By Faith

By: Lisa Boisvert

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Why is faith hard? We all want to have strong faith, but sometimes we fail. Have you ever beat yourself up because you lacked faith? One reason having faith is difficult is because we try to increase our faith ourselves. We want to have confidence in what we hope for, so we just expect ourselves to have total assurance about everything.

It's hard to have faith in what our eyes can't see... Honestly, it's much easier to have faith in what we can see. Every time we sit on a chair, we have faith the chair will hold our weight. When we get on an airplane, we have faith we will safely arrive at our destination. Sometimes our faith is based on our five senses, after all, we can feel that chair and see that airplane. Faith in the spiritual realm is much more complicated. Why? Because we can't experience spiritual things with our senses. This is why the faith we see in the bible is sometimes called "blind faith." So, with our human limitations, how do we acquire this strong spiritual faith that is so vital for Christ followers? 

Sometimes we make things more difficult than they are, and we miss the answer that is right in front of us. The Lord will never ask us to do something we aren't capable of. Therefore, we know a lack of faith has a solution, and our Bible gives us the answer. Our main mistake is attempting to increase our faith on our own. In Mark 9, the father of a demon possessed boy faced this very same dilemma. He desperately wanted Jesus to remove an evil spirit from his son, but he struggled to find enough faith.

The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:22-24

The boy’s father was desperate, and he knew his faith was limited. He believed, but he admitted he didn't believe enough! So, he cried out to Jesus and asked Him to increase his faith. This is our solution! Like that father in Mark 9, when our faith falters, we must cry out to Jesus and ask Him to help overcome our unbelief.

The next time your hope fades, cry out to Jesus and ask Him to increase your faith!