It’s start of a new year. A time when motivation for change is at an all-time high and people all around the world renew their energy. It’s a time to start with a clean slate and move on from the shortcomings of the previous year. As a Christian, one of the goals I always made at the beginning of each year was to “have a stronger relationship with God” or “improve my life of faith”.
However, looking back on those times, I don’t think I even knew what that really meant. It felt like an obligation to have a faith goal that sounded pretty and inspiring. But in reality, I had no clear direction as to where to even begin. After so many attempts and failures, I realized that there is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to growing one’s faith. However, there are definitely some steps that can help start the journey off in the right direction.
What’s the Purpose?
Before beginning, however, there are some important things to keep in mind. As with any goal, it is necessary to ask oneself this question first. What is my purpose? Especially when it comes to our life of faith, we need to know the reason why we want to grow it in the first place. Is it because we feel like something is lacking? Or do we simply want to take our faith to the ‘next level’ so to speak? Having a clear purpose can set the tone for achieving the goal and give us much more motivation to reach it.
So if you’re thinking you want to grow your life of faith to win the heart of the new cutie at church, then this might not be the article for you. Of course we’ll all have different reasons for wanting to grow our faith. But it is essential that this reason does not center around other people. Having a life of faith is something that we should desire for ourselves, not for the people around us. I mean, how would God feel if you only wanted a relationship with Him to win someone else’s heart?
Once you’ve clarified the purpose behind wanting to improve your life of faith, then it’s time to start working. Goals don’t achieve themselves, so the progress will depend on one’s effort. However, if we have a sincere desire to grow closer to God, then won’t He surely be there to help us? Now, let’s get started.
1. Have a Clear, Realistic Goal
When setting your goal, it should be both clear and realistic. Having general, lofty goals like simply to ‘grow my faith’ or ‘have a stronger relationship with God’ or even ‘be a better Christian’, are nice, but what meaning do they really have? How can someone check whether they have achieved a goal like this or not? So, the goal itself should be something clear and measurable. Clarify for yourself what exactly you mean by “improving your faith”. This can be different for everyone, so finding what works for you is important.
In addition, the goal should be realistic. It’s wonderful to want to read the Bible more. And maybe you even have a goal of reading through the entire Bible in a certain amount of time. I know I’ve tried countless study plans to get into the Word more and finish the Bible as quickly as possible. However, is there value in reading a lot of something without understanding it? I’ve found that the more I tried to read to fill a quota of so many chapters a day, the more it felt like an obligation. And by focusing on fulfilling the obligation, I didn’t even try to understand the content. So, rather than focusing on quantity, isn’t quality more important? For this reason, setting a goal that is realistically beneficial is essential.
2. Pray Often
Prayer is something that always pops up on a list of ways to improve one’s faith, but it should never be overlooked. Since understanding and faith is something we should seek from God (James 1:5), then it is important to pray. Prayer isn’t something we should only do when things aren’t going well, but should be the start of any work we do for our faith. Wouldn’t God want to help His children have a closer relationship with Him? So, when we’re thinking about improving our lives of faith and making those goals and plans, we should take a step back and pray first. Of course, God is not like a genie who will instantly make your faith stronger, but He will be there to guide your steps in the right direction through His word and opportunities to put it into practice.
Some people shy away from prayer because they are unsure of what to say or how to talk to God. However, prayer is simply our way of communicating with God. If we’re not used to it, then it could understandably be a bit awkward at the beginning, but isn’t this true of any relationship? If you have a friend that you haven’t seen for a while, it’s natural for the first few minutes to be filled with those infamous awkward silences. However, the more you get talking, the more natural it becomes.
God wants his children to talk to Him just like any parent would. Do parents only want to hear from their children when they need something or just want to vent about their situation? Of course not. So, should we do that to God who is our spiritual father? Instead, we should strive to have an open line of communication with God and make prayer a consistent habit in our daily lives.
3. Be Sincere
Whether you’re just starting your life of faith or are already decades in, it is important to constantly check the attitude of your heart. It’s so easy to grow complacent with things in life, and faith is no exception. So, it’s important to constantly ask ourselves if we’re working towards our goals with a sincere heart. I’m sure none of us would want to be in a relationship with someone who has no interest in us and just does things their own way all the time. So, we have to ask if we’re actually doing that to God in our relationship with Him.
Saying we love God is simple, but do our actions reflect that? A relationship cannot just be one-sided. Of course, God wants to have a relationship with us, but are we trying to become an ideal partner, or do we just assume God will accept and love us however we are?
4. Be Patient
Patience is also very important when we think about improving our faith. Just like a plant cannot grow and bear fruit overnight, our lives of faith require a great deal of perseverance and patience. (Luke 8:15) So, don’t get discouraged if you don’t see changes in a short period of time. I know there were many times I also wanted to give up. But if you push through those obstacles, then the rewards will be amazing.
However, like any skill, patience takes time to build up and refine. So, it is important to practice it on a daily basis. This can be done through some very simple activities. For example, you can take up a hobby that requires more immediate patience like growing a plant, knitting, or baking. Through these very physical activities you will be able to develop the ability to be patient, which can then in turn be applied to your life of faith.
5. Build Habits
Habits, habits, habits. Something I’m sure most of us are tired of hearing about. It’s so easy for someone to say that you need to build good habits and get rid of bad habits. But actually carrying it out is a different story. Just like how our goals need to be realistic, the habits we want to build must also be realistic. Sometimes it seems like others around us are able to do so many things in their lives of faith, but we just seem to be lacking in so many ways.
However, we shouldn’t let that keep us from trying. Building small habits that can last is better than trying to do too much too fast. Try to start out doing something little. Once it becomes a habit, then you can start doing more gradually. For example, you can start by reading just one chapter of the Bible a day. Or maybe you could meditate on even just one verse. These simple actions will reinforce the habits, and, before you know it, you will be able to do more than you thought possible at the beginning.
6. Find an Accountability Partner
A life of faith is not something that we can carry out alone. There are so many ups and downs and things that we cannot overcome by ourselves. Despite a natural tendency to shy away from help, there is no shame in looking for someone who can be there together with you on your faith journey. Of course, faith is a personal thing, but it is not something that can be built through personal experience alone.
Faith comes through the Word (Romans 10:17). So, first and foremost, we should seek help from God. But if we’re having trouble understanding the word or putting our reading plans into action, then how much can our faith actually grow? For this reason, finding an accountability partner that can help you stay on track with your goals will help immensely. It might be a bit uncomfortable to reach out at first, but the spark it can give to the process of growing your faith will definitely be worth it.
When it comes to faith, there are many different ways that we can improve it. But we have to be willing to take that first step. Sometimes, it can come in very unexpected ways. For many years, I too was stuck in an endless loop of disappointment with my life of faith. I tried many different things but could never find the answers. Now, all that has changed. After putting in more effort to seek God and making a practical plan to improve my life of faith, I’ve been able to see things from a very different perspective.
I hope the above tips have been helpful in setting the direction for growth. Now, it is a matter of taking that first step and allowing God to help you grow (1 Corinthians 3:6).
Written by Lily
If you want to know more about how to carry out a life of faith that God acknowledges, read more in these articles!
A Faith God Considers As Righteous
Living Faith
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