Building Enduring Faith

Throughout my life, as I've navigated challenging seasons, I've often found myself experiencing worry, fear, and doubt.... maybe you can relate.

I desperately clung to any illusion I could grasp that would help me feel like I was in control. As my anxieties would rise, I sometimes found myself in despair, depression, and hopelessness.

However, I discovered freedom in the truth, that as a child of God, I didn't have to settle for being controlled by circumstances that came my way. And neither do you! Our heavenly Father has graciously given us a better way to walk through life. The way of faith filled confidence, that invites us to experience ‘peace beyond understanding’ no matter what circumstances come our way.

Yet the durability of our faith often determines our ability to access his peace in times of trouble. 

A garden image with James 1:4 overlayed

I find that the childhood fable, “the three little pigs,” offers a helpful visualization for believers to reflect on the durability of our faith. If you’re unfamiliar, the story goes like this…once upon a time there was an old mother pig who had three little pigs, when they were old enough, she sent them out into the world. Before they left, she offered a few words of wisdom; she warned them about their enemy, the wolf, and encouraged them to stay vigilant. So, the pigs went on their way, and when they found a good plot of land, they decided to build their homes. The first one invested very little time and effort building his home and as a result built a weak house of straw, then went to play.

The second pig invested a little more time, resulting in a house slightly stronger, built of wood, but still weak and vulnerable to enemies. However, the third pig was wise, he remembered his mother's words and worked diligently, investing his time and effort, and building with brick, ensuring his home would be strong enough to withstand anything that may come against him. A time later when a wolf came to attack, the first two pigs suffered the loss of their homes. Luckily their lives were saved, even though they barely escaped the attack (1 Cor 3:14-16). But the wise pig had prepared well, so when the wolf came, he had peace and confidence. He was even able to offer protection to his two brothers. 

So how does this childhood fable help us understand our faith? Well, the Bible parallels growing our faith with the imagery of building a house many times. For example, in Luke 6, Jesus tells us, “As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice…they are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house, but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house - it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” 

Like the wolf in the fable, we also have an enemy. In 1 Peter we learn that our enemy, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. And beyond our enemy, trouble is always lurking, we know this because before Jesus left earth, he warned us that “in this world we will have trouble” (Jn 16:33).

Unfortunately, we don’t have to be alive very long to confirm that these statements are true. So, with our enemy on the prowl and trouble lurking, what are we supposed to do?

The Apostle Paul instructs us to resist the enemy, not to be anxious about anything, and to stand firm on faith. Yet when we’re grieving a loss, battling temptation, suffering from sickness, or worse, we often find our faith isn't as firm as might have hoped. Instead, many times we become victims of the very anxiety and worry we desire to overcome. 

So what do we do?

How do we learn to trust God fully?

How do we build up our faith to the point that it's strong enough to endure the storms of life or withstand the attacks of our enemy? Thankfully, God gave us many ways to increase our faith but, I’m going to focus on three foundational pillars: 

1. Hearing, Studying, and Meditating on God’s Word

2. Living out Faith in Obedience

3. Engaging in Prayer and Fellowship 

   
   

Hearing, Studying, and Meditating on God’s word

In Romans, Paul tells us faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word (Rom 10:17). This verse makes it clear that one of the most important ways we can build our faith is by hearing the word of God. Not only does the word teach us more about Jesus and how to trust and rely on him despite our circumstances, it also teaches us how to fight the enemy when we come under attack. 

Attacks can come in many forms, but as Christians, though we live in the world, we are not called to fight the way the world does. Instead, we’re called to use our spiritual weapons, like the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Eph 6:17; Matt 10:5), to make our enemy flee. We also can use the Word of God to command our thoughts of worry and fear into obedience with God’s Truth (2 Cor 10:5). 

But in order to use the word as a weapon, we can’t settle for just hearing it, we also need to study it and meditate on it (Jos 1:8). As we study the Word, the Holy Spirit helps us to understand its context, and through this process we start to learn more about the trustworthy character of God (1 Cor 2:13). Learning more helps us build our confidence in him and his ability and desire to be our strength (Isa 41:10). 

As we move beyond just studying his word, and we begin to think more deeply on it, meditating on it throughout our day, the Holy Spirit can begin to transform our heart and mind (Gal 5:16-18), transforming our fear and worry into confidence and boldness. 

Now you may be thinking, I have a terrible memory, how am I supposed to remember scripture and think about it all day. Welp, the great part is, God knows us so well, since he created us, he knew that memory might be a barrier for us. So to combat this, through the power of the Holy Spirit, he not only gives us his wisdom and understanding, he also helps us remember the Word, so that we can effectively use it as our sword in times of need (John 14:26). We just have to ask for his help! 

Living out Faith in Obedience

Now, we’ve discussed the importance of learning more about God’s faithfulness to us, but building trust and faith comes through action, as the Word says, “faith without works is dead” (Jas 2:26). Building faith in God is no different than building anything else. Whether training for a marathon or learning to speak a new language, you have to do more than study to be successful. You also have to practice and train regularly. Faith is similar, we can’t build it without walking out what we’ve learned. Imagine if the wise pig had only listened to his mom, thought about what she said, but did nothing to put it into action; when the wolf came he surely would have perished and his brothers would have as well.

When it comes to actively applying the Word of God, sometimes it can mean doing things that are “counter cultural” or things that feel really hard. For example, forgiving someone who has wronged you, extending a helping hand to someone you’re not very fond of (Lu 6:35), or trusting God in the face of uncertainty (Ps 62:7-8). Oftentimes when we face these types of scenarios, we don’t feel enthused about it.

However, while practicing our faith can be challenging, navigating these challenges are training grounds for building the firm faith we need to withstand the really rough storms of life (Jas 1:2-4). The word tells us to endure hardships as discipline; because God is treating us as his children. No discipline seems pleasant when we’re going through it, but it helps us to mature in our relationship with God, and this maturity helps us to build the enduring faith needed to face the storms of life (Heb 12: 7-11). 

It’s important for us to remember that actively practicing our faith not only helps us, it’s part of why God created us. In Ephesians 2 we’re told that we’re God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works that God prepared in advance for us. As we obediently live out our faith and let our light shine before others we bring glory to God (Matt 5:16). And through the process we have the added benefit of experiencing his goodness (Ps 23:6). So, like the little pig who probably felt more and more secure with every brick he laid, practicing obedience to God helps us increase our faith. 

Engaging in Prayer and Fellowship

Now let's be honest, sometimes we don’t want to practice kindness, gentleness, love, or self-control. Sometimes in affliction we want to respond in anger. Maybe we are facing a great disappointment or loss, we may not feel like practicing faithfulness. But doing it, especially when we don’t want to, is how we lay the bricks of enduring faith. That's how we get that strong tower, durable enough not just for us to stand on, but for others as well (Ecc 4:10-12). Think about the two pigs with fragile homes, when their homes fell where did they run? The pig with the strong home was able to invite them over and offer them support through the attack. 

As we think back to 1 Peter, we’re told to resist the prowling enemy, stand firm in faith because we know that the family of believers is undergoing the same suffering. So the good news is, we don’t have to do it alone! In addition to studying the word and living it out, we also need prayer and fellowship to help us build. 

Prayer is a vital way for us to communicate with God and grow in faith. To keep the house metaphor going, as we’re building, we can call in the best faith contractor we know - Jesus. The word says, Jesus is not only the author of, but also the perfector of faith (Heb 12:2). This means Christ is not only the foundation of our “faith house“ (1 Cor 3:11), he’s also the architect and foreman, the trustworthy leader we can call on for help! So to ensure we’re actually building something strong enough to stand, we need to be accustomed to calling on Jesus. 

In addition to Jesus, having a community to navigate with is also a key component for success. Think about running that last lap of your marathon, being tired and ready to give up, but you look over to the sideline and see your friends with a big poster board shouting “You can do it,” suddenly you feel reenergized, you dig deep and regain the strength to keep going! We need that same encouragement as we navigate our faith journey. 

The bible actually confirms this. In Hebrews we’re told not to give up on meeting together, but to meet, encourage one another, and help spur each other towards love and good deeds (Heb 10:24-25). When we think about those moments of suffering, or those challenging times where we’re struggling to respond in love, or even when we’re struggling to trust God’s word; having a strong community of believers around us can be the difference between throwing in the towel on our faith and pushing through enduring to the end!

The cost and the Reward

All of this might sound hard, like a big investment…maybe even like too much. But the truth is Jesus didn’t tell us following him would be easy, he actually said it would be hard (2 Tim 3:12). But he also said it would be worth it. He said doing it his way comes with peace and joy despite the circumstances (Phi 4:4-7). 

He even said if we do it his way, we will “win life” (Lu 21:18-19).   

But since he knew doing it his way was going to present challenges, he promised us he would help, and he promised he wouldn’t put more on us than we could bear (1 Cor 10:13). He gave us his Spirit, his Word, and his Strength. 

So while we are confident that the storms of life are coming (Jn 16:33), and we know for sure our enemy is on the prowl, seeking to kill, steal, and destroy us (Jn 10:10). 

We can also be confident that if we invest the time and effort in getting to know Jesus, if we practice what he tells us to do, and we stay committed through it all we will come out as the victors (Ps 60:12)! 

Encouragement for the journey ahead

Considering all of this, I invite you to reflect on your faith journey. 

How are you doing? How durable is your faith house? Are you in a storm right now? Do you feel prepared for the storms ahead? 

I want to offer you encouragement today and remind you that Jesus loves you and he cares about you (1 Pet 5:7). He wants to be the firm foundation you build your life on (1 Cor 3:10-15). 

He wants to be your brick house. 

If you’re struggling and in need of guidance and direction, the best faith contractor around is available to help you perfect your faith…all you have to do is invest in spending time with him, and allow him to show you the way (Ps 32:8). 

So truthfully, consider, could your faith use some perfecting? 

Heavenly Father, I thank you. Thank you for offering us protection from things in this world that seek to harm us. Thank you for paving the way for us to experience peace despite our circumstances. Thank you for being our firm foundation and giving us your word, so that we can know you better. Lord, I pray that you would help us with our unbelief. Teach us how to approach you boldly and walk confidently in our salvation. I pray that you would bless us with a community of believers that we can grow with, pray with, and be encouraged by.

Lord, reveal areas in our lives that we need to surrender to you, strengthen us as we prepare to do the good works you’ve called us to, and grant us wisdom and discernment as we put your word into practice. 

Lord, I pray blessings over every person that reads or hears these words, may your peace rest on them and may they find comfort in you. I ask all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.