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How Do You Strengthen Your Friends’ Faith?
By Rick Warren

“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13 NASB)

A divorce or any other major crisis in your life will shake your faith. But it is your faith and your trust in Christ that’s going to get you through it. David, after suffering great loss, including the loss of a child, wrote in Psalm 27:13, “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (NASB). He would have given up if he hadn’t believed in the goodness of God.

Even in those situations where life stinks and it seems dark, believe that God is a good God. Even when everything is going wrong in your life, believe in the goodness of God that can pull you through. Believe that God’s plan for your life is greater than the problem you’re going through. Then, you can also share your faith in God’s goodness with your friends when they are going through a crisis. Friends strengthen their friends’ faith.

How do you get that kind of faith?

The Bible tells us there’s only one place to strengthen your faith. Faith comes from knowing the Word of God.

If you know the Bible well, you’re going to have great faith. If you know this book a little, you’re going to have a little faith. If you don’t know this book at all, you’re not going to have any faith.

Did you know that in the Bible there are more than 7,000 promises made to you? But you can’t claim them if you don’t know them. If you want to increase your faith so you’re able to handle the rogue winds of life, you’ve got to know the Bible through study, meditation, and memorization.

Talk It Over

What can you do to get to know God’s Word better?

Find a promise from God that you can claim for yourself in your storm. Find a promise from God that you can claim for a friend.

How has God shown his goodness to you over the past year?