Hi Friends,

I was reading Romans Chapter 4 today when I came across something Paul said about Abraham that I had totally forgotten.

“He grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God.” (Romans 4:20)

When we think about people with great faith —people like Abraham — it’s easy to forget one thing: Faith doesn’t happen automatically.

Faith is grown, built and increased as we exercise it. Faith is both a cause and a result of God working in our life (See Rom. 1:17).

And in both Abraham’s life and ours, there is one key action we can take that makes our faith stronger: Give glory to God:

• We give glory to God when we declare His goodness, even in circumstances where it’s difficult to see it.

• We give glory to God when we obey His commands in scripture, even when we’d really rather do something else.

• And we give glory to God when we open our mouths and praise Him through song, even when our hearts aren’t fully “there yet” or we’re still getting used to the song.

Here’s How That Works

When we choose to declare God’s goodness, our faith gets stronger because our hearts get refocused on eternal realities. And the more we focus on higher things, the more our faith to believe for them grows.

When we choose to obey God’s commands, our faith gets stronger because our habits get rewired. And the more our habits reflect God’s will, the more our faith in God’s good plans for us grows.

And when we choose to praise God through song, our faith gets stronger because our mouths reinforce what our spirits already know. And the more our spirits are strengthened, the more our trust in God’s spirit grows.

So, if you want a stronger faith and a deeper relationship with God, the answer is simple: Give Him glory through your declaration, your obedience and your song.

As you do, you’ll find your faith grows stronger than ever and only God knows what life-changing outcomes may come as a result.

See you Sunday,
~Pastor Phillip