Build Your Faith Before You Need It
We often think faith is something we reach for when life gets hard.
When the diagnosis comes.
When the relationship breaks.
When the future becomes uncertain.
When a prayer seems unanswered.
But perhaps the best time to build faith isn't during the emergency.
It's before the emergency ever comes.
Original Drive Episode: #143 — Developing Faith 101
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What This Resource Is About
I struggled with college algebra.
Actually, “struggled” might be generous.
I had to take the introductory course three times before I finally passed it.
It was Math 101—the basic course that was supposed to prepare me for everything that came afterward.
Eventually I realized there is a Faith 101 too.
And one of its first lessons is simple:
Faith will be tested.
That shouldn't surprise us.
We don't prepare for an earthquake while the ground is shaking.
Athletes don't begin practicing after the game starts.
We don't buy emergency supplies after the emergency has already emptied the shelves.
Preparation happens beforehand.
Faith works much the same way.
There will be times when life becomes difficult enough that what we believe will be challenged.
The question in those moments isn't simply:
Do I have faith?
It may also be:
What have I been doing with my faith while life was good?
Faith grows in remarkably ordinary ways.
Prayer.
Scripture study.
Worship.
Talking about God.
Serving someone.
Forgiving someone.
Recognizing answers.
Acting on spiritual impressions.
Trying to live what we already know.
None of those things may feel dramatic while we are doing them.
But small spiritual practices build something inside us.
Then when life becomes difficult, we aren't beginning from zero.
We have somewhere to stand.
That's one reason scripture so often compares faith to something living—a seed or a tree.
You don't plant a tree the day you desperately need shade.
You nourish it long before then.
And eventually what you have spent years growing begins giving something back.
Key Takeaways
Expect your faith to be tested. Difficulty does not necessarily mean faith has failed; sometimes difficulty reveals what has been developing.
Faith is practiced in ordinary life. Prayer, scripture, worship, service, obedience, forgiveness, and spiritual conversations all strengthen it over time.
Don't wait for a crisis to turn toward God. The relationship you develop with Him during peaceful seasons can sustain you during difficult ones.
Small spiritual practices compound. They may feel insignificant today but become increasingly valuable over time.
Start where you are. Spiritual growth does not require already having great faith. It begins by exercising the faith you have.
Maybe that's one of the simplest principles of spiritual preparation:
Build your faith while the sun is shining so it has roots when the storm arrives.
Related Topics
Faith & Spiritual Growth
Faith • Prayer • Scripture Study • Spiritual Habits • Trusting God • Discipleship
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