You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? James 2:19–20 (NLT)
Faith and belief are closely interrelated in Scripture. At times, the words are used interchangeably in various translations. Jesus talked about “little faith.” Some people, along with demons, have enough faith to believe that there is one God, but “saving faith” must go further than in an intellectual assent to the existence of God.
“Saving faith” is a faith that is action-oriented. James tells us that “faith without good deeds is useless,” but that does not mean good deeds can save us. But when the faith of God gains a foothold in our hearts, and not just our heads, good things will happen. The 19th-century theologian John Henry Newman said: “Belief is truth held in the mind; faith is a fire in the heart.”
Faith and belief are essential. Without faith, we can’t please God. With faith, nothing is impossible. How can we grow, cultivate, and increase our faith? Can we ever have enough faith? Together, let us explore the degrees of faith and belief.
Belief Mixed with Unbelief
The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:24 (NLT)
It can be challenging to understand how faith fits into our everyday lives. The father of the boy tormented by demons lived with a mixture of faith and unbelief. Faith was not his natural state, but a crisis that hit close to home left him with very few options.
Sadly, many people view faith as something they need only in desperation. Like a fire alarm box with the notice to “Break glass in case of emergency,” sadly many believers don’t see the necessity of faith in everyday life.
But the idea that we require faith only in extraordinary circumstances goes against the theme of Scripture. The writer of Hebrews, quoting Habakkuk, reminds us, “And my righteous ones will live by faith.”
Once we learn to “live by faith,” there will be a reduction of fear and anxiety in our hearts. When we move on from thinking that we can call upon God when we have a great need, faith will become more precious to us.
When we exercise faith in everyday, ordinary living, we prepare ourselves to rely upon him when we face the mountains we inevitably encounter. We will learn that the God who sustains our lives by giving us breath is fully capable of handling anything that we will face.
It Only Takes a Little
“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” Matthew 17:20 (NLT)
In the days before magnifiers and microscopes, the smallest conceivable things were grains of sand and mustard seeds. On several occasions, Jesus chided his disciples for their lack of faith. For example, Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. Matthew 8:26 (NLT)
Sometimes, the problem is that we place our faith in so many other things besides God. We put faith in our own or other’s capacities and abilities. Some people trust that the government or other institutions will meet their needs and provide for them. Still, others only see failure and despair around them.
It may only take a small amount of faith, but faith must be properly placed. Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. Mark 11:22 (NLT). Faith in God is potent, even highly concentrated. We do not need to have great faith; we simply need to have faith in a great God.
When our faith is in Jesus, nothing is impossible. There is no miracle too great or problematic for God: “Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes. Acts 3:16 (NLT)
Increase Our Faith
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” Luke 17:5 (NIV)
How important is it to us to see our faith increase? The apostles may have stumbled in many ways, coming up short in the faith department. But they recognized their need and asked for more faith.
Remember, faith is more than relying on God to get us out of jams and other difficulties. It is also the life of Christ taking hold of us. Paul said: Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 (NLT)
Like our muscles, our faith is strengthened when it is exercised and put to use. Faith is not a trophy to be put on the shelf and admired. Paul noted the connection between faith that is growing and an increase in our love for one another.
To see faith flourish and grow in us increases by becoming like Jesus. David Wilkerson said:
True faith, in God’s eyes, has nothing to do with the size or amount of a work you aim to accomplish. Rather, it has to do with the focus and direction of your life. God is not as concerned with your grand vision as He is with who you are becoming. He is more interested in winning all of me than in my winning all the world for Him. [1]
Although our faith cannot be measured like temperature with a thermometer, we can see an increase in our faith that will warm our souls. We may start with little faith or even no faith, but the exercise of true faith in God will increase degree by degree until we are completely on fire for him.
Steve Ekeroth
[1] David Wilkerson, God Is Faithful: A Daily Invitation into the Father Heart of God (Minneapolis, MN: Chosen, 2012), 115.