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There’s a story told about the famous tightrope walker, Charles Blondin, who crossed Niagara Falls on a tightrope pushing a wheelbarrow. After completing the feat multiple times, he asked the crowd, “Do you believe I can push someone across this tightrope over Niagara Falls in this wheelbarrow?” The crowd enthusiastically agreed that he could indeed do that. To which Charles replied, “Great! Then who will get in the wheelbarrow?” I have found no record this is actually a true story, but people like to use it to describe what faith is like. Instead of looking to a likely fictionalized story, let’s look at some Bible verses that will encourage your faith.
Defining “Faith”
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” and 2 Corinthians 5:6-7 says “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Here are a couple of things that faith is and a couple things it isn’t.
- Faith is not strictly an intellectual agreement.
- Faith is based on the character of God.
- Faith is not a list of rules and regulations.
- Faith is a mystery that we cannot fully understand, but that we can base our life on.
I might believe that every day when I get in my car and turn the key, it’s going to start. I can believe that because, aside from a couple of dead batteries over our 8+ years together, my car has always started when I turn the key. But I don’t have faith in my car because it’s a fallible machine and I know that it will most likely, eventually, break down.
But when I say that I have faith in Jesus, I’m putting my faith in someone who does not change. He has proven over and over again that He is faithful. The trouble comes when we misunderstand the promises of God. In Matthew 21:22, Jesus says, “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” So what happens to your faith if you don’t get what you’ve asked for?
Questions like these have baffled theologians for centuries, even millennia. It boils down to trust. Are you willing to put your trust, your faith, in Jesus? Here are some Bible verses to help encourage your faith as you seek to walk with God.
Knowing God’s Word is Important to Faith: Romans 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17
I’m a big fan of product reviews. Before I buy things I’ve never bought before, I read reviews. They help me to know what other people think about the product. Now, reviews are often very diverse: some give 1 star and say it’s terrible, and the next person will give it 5 stars saying it’s the best thing ever. So reviews are fallible. But let this thought encourage your faith: The more you know about God, the more you know you can trust Him.
Read stories about people of faith. Tell people what you’ve seen God do in your own life. Read the Bible as a story, in big chunks rather than just a few verses at a time. Spend time in meditation on God’s Word with the Abide app, letting God speak to you through the Bible every day. Watch how your faith grows!
Your Faith Isn’t Dependent on You: Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20
Let this truth encourage your faith: When you make the choice to trust Jesus with your life, you make the choice to stop striving and let God be God. You don’t have to do it on your own, you just have to get out of God’s way. He will use your gifts and talents, but He will accomplish what concerns you. It takes patience, because it’s human nature to want things the way we think they should be when we think they should be. Letting God be God means acknowledging that He knows best and His timing is always perfect.
Faith Will Help You Overcome the World: 1 John 5:4-5
For whoever has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5:4-5
Have you ever come to the end of your rope and just cried out to God, “God, I can’t do this anymore!” Maybe you’re fighting an addiction or facing the end of a relationship because of something you’ve done. Whatever it is you’re facing, your faith in God can overcome it. Jesus Himself said, “These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” Lean on your faith in Jesus to see you through all the trials you face in life.
Your Faith is Your Shield: Ephesians 6:16
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.
Ephesians 6:16
Remember at the beginning when I said knowing the Word of God is important to faith? When the evil one bombards you with lies, take up that shield of faith, and extinguish those lies with the truth of God’s Word. Look to Jesus’ example when He was being tempted in the wilderness. Because God’s Word is truth, Satan’s lies cannot hold up. Guard your heart and mind. Keep your shield of faith deployed.
To help encourage your faith, listen to a short sample of a guided meditation from Abide based on Hebrews 11:6 and walking by faith.
Faith looks different for every person who follows Jesus, but Jesus never changes. Abide is here to help. Download the app and use this link for 25% off a premium subscription. Our guided meditations, daily devotions, and Bible-based sleep stories exist to encourage your faith day by day.
For more about faith, including prayers to help build your faith, see:
- A Morning Prayer to Build Faith
- A Morning Prayer to Cast Out Fear
- Morning Prayer About Trust
- Faith Practices for Your Morning Routine
- How to Nurture Your Family’s Faith
- Live Out Your Faith With Confidence
- Learn to Live Every Day With Faith and Purpose
