If you've wondered how to get more faith, join me as I weave the simple tips I've learned through my own faith journey to help you grow in faith.

 

Have you ever thought of your faith as being like a muscle?

The more it’s exercised… the stronger it becomes.

It sounds pretty wonderful doesn’t it?

We all want to have a strong faith… and a little exercise seems like a good thing.

It’s all wonderful… until the heat is unbearable, the road seems too steep or never-ending, or the load becomes too heavy to lift.

That’s when exercise gets hard.

That’s when we start to give out… our muscles buckle, our resolve dwindles, and we just want to give up and quit.

That’s the precise time when we need dig in or push through the pain.

 

If you've wondered how to get more faith, you might be surprised... - AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

Let’s face it… exercise can be hard.  Especially if you’re exercising for strength or endurance.

Maybe you do some sort of daily physical exercise.

I walk several miles a day.  The distance varies… but I keep at it to exercise my lungs, heart, muscles, and bones.  I want to go through life physically fit and strong.

 

What about your faith?

Do you exercise your faith?

Is your faith weak?  Or strong?

 

God so values our wholehearted faith that he will, graciously, take away everything else in the world that we might be tempted to rely on — even life itself. His aim is that we grow deeper and stronger in our confidence that he himself will be all we need. – John Piper

Maybe the bigger question is not, “How strong is your faith?”

Maybe the bigger question is “What or who is the source of your faith?

 

When we have plenty of resources at our disposal, it’s easy to trust our resources rather than God isn’t it?

For a long time we prayed and asked God to open up a job for my husband.  And finally… God did open the door at an unexpected place… a car dealership.  We were relieved.  At last we would have a regular income.

If you know anything about the car business… the income comes from commissions.  And though cars, trucks, and SUVs are big-ticket items… for the most part there isn’t a lot of profit and the profit pie has to be divided up for far more than just the salesperson’s commission.  That means many vehicles must be sold each month to earn a living.(Unfortunately, right now, there aren’t enough customers walking in the door to earn a living.)

That leaves us leaning totally on God.  Praying He brings people who need a vehicle into the dealership.  We pray for good connections, referrals, and the opportunity to bless people.  We pray for God’s blessing on the dealership.  We pray that God will be glorified in and through it all.  And… we pray for God’s favor on Tim financially.

It’s interesting to me that God did not open the door to a job that had a regular paycheck.  Instead… he led Tim to a place where He must totally rely and trust God every single moment of the day to provide His commissions.

 

If you've wondered how to get more faith, it's not really all that complicated.

 

In 2009 we started learning what it means to trust God wholeheartedly.

Our faith walk has deepened… we now trust God on a whole new level.

What’s interesting to me is that God could have chosen to give us relief… instead… He directs us down a path where we must keep our eyes on Jesus 100 percent of the time.  In a real sense, we always have the option to trust God or rely on ourselves.  Yet, I have a strong sense that God is not really giving us that option.  He doesn’t want us to regress, or rest from trusting,  He wants us to run this race with all we have, in complete reliance on Him.

He wants us to exercise our faith to the degree that we need to lean fully on him for every bit of our strength.

 

If you've wondered how to get more faith, it's not really all that complicated. Here are a few tips. AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

Life is hard… I have friends who are walking in faith through incredible challenges.  One friend’s daughter walked away from her family and her faith.  Another friend suffered a brain aneurism. Another friend’s husband divorced her.  Another friend’s husband was in a tragic auto accident and had to take the insurance company to court. Still another friend’s boys were paralyzed in an accident and she is suffering with auto immune diseases.  We or people we love are walking through tough times.

At some point in your life, if you haven’t already, you will be facing great challenges.

How will you handle it?

Other people are like seeds that were planted on rocky ground.
Whenever they hear the word, they accept it at once with joy.
But they don’t develop any roots. They last for a short time.
When suffering or persecution comes along because of the word,
they immediately fall from faith.
Mark 4:16-17 (GW)

Will you be like the person that failed to develop roots?

When tough times come will you fall away from faith?

Those are difficult questions to answer.

They aren’t unlike the question the Holy Spirit posed to me one Sunday when I was preparing to lead kids in saying, “I can trust God, no matter what.”  That day as I was going through my talk, back stage, I mouthed those words and then I “heard” the Holy Spirit ask “Can you really?” Woo-ah… talk about getting my attention.  I thought for a moment and then in my spirit I said, “I want to think that I can.”  Little did I know, that just two months later, God would up the ante on what it means to walk in faith and trust him.

Here I am, talking about faith six years later, from a different platform and asking you to say with me, “I can trust God, no matter what.”

Believe me… I have had some moments when I had to make the choice to trust God, trust myself, or not trust anyone or anything.

I will admit I’ve wavered.  I wanted to quit, to give up, to be done with everything.  But, somehow I persevered.

 

If you've wondered how to get more faith - when troubles of any kind come your way,  consider it an opportunity for great joy...   James 1 - AnExtraordinaryDay.net

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way,
consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that
when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

James 1:2-3

I can’t say that I consider my troubles an opportunity for great joy.  Maybe someday I’ll be able to look at them that way.  But… there is no doubt that the continual testing of my faith enabled me to persevere. And grow. In hindsight, I also see the value of filling my heart and head with God’s truth.  Because in those moments when I wavered… God’s truths would come back to me and I would be strengthened to believe, to trust, and to look to Him for my help.

 

Maybe that is why my heart resonates with these words from the apostle Paul…

We have this treasure from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure.
This shows that the great power is from God, not from us.
We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated.
We do not know what to do, but we do not give up the hope of living.
We are persecuted, but God does not leave us.
We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 4:7-9 NCV

I have a real sense that God is strengthening us in ways we don’t even understand.

When I meet with friends I haven’t seen in a long time… they see something in me that is fuller and richer and deeper than what they had known of me before.  It’s the treasure of which Paul speaks. It’s God’s work… not mine.  The only part that I can take credit for is choosing to trust Him.  And I can only do that in His strength.

That’s the treasure He has given to us.  This change in us reflects HIM… not us.  It shows each of us, and the world, how God renews us when we press through our troubles and difficulties.  I love waking in the morning with a new hope for the day, despite the challenges ahead.

I’ll admit… some days my troubles feel overwhelming and bigger than life.  But, I’m pretty certain that they are nothing compared to what Paul and the early followers of Christ experienced.  Yet… Paul referred to them as small troubles. 

So we do not give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker,
but our spirit inside us is made new every day.
We have small troubles for a while now, but they are helping us
gain an eternal glory that is much greater than the troubles.

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 NCV

Mostly I live in the moment. It’s difficult for me to think about eternity without freaking out.  However, I do remind myself that in God’s continuum, which has no beginning or end, these difficulties are but specks of dust.  Learning to see our troubles as small is helpful when we start to become consumed with our trials.

 

If you've wondered how to get more faith... trust God - AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

Getting back to that quote from Piper…

God so values our wholehearted faith that he will, graciously, take away everything else in the world that we might be tempted to rely on — even life itself. His aim is that we grow deeper and stronger in our confidence that he himself will be all we need. – John Piper

Do you have wholehearted faith?

Can you say, “I can trust God, no matter what”?

God is growing me and my confidence in Him to a whole new level.

I haven’t had to face the executioners like the Christians in the Middle East are regularly facing for their faith in Jesus. Their ability to endure is a testament and encouragement to each of us to stay the course and remain faithful. And most of all to know and believe that God is all we will ever need.

Where are you in your faith journey? 

 

If you've wondered how to get more faith, you might be surprised to learn that it's not really all that complicated. We're the ones who make faith complicated. Not God. Join me as I weave the simple tips I've learned through my own faith journey to help you grow in faith.

 

Have you wondered how to get more faith?

Take time to prepare yourself for the difficulties that will lie ahead:  Immerse yourself in God’s word… take time for quiet and stillness so you can hear His whisper… and trust Him for everything.

When we trust God we exercise our faith muscles. 

You can be sure that He will keep bringing trials your way.  But when He does… dig in and push forward in His strength believing.  Flex those faith muscles.  You just might be surprised to see how well they work.

 

If you've wondered how to get more faith - JoyDay! - AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

It’s JoyDay!

I’m so glad you’re here to join me for JoyDay!  There isn’t anything better than each of us sharing the good things God has done in our lives this week.  Both in the happy and the challenges.

Will you join with me in counting ‘seven’ from the past week?

I’ll start!

Thank you God for…

  1. a morning at the lake.
  2. the sounds of the waves caressing the sandy shoreline.
  3. clothes drying on the line outside.
  4. hearing the unspoken prayer in my heart and working things out.
  5. your protection.
  6. special time with friends we haven’t seen in 20 years.
  7. preparing the way for our next steps.

Now  it’s your turn!

Please join me by tapping in your ‘seven’ in the ‘share your extraordinary thoughts’ section below. I dare you!

Thank you for stopping by and taking time to leave your sweet thoughts.

May your week overflow with unimaginable Joy! Signature - AnExtraordinaryDay.netReceive FREE inspiration like this in your inbox!
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Comments

  1. Debbie says

    For all the butterflies in my yard
    For the birds at my feeder
    Jesus and I made it through the grocery store together
    Friends who check on me
    For my health (not counting panic disorder)
    For a wonderful brother who helped me this week
    For having strength to get a few things done
    I am totally dependent on my faith right now to see me through each day. Your post spoke volumes to me and my faith muscle is getting a workout! God bless you Diane and I keep you in my prayers

  2. Debbi Saunders says

    Thank you Lord for:
    Lunch today with 3 of my best friends and pray partners!
    2. For the rain!
    3.reminding me I am never alone, when my Son went back home today sfter staying with me for the last 5 weeks, it was time.
    4. I am able to return to school on Thursday! Sound of mind and body!
    5. For the next wonderful chapter in my life! Excited!
    6. Thank you God, for taking care of my Son and I every step of the way!
    7.my Son finally received his pay check after over 3 weeks!
    I Love You Lord Jesus! Thank you!

    weeks, it was time.

  3. Judy says

    Good words, Diane……beautiful pictures.

  4. Gwen says

    Oh what a spirit to spirit post. Curt and I just meditated on this tonight
    He’s really tired so I’ll just say
    Faith is stretched but as soon as I’m overwhelmed like last Sunday I got encouraged.
    Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God!!!

  5. Lucy Beliveau says

    Thank you Lord for
    1. Dr. Saleem and her help.
    2. Time with grandchildren Samuel and Owen.
    3. My difficult and painful learning experiences of oh so many years ago that began my workout of faith.
    4. Sunday afternoon at Emily’s house!
    5. The courage to invite neighbors I’ve never met over for backyard party Saturday night!
    6. Made at least 20 pretty little bead bracelets to sell in my shop on Etsy!
    7. Once again, my wonderful children.

  6. Neil says

    Hi Diane Miller,

    Great Post! Some people have difficulty increasing their faith in God and understanding circumstances. When you have that kind of a feeling it usually means that a part of you, from your childhood or otherwise, never grasped the full concepts of full faith.

    • Thanks Neil! Faith is a process… some of us get stuck and turn back… others of us push forward. My hope is that someone will be encouraged to trust God just a little bit more and discover he is very trustworthy.

      All the best for an extraordinary day!

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