How do we acquire such “great faith”?

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I am very grateful to God for the wonderful opportunity to share God’s word with you every day.

Today I would like to finish teaching about the reward that comes from perseverance and continual faith. This was a big encouragement for me, and I hope it was an encouragement for all of you who read our column “Daily Word for Spiritual Strength”

Let’s read the story again:

“Leaving the place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.
Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”
“Yes, Lord, “she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”
(Mt.15:21-28)

Jesus said to the Canaanite woman that she had great faith.

It is interesting to find out how we acquire such “great faith”? Let’s try to find the answer to that question today.

The Bible declares that faith comes from hearing God’s Word (Rom.10:17). So if you want your faith to grow, my advice to you is this – continue to listen to God’s Word and fill your heart and mind with it.

At the same time, be ready for your faith to be tested. You cannot find out if your faith is growing without examination. Problems and trials are tests of your faith.

It was the problems that the woman in our story went through that strengthened her faith so much that her faith became so great.

If you find yourself in a place of weak faith, go back to the fundamentals of your faith – start filling your heart and mind again with God’s Word.

We all have the same source of faith and the same opportunities to develop it. Faith is available for all of us through the Word of God.

We do not only need to acquire faith, but we are responsible to grow in our faith and to strengthen it by using our faith to overcome when problems arise.

We cannot give to others something we do not possess. Our lives influence the people around us. People watch us and they see how we react in different situations. Our reactions or actions are an example for the people around us. Our children learn from us continually. We can encourage people by living a life of faith before them.

Thank God that He is a wise God, who has provided for us in advance everything we will ever need. God is not disinterested in your life or my life; He knows everything about us and our life situations. God always comes to our aid even though we may not always notice it. Be thankful to God for the life He has given to you and for His work in your life. Be thankful for being so valuable and important in the eyes of God. God knows all our hardships and problems, and He is on His way to deliver His help to us. Be thankful to God for His Word, which is the source of faith. Thank God for the possibility to access His Word, for wisdom from His Word, and for the understanding and encouragement, which fill our hearts through God’s Word.

Pray to God for the spirit of revelation and wisdom, so that His Word may sink into your heart more and more, so that through the Word your faith can grow and become stronger. God’s Word is a Living Word, which inspires faith in us and encourages us. Walking in God’s Word brings light to our life.

Ask God’s forgiveness for complaining instead of learning from your situation. Ask God’s forgiveness if you have ever doubted that God will help you out or if you have ever made negative and wrong confessions due to frustration and hopelessness. Ask God’s forgiveness if you have often neglected the principle of faith and often seen problems where God saw opportunities.

Ask God’s forgiveness if you have grumbled instead of praising and worshipping God:
“Help us, O Lord, to see every situation in our life as an opportunity to grow and strengthen our faith and move to a new level.”

May we praise and thank God more and more instead of complaining and wallowing in unbelief. May the Lord help us to see that praise and worship are things that bring solutions to trying situations and open up the heavens.

Let’s start practising all the principles we saw in the life of the Canaanite woman in our lives. God wants us and our children to have a fulfilled life, but there is an enemy, Satan, who has a completely different plan for our lives.

But thanks be to God that through our faith in Him, we can overcome Satan and walk in great victories!

Have a great day!

Pastor Rufus Ajiboye