BUILDING YOUR FAITH

Romans 1:17 (Amplified Bible)
¹⁷ For in the Gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith].  As it is written, The man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith.

Romans 10:17 (New King James Version)
¹⁷ So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

2 Corinthians 5:7 (New International Version)
⁷ We live by faith, not by sight.

Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified Bible)
⁶ But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him.  For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].

Jude 20 (New Living Translation)
²⁰ But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, ...

I've had lots of dialogue over the years with folks from about every spiritual persuasion there is: from strict KJV only fundamentalist folks to militant atheists who mock at any kind of faith in God as being a sign of a very weak and ignorant person who uses God as a crutch to get through life.  I remember hearing one of these people comment about a friend of his who was dying and in the end turned to God and how weak this person must have been to turn to God for help at death's door. 

I'm convinced beyond any shadow of a doubt that we must build our faith to keep it.  In our generation the media attacks on the Christian faith are very strong indeed.  It is no coincidence that for the past several years, especially during the Easter and Christmas seasons, we have had TV "documentaries" by great and learned professors that seek to absolutely discredit the historicity of the biblical records especially the gospel records of Jesus, His life, the places He lived, and His resurrection.  The DaVinci Code book and movie is another classic example of the attack on historic Christian faith and the integrity of the story of Jesus the Christ.  Multitudes of biblically illiterate people have seen this movie and have accepted it as though it were factual instead of pure fiction.  The Jesus Seminar scholars meet periodically and decide by a vote on which sayings of Jesus in the Bible were actually his and which weren't and by the time they are finished there will be practically nothing in the gospels that, in their opinion, were actual sayings of Jesus. 

Everything pertaining to being a believing Christian is ultimately based on faith and not on some kind of empirical evidence that one can prove in a scientific laboratory.  Hebrews 11:6 is very clear on that point.  This statement is very significant:

"Trying to understand God through the intellect alone is a futile endeavor that has lead many theologians down the wrong path." Ruth A. Tucker, Walking Away from Faith: Unraveling the Mystery of Belief and Unbelief p. 124

In Romans 10:17 we are told that faith comes through hearing the Word of God.  When this was written any kind of scripture or Christian teaching in written form was nearly nonexistent so hearing was the primary way the Word of God was transmitted.  Faith was born in people's hearts by hearing the teaching, personal sharing and preaching of early Christians.

It has been my experience from Day 1 of my spiritual journey that if we want to have a strong faith we must continually fill our minds with faith building teachings. Nowadays there is an abundance of excellent audio, visual, and literature available to build our faith.  We need to utilize these materials to maintain a strong faith journey.

One can find an abundance of faith-building books in most public libraries but as a word of caution I would say that faith-destroying books are also available in these same libraries since these institutions are required to represent all points of view.  We have to use spiritual discernment and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we puruse library and bookstore shelves.

There are many wonderful authors whose books are worthy of our time and which we will find in most public libraries and places where books are sold.  If you want books that will build your faith and give you guidelines for everyday living applying Christian principles here are some authors I would especially recommend: Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, Norman Vincent Peale, and Robert H Schuller.  Personally I find Joyce Meyer's books and CDs most wonderfully inspirational and helpful in dealing with everyday practical issues and challenges and she is always faithful in pointing out our need for God's forgiving and enabling grace rather than depending upon human will power.  In my opinion she is the best of all in this area.  A couple of contemporary writers that are very inspirational and uplifting are Chuck Swindoll and Max Lucado.  Chuck Swindoll's books on prominent Bible characters and lessons we can learn from their lives are especially helpful.  Philip Yancey deals with a wide variety of difficult theological issues in his books and provides sort of a bridge between more conservative and liberal viewpoints.  Lee Strobel converted from being an atheist to an evangelical Christian and has written a series of books answering the charges of critics of the Christian faith.  I highly recommend his books to those who have a lot of questions about the basic foundations of Christianity.  Mere Christianity by C S Lewis is an all time classic as he delineates his line of reasoning that led him from atheism to Christian faith.

Most of you recognize that the sources I recommend above are from more conservative Christian thinkers but I list them because they help to truly open up wonderful gems from the Bible.  I have felt free to utilize for myself and recommend to others whatever resources I feel will be of spiritual help.  At the same time I encourage people to find what they can resonate with most fully and that may or may not coincide with my preferences.

There are many more wonderful writers and as you seek guidance of the Holy Spirit you will find what is best for you at any given time.  That has been my experience over these many years--the right book just when I needed it the most.  "When the student is ready the teacher will come."  There are so many times when I've had a problem or a perplexing question and have been guided to just the very book that would help me.

Three study Bibles that I highly recommend are: The Thompson Chain Reference Bible (NIV), Life Application Bible: New Living Translation and Joyce Meyer Study Bible--Amplified Version.  These Bibles will open to you many treasures of the Scriptures, provide historical background, and show the unified themes of Scripture.  There are many more study Bibles, handbooks, dictionaries, devotional books, and commentaries that you may wish to take a look at.  There are daily devotional publications which provide a Bible reading for the day and helpful comments.  There are several online devotionals that are freely available.  Daily Bread is a wonderful daily devotional and is available free of charge to anyone requesting a subscription as well as being online.  I look forward to the suggested Scripture lesson and thought each morning as the first part of my devotional time.

Above and beyond all other considerations If you want a strong faith you must feed it with positive Christian materials in as many forms as you possibly can.  Another tool that I use a lot is listening to uplifting Christian music--both contemporary and traditional.  Many a time when I've been tempted to be depressed Christian music has made all the difference.  Remember how David used music to soothe the depressions of King Saul? I also find for myself that I need the encouragement, teaching, and fellowship that comes from attending church or other Christian gatherings regularly.  If I miss attending church I find myself really missing it all week long.

I share these thoughts because I have seen so much skepticism and attacking of Christian faith and have seen the struggles that people are going through and how much practical Christian teaching could really help if they would apply the truth principles in the Bible to their lives.  A lot of people have never given real Christian teaching a fair chance, including many professed Christians.  If we aren't careful we can allow our faith to just slip away, little by little, and when the tests of life come we are unprepared to meet them.  Think about it.  OK?

Written by Tom Durst of Spokane WA
tomdurst1@msn.com

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