I WILL STAND STRONG 30 DAY CHALLENGESample

Call of Duty

It’s easy to switch to autopilot in your Christian walk. You can sometimes get in a rut or get so accustomed to mundane prayers and church every Sunday that you neglect your responsibility to grow a stronger faith. 

However, you have a responsibility to grow in your faith. Christian growth, maturing in Christ, and becoming everything that the Lord intends you to be requires you to take part in the growth process. 

It requires ownership.

If you want to be physically fit, you got to own it! If you want to pass that test, you got to own it! If you want to be the best on the team, you got to own it! 

The more you own your faith and exercise it, the stronger your faith will be. 

The Bible has much to say about how to exercise and grow your faith. But for now, here’s an abbreviated list of six core duties that are sure to help you grow a strong faith.

1. PRAY WITH POWER—In Luke 18:1, Jesus said that we are to “always pray and not lose heart.” Think about all the times you’ve prayed about something and nothing seemed to happen. How does that make you feel? When we pray and nothing seems to happen, it can get depressing, especially when it feels like God is nowhere to be found. Like Jesus said, we must not give up when we pray. 
2. HEAR FROM GOD— God speaks to us in many ways, but primarily, and this is where we need to keep our ear attuned, He speaks through Scripture. That’s the starting part. When you’re praying about something specific, use the Scriptures as a guiding post. If you are wrestling with worry, unforgiveness, or what you should do about a job, the best thing to do is to look at what the Bible says about worry, forgiveness, and decision making.
3. KNOW AND SHARE WHAT YOU BELIEVE— Prior to leaving earth, Jesus gave the commandment to “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15). This is known as the Great Commission. However, if our faith is not a real investment, then neither will we invest the time to lead people to faith. That’s why we are so pumped that you are going through this 30-Day Challenge. Hopefully, it has challenged you to learn more about the Bible and go out sharing what it is you believe. 
4. LOVE OTHERS— Simply put, if we love God, we will love one another too. And the more we love others, the less we will sin against them. When we choose to love others, we will find ourselves forgiving more (Colossians 3:13), accepting more (Romans 15:7), and serving more (Galatians 5:13).
5. BE A GOOD STEWARD— If you hold on to earthly things, then you’re not investing in heavenly things. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). As a steward of God, you are to be found faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2) in your service to others (Matthew 25:20–21) as you exercise your spiritual gifts for the glory of God (1 Peter 4:10). So, the question you need to ask yourself is, what does my eternal bank account look like?
6. PERSEVERE— We’ve placed this final duty at the end because without perseverance none of the other duties will ever be accomplished. In essence, the Christian is not a quitter. We are constantly being reminded in the Bible to be strong and to not lose heart. When things get tough and you feel like giving up, take comfort in the fact that He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Paul told the church in Galatia, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). 

No matter the challenges, no matter the trials, no matter the problems. God is faithful. He will not abandon you. Jesus overcame sin and death, and has given you all that you need to grow a strong faith and make a difference for Him!