Increasing our faith can be a rewarding and transformative journey that allows us to find greater meaning and purpose in our lives. It can also help us to develop greater resilience and inner strength, enabling us to navigate the challenges and uncertainties.

Matthew 6:9-13, says, “This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

In this model prayer taught by Jesus, there are principles that can turn into habits and can also increase our faith if we practice them consistently.

To Increase our Faith, learn the habit of GLORIFYING GOD

The phrase “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” implies a statement of worship directly address to God. It is giving all glory to God. Glorifying God refers to acknowledging and magnifying the greatness, goodness, and holiness of God. It can involve praising God for His attributes and actions, giving thanks for His blessings, and recognizing His sovereignty over all creation. Glorifying God can also involve living a life that reflects His values and character.

In order for our faith to grow and increase, we must practice the habit of worshiping and glorifying God. Worshiping God for who He is refers to acknowledging and honoring His divine nature and character, rather than just for what He has done for us or what we hope to receive from Him. It involves recognizing that God is the creator and sustainer of all things and that He is worthy of our reverence and adoration simply because of who He is.

To Increase our Faith, learn the habit of SUBMITTING TO HIS RULERSHIP

Another way to increase our faith is to submit to God’s rulership. We can also learn a portion from the model prayer taught by Jesus that says, “Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Submitting to God’s rulership means acknowledging God as the ultimate authority in our lives and making a conscious choice to follow His will and guidance. It involves recognizing that God has a plan and purpose for our lives and that He knows what is best for us.

Submitting to God’s rulership requires us to let go of our own desires, plans, and ambitions, and to surrender our will to His. It means trusting that God’s ways are higher than our ways and that He has our best interests at heart.

In practical terms, submitting to God’s rulership involves living in accordance with His values and teachings, and seeking to honor Him in all that we do. It means prioritizing our relationship with God above all else and striving to serve Him through acts of love, kindness, and compassion toward others.

While submitting to God’s rulership may require us to make sacrifices and face challenges, it can also bring a sense of peace, purpose, and fulfillment to our lives. By placing our trust in God and seeking to live in alignment with His will, we can experience a deeper sense of connection and intimacy with Him.

To Increase our Faith, learn the habit of TRUSTING FOR HIS PROVISION

Jesus also taught His followers to ask. It is called a petition. It says in Matthew 6:11, “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Trusting God for His provision means having faith that God will provide for our needs, both material and spiritual, according to His will and timing. It involves recognizing that God is the source of all good things and that He cares for us deeply.

Trusting God for His provision requires us to let go of our worries and anxieties, and to rely on God’s faithfulness and goodness. It means acknowledging that we are not in control of our lives and circumstances and that God has a plan and purpose for us that is greater than our own understanding. In practical terms, trusting God for His provision involves living with a sense of gratitude and contentment, and being wise stewards of the resources that God has entrusted to us.

The word “daily” indicates that God wants us to trust in Him and for His provision every moment of our life.

Related Post: Achieving Both Spiritual and Material Abundance

To Increase our Faith, learn the habit of CONFESSING OUR SINS

Jesus continued teaching the model prayer and said, “And forgive us our debts…” The word “debts” is also translated as trespass.

There are two kinds of confession: confessing for repentance and confessing for restoration. When we accepted the Lord as our personal Lord and Savior, we also ask for forgiveness. It is the repentance from being a sinner. Confessing for restoration is the prayer for the believer after committing a sin. Learn the habit of confessing our sins every time we commit mistakes and trespasses.

To Increase our Faith, learn the habit of FORGIVING OTHERS

Jesus also taught us that we should forgive our debtors. It means we need to forgive those who sinned against us. The way to increase our faith is to develop the habit of forgiving others.

Forgiving others involves extending grace and compassion to those who have wronged us. Forgiveness is rooted in the belief that we are all imperfect and in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness and that extending forgiveness to others is an act of love and humility.

Forgiveness involves choosing to let go of our feelings of anger, resentment, and bitterness toward those who have hurt us. It means choosing to release the other person from their debt to us, and to no longer hold their actions against them.

Forgiveness is viewed as an essential component of our own spiritual growth and well-being. By choosing to forgive others, we are able to experience a sense of freedom and release from the burdens of anger and bitterness. We are also able to cultivate a spirit of compassion and empathy towards others and to live in greater harmony with those around us.

To Increase our Faith, learn the habit of FIGHTING THE RIGHT BATTLE

This part of the model prayer, “And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one” indicates that we are in a battle. Another way to increase our faith is the readiness to fight the right battle. We are at war every day because there is an enemy, the evil one – Satan. We must fight the right battle.

Another way to increase our faith is to rely on God, as He helps us fight the battle against the enemy. We are victorious because Jesus already won the battle.

The post Habits to Increase Our Faith appeared first on Relevant Sermons.

Life is a journey. We are traveling in two lanes. The lanes of impossibility and possibility. Staying on the possibility lane should be our goal. But we need to be aware that we can’t travel in that two lanes at the same time. It is our choice, which one to take. How often we exchange lanes? How long we are staying on the impossibility lane as compared to the possibility? These questions force us to think and evaluate our life’s journey.

How often you hear the word “impossible”? How about the phrase, “it is possible.” Consider what Nelson Mandela said, “It all seems impossible until it’s done.” We always heard phrases related to doubts and impossibilities. But take note, the word impossible is not really a fact, it is just an idea!

The statements of Jesus found in different Scripture passages show contrast on impossibility and possibility. In Luke 18:27 – But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.” A similar passage is in Mark 9:23 – And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.”

Let’s use the story of the 12 spies sent by Moses to spy the land of Canaan, as we dig deeper on this topic “Staying on the Possibility Lane.” It is found in Numbers chapters 13 and 14. The journey of the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan began when God promised them a “land flowing with milk and honey.” Before entering the land, Moses sent 12 spies. Their job is to explore the land. They have done their job and reported back to Moses and to the whole assembly of what they saw and experienced.

How to keep staying on the possibility lane?

There are essential ways to stay on the possibility lane and not on the other side of the lane:

Focus on the Good Report

One way to stay on the possibility lane is to focus on the good report and not on the negative ones. There are two parts of the report of the spies to Moses, the good and the bad. In Numbers 13:27-28, They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. This is the portion where the good and the negative reports are mentioned. The land is flowing with milk and honey but the people there are powerful.

The additional report regarding the bad or negative side is in Numbers 13:31-33 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

The people clearly know the two sides of the story. They are aware of the good and the bad report. The challenge is, which side do you focus on, the good or the bad? Is it the positive or the negative? Focus on the good report and stay on the possibility lane.

Instead of saying, “just do nothing, it is impossible,” it is better to say, “just do it, nothing is impossible. Oftentimes, it is just a matter of perspective, just like the picture and illustration below. The words are the same but can be understood in two different ways.

Exercise Faith over Fear

Another way to stay on the possibility lane is to exercise faith over fear. Instead of entertaining fear and worry, trust in the Lord and have faith. in Numbers 14:8-9, it says, “If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”

Take note of the statement “Do not be afraid of the people of the land.” It is a bold declaration of faith. It is a positive vision that overcomes fear. The people were fearful because they believe more in the spies who emphasized the bad and negative reports.

To stay on the possibility lane, we need to exercise faith instead of living in fear. Joel Osteen said, “God has brought you through before and He will bring you through again. Make a decision each day to choose faith over fear.”

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Believe in Signs and Miracles

We can keep staying on the possibility lane if we believe in signs and miracles. Numbers 14:11 says,  “The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?

There are many miracles done by the Lord, even just looking back at the beginning of the Exodus story. The plagues in Egypt, the crossing of the red sea, the provision of food, and many more. These are the signs and miracles witnessed by the people before and on the journey in the wilderness. Unfortunately, the people are still stubborn and refuse to believe in the power of the Lord.

God is powerful. He performed miracles before and can still perform miracles today. If you want to live a life full of possibilities, believe that God is a miracle-working God. Claim it.

What are the ways in order to stay on the possibility lane on a consistent basis? (1) Focus on the Good Report, (2) Exercise Faith over Fear, (3) Believe in Signs and Miracles. Apply and live with these principles.

The post Staying on the Possibility Lane appeared first on Relevant Sermons.