How do I Start Solidifying my Faith?

You now have a couple of character studies under your belt. Hopefully you understand what faith progression looks like and how to see it in the men and women of the Bible. Now let's transition back to the way you can personally develop a stronger faith.

Once you reach the stage of Searching Faith, your next step should be Solidifying Faith. Solidifying Faith is making your faith solid. It is where you piece together the answers to the questions you have been searching out. In a sense you will always be searching for and learning new things but at some point you have to take what you have learned and make it solid; building the belief system on which you intend to base your thought process and pattern for living.

Solidifying Faith was something I got a sense of early in my own spiritual development, just before I became a Christian. After spending several months studying the Bible and learning what it said about my lost condition, I still had not given my life over to Christ. I was a sophomore in college at the time. During my teen years I heard conflicting traditions about how a person becomes a Christian and so I needed to search out for myself what the Bible said. But all my searching was a waste unless I acted on what I had learned and submitted to the Lordship of Jesus. I knew what the Word taught. It was time to decide whether I was going to obey it or not. At some point we have to act upon what we have searched out or it all becomes meaningless.

When the royal official came to Jesus to ask for the healing of his son, Jesus did not go to see his son but merely said, "Go; your son lives." John 4:50. The text says. "The man believed." He took Jesus at his word. But after he learned for certain that his son was healed, the Bible says, "he himself believed and his whole household." John 4:53. I thought this man already had belief (faith), so what does this scripture mean when it says, "he himself believed"? It means his faith increased to a new level. "So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, 'Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.'" John 4:52. The confirmation that his son was healed at the same moment Jesus spoke the words solidified his faith.

In Mark 9 we have another father who wants his son to be healed. This man said to Jesus, "But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us" Mark Mark 9:22. His words betrayed his lack of faith. He said, "IF You can." He apparently had some doubt about Jesus' ability. Jesus even called attention to the man's choice of words. "'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes." Mark 9:23. This man apparently didn't realize whom he was speaking to. There is no "if" when it comes to Jesus' part in the healing process. It is our lack of faith that prevents us from receiving the good things Jesus wants for us. Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help my unbelief." Mark 9:23-24.

Solidifying your faith is pushing aside your doubts once and for all. It is not that we do not have faith before solidification. We do, but we still have weaknesses in the structure of our faith which need to be shored up or maybe torn down and reconstructed. In the same way you would make the foundation of a house solid, your faith has to be stabilized, and it is best to start with your spiritual foundation, Luke 6:48.

Reaching Solidifying Faith is about coming to some conclusions. After examining the evidence, what is the verdict? Either you believe it, or you do not. That is what it boils down to. Are you willing to accept God's will for your life? Paul resisted God's will for a time regarding his "thorn in the flesh". Three times he pleaded with God to remove it. When he finally accepted the fact God was not going to, he resigned himself to God's will and was content with God's grace. "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." II Corinthians 12:9. This is what maturing spiritually looks like. At some point we all have to decide whether we are going to trust God or not, whether we are going to comply with His will or not.

As you are solidifying your faith you also need to realize that some questions may have to go unanswered until we get the opportunity to ask God in eternity. "Where is heaven?" "How could God have no beginning or end?" "Why did God make the pits so big in avocados?" There are certain problems you may never find the answer to. The purpose of the Bible is not to answer every question or teach us everything we want to know. It does teach us everything we NEED to know for life and godliness, II Peter 1:3. When you and Jesus are relaxing in heaven sipping lemonade, you can ask Him about the rest.

For now there are, as Job said, "things too wonderful for me, which I did not know," Job 42:3. An infinite God is difficult to grasp with our finite minds. God's Word teaches us in Deuteronomy 29:29 that there is knowledge that belongs only to God. We learn what we can and do what we can and trust God to take care of the rest.

It is best for us to remain innocent about some things.

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.

- Matthew 10:16

(Pay close attention to each of these scriptures. Look them up in your own Bible when you get the chance.)

The stage of Solidifying Faith is marked with an increase in personal conviction by the believer. Something we can do to help solidify our faith is pray for a spirit of conviction. There seems to be so little conviction in the church today. Christians are opting for the nominal position of half-hearted allegiance to God, which is really not an "allegiance" at all. Think about it. If Jesus is the Lord of your life that means He calls the shots. Is Jesus truly in control of your life or are you in control? Is He the one deciding how you spend your time, your money? Is He in control of your relationships and the way you treat people? Is He reigning right now over your thoughts and your tongue, or are you? We cannot say Jesus is our Lord and yet continue to do whatever we want to do and say whatever we want to say. Jesus is Lord of all or He is not Lord at all.

When you think about it, half-hearted Christianity is a waste of time. Jesus told us the greatest commandment was to

and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

- Mark 12:30

You love God, but do you love Him with ALL your heart? If you are going to have a solid faith, God needs ALL of your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Now would be a good time to pause and pray. Talk to God about knowing Him more deeply. Ask God to instill conviction in you, life-changing conviction. The Lord needs warriors who are ready to make Christianity a life commitment instead of a weekend hobby.

One last thing that will help you solidify your faith is to start a prayer journal. When we write something down, as opposed to just saying it, we force ourselves to put more thought into it. Also, with a written record of your prayers you can glance back from time to time to see how God is answering you. It is truly a faith-building experience; one that will help you all the more in solidifying your faith.

Before closing this chapter let me caution you. One of the common mistakes made among Christians when it comes to Solidifying Faith is that we tend to want to put a timetable on things. When it comes to spiritual maturity, do not place time restraints on yourself. You cannot say, "By such and such a time I will move on to Solidifying Faith," anymore than you can say, "by such and such a time I will be mentally developed or physically taller."

Growth takes time and the best you can do is work toward maturity in your personal walk with God and welcome it when it comes. It is good to be eager to grow up spiritually, but it is not wise to overburden yourself with unrealistic expectations. Work on the biblical principles this book is teaching you and be patient.

In this chapter you learned about solidifying your faith by coming to some conclusions about what you do and do not believe. You learned that not all your questions will be answered in this life. You are going to have to press on without some of those answers. You were encouraged to pray for a spirit of conviction and keep a prayer journal to see how God is answering your prayers. Apply these principles to your life and be patient. The growth will come.