How to Strengthen Your FaithSample

Faith in Action

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. Hebrews 11:8 NIV

After the devastating events of the Fall in Genesis 3, and the fallout that followed, we are introduced to Abraham. God comes to Abraham (formerly known as Abram) and forms a covenant with him. He promises to bless him and use him to eventually bring blessing to the whole world.

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:1-3 NIV

Called by God, Abram obeyed. Verse 4 tells us, “So Abram went …” Genesis 12:4 NIV

He left behind everything that he had ever known—friends, family, comfort, and his home—to follow God wherever He was leading. Why? Because he trusted God. He believed God was real, trusted that He cared, and was willing to obey. 

And the more Abraham trusted and obeyed God, the more he learned how trustworthy God is and how much better obeying God is than obeying our own desires. 

Our relationship with God is like most other relationships. Building trust takes time. In the same way that becoming best friends with someone usually doesn’t happen at the snap of your fingers, neither does developing a strong faith. But the longer we’re in relationship with other people, the more we learn about them, and the more we learn to love them.

This was Abraham’s journey. Being called by God and choosing to trust Him even though He didn’t know what was going to happen. Waiting years for God to come through on His promise to give him and his wife a child. Being asked by God to sacrifice that child and being willing to go through with it! 

Abraham’s life is a life defined by faith. This is why he has become known as the father of faith. 

Here’s one of the most valuable lessons we can learn from Abraham: 

Experiencing God’s trustworthiness comes through trusting Him. 

Real trust leads to obedience. 

Want to know the easiest way to tell how much you trust someone? Look at how willing you are to do what they say. 

When someone gives you advice, do you take it? When they ask you for help, do you help them? When they tell you not to do something, do you listen? 

Now, let’s change the focus from someone to the Son of God. Because that other someone may not actually know what’s best and they may give bad advice. 

But what about the words of Jesus? Are you taking time to study the Bible to learn what Jesus actually said? Are you doing your best to actually put those words into action? 

You’ll never experience the faithfulness of Jesus until you actually put your faith into action. 

Challenge: Think about your life and how closely your life aligns with the words of Jesus (or not). Based on that assessment, how much would you say you really trust Him?