapons: Healing, deliverance, and restoration. Actively taking every thought captive that comes against what God has planned for your life. If you answered the reflective questions from above, you might already have an idea of what needs to change and what you might need deliverance of. Let me rephrase the question to help you unbox your faith further: What box keeps you from growing in faith? Here are some things I came up with that could possibly keep your faith confined and keep you from growing in faith: RebellionStubbornnessDisobedienceBeing unteachable HardheadedNot wanting to changeWitchcraft and any affiliation with itNot able to hear the Holy Spirit (take the spiritual plugs out of your spiritual ears) Reading the Bible but not understanding itLazinessAny addictionDesperationFrustrationHurtBitterness & UnforgivenessRejectionHarshnessFearDoubtUnbeliefInsecurityAny sort of worryWorry about what people might think or say to you or about youPrideSelfishnessHaving little faithWrong partnershipsUngodly soul ties (break them, claim back what's yours and send back what's not of you)Friends and familyListening to the wrong people say or what they said about youJudgingNot knowing who you are in ChristAny sorts of lies from the enemyAny other sin you are bound to Whatever the box might be, you need to stand in your authority in Christ and renounce anything that blocks your faith in Jesus' name. Then tell these things to leave you and your life in Jesus' name and see what happens! Maybe Jesus will set you completely free right there and then and you will receive your breakthrough. But it might also be a process, not a one-time event! Just as the promised land, Israel, wasn’t conquered in one day, your deliverance might not come in one day. Some strongholds need consistent, strategic, and specific healing and deliverance. If so, God wants to teach you how to fight, so that you can teach others and set them free in Jesus' name as well! 5. Filling The House: Being Baptized In Water & With Holy Spirit Depending on where you are in your walk with God being baptized in water and baptized in the Holy Spirit can be two very powerful things to help you grow in faith. Baptism In Water If you have not been baptized in water yet, I would strongly suggest that you consider it. (Given the fact that you want to follow Jesus wholeheartedly until the end.) Baptism is an outward sign of you identifying with Jesus’ death and resurrection. With this, you outwardly, for everyone else visible, proclaim that you are a follower of Jesus Christ. Being washed of your sin, the old self-being buried with Jesus Christ into His death and being raised up into the newness of life into His resurrection becoming a new creation in Christ Jesus (Mark 16:16; Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Peter 3:21; Colossians 2:12; Galatians 3:27; Romans 6:1-18; 2 Corinthians 5:17). Baptism of the Holy Spirit As we can see in Luke 3:16 there is not only the baptism of water but also of the Holy Ghost for everyone who believes and calls on the name of Jesus. As the disciples were told to wait until they were endued with power from on high in Acts 1:8 and then being filled with the Holy Spirit I also believe that we can be filled in the same to a similar way with the Holy Spirit today. I believe this can be a great push for your growth in faith. I can remember before I was filled with the Holy Spirit I hardly understood anything in the Bible. But when I was baptized in the Spirit it was like scales fell off my eyes. I finally understood the Bible (even though I had a lot of questions still). 6. Extending the building: Grow, Daily! God has a growth perspective for you and your faith. He wants you to grow daily. He wants you to become more and more like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18)! That’s why we need to be in a strategic, specific, and consistent healing and deliverance process. We need to get all the garbage that has accumulated for generations out of our lives. “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” 2 Timothy 2:20-22 Cleanse yourself spiritually and pursue faith to get useful for the master. Cleanse yourself by breaking with curses, closing demonic doors, and casting out anything that blocks your faith. Pursue faith by having a growth mindset and following a spiritual growth plan for your life. Grow daily by praying, reading, and/or studying your Bible. Read books on specific topics, listen to sermons, meet regularly with a prayer partner and a mentor, and go to church on a regular basis. All these are habits that fuel you to grow in faith founded on a growth mindset. 7. Bring People To The House: Walk Out Your Calling Even though most things were already quite practical, you can’t grow in faith without putting theory into practice. The Holy Spirit in you is living water wanting to flow out, he is not stagnant water (John 7:38). Give to others what you received and you will receive more from God (Matthew 10:8; Mark 4:24; John 3:27). While finding out what you are specifically called to, follow God’s general call for your life. Your general call as a follower of Christ is to preach the full gospel, which includes preaching salvation and deliverance. You ought to heal physically and emotionally in Jesus' name, and deliver and restore the captives (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-20; Luke 4:18; John 20:21). Bloom where you're planted. Right where you are, give what you have. Walk with God. Apply to your life what God shows you. Seek to experience God daily. Walk out your calling in Christ to grow in your faith. Conclusion Faith is a God-given gift that you can grow in. But in order to grow in faith, you must first repent, turn to God and truly put Jesus first in everything. Once God is number one, it is vital to learn from Him what He made you for. What life purpose God has given you. It also helps to take off any spiritual boxes that block your faith. You can do that only by doing spiritual warfare in healing and deliverance. When you are free from the bad stuff, put in the good stuff like the Holy Spirit! Get baptized in water and in the Spirit. Overall, you have to develop a growth mindset. God wants you to grow and become more like Jesus, every day. But He also wants you to actively walk out what He has called you to do.