A. WHAT I WANT YOU TO LEARN!
1. Understand where and how to develop your faith.
2. To be encouraged and motivated to grow your faith.
3. To apply faith principles to your prayers so God can move mountains – problems in your life.
B. INTRODUCTION
1. Growing in faith is expected. “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (I Peter 2:2).
a. It is as natural to grow faith as it is for a baby to grow.
b. A baby’s growth follows natural patterns, so does growing faith.
c. The goal is physical maturity and spiritual maturity.
(1) You can be a mature 13 year old, doing what is expected of a 13 year old. Are you doing what is expected of a new believer _________ a growing believer _______ a full grown believer ____________?
(2) Your aim is to be fully mature intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
d. Learn the growth cycles: You must first crawl, second walk, third run and fourth jump over obstacles. Where are you in your growth cycle?
2. What is the standard to measure your maturity? “The righteous man shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:17).
a. Accept God’s word as the standard.
b. Understand that God expects us to live by principles.
c. Daily go to God’s word to discover both God’s general and specific will for your life.
d. Daily praying for God to remove mountains – problems.
e. Seeking daily the next step to reach God’s vision for your life.
f. Claiming God’s promises that will help you overcome problems and reach the next step.
3. What is faith? “Faith is affirming in your life what God has said in His word.”
a. To affirm is to act on God’s promises.
b. To affirm is to agree with God’s directions.
c. To affirm is to obey God’s command.
d. To affirm is to respond positively with biblical attitudes.
4. After you come to know Christ:
a. What is the biggest answer to prayer you have seen anywhere? ________________________________.
b. What is the biggest answer to prayer in your life? ____________________________________________.
c. What is one small answer to prayer? _______________________________________________________.
5. “Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you’” (Matt. 17:20). How much faith do you need to move a mountain/problem?
a. A grain of mustard seed was the smallest, so you need some faith as opposed to no faith.
b. The issue is not how much faith, but do you have any?
c. On a scale of 1 to 10, (enormous), how much faith do you have? 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 (circle one).
6. What is the source of faith? The scriptures, “So then faith [comes] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). You daily grow your faith by:
a. Studying to know what you don’t know.
b. Letting the Bible’s attitudes control your life.
c. Using scripture to solve problems.
d. Obeying all new lessons learned.
e. Applying the Bible’s principles to life.
7. How can we pray confidently? By asking for things that are God’s will. “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (I John 5:14-15).
a. Perhaps your prayers are not answered because your request is outside God’s will.
b. Where do you find God’s will? In His word.
c. The more you know the Bible, the closer you will be to God’s will and the more prayers you will get answered.
d. What’s the one thing you have confidently asked from God? _______________________________ .
e. What’s one thing every Christian can ask for? “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). You can confidently ask God to give you wisdom to make good decisions and solve problems.
8. Dr. Falwell’s seven principles to grow faith:
(1) Know Christ intimately and help others know Christ.
(2) Follow Christ in making day-in and day-out real choices.
(3) Inward love for Christ influences our outward life.
(4) You will have great energy to do those things that lead to your personal vision statement.
(5) You must obediently do the things said in God’s word.
(6) Never tell God no.
(7) Follow Jesus with all your heart.
9. What above needs the most work by you? _________________. What above needs the least attention by you? _________________.
10. If you have faith and please God, you will get your prayers answered. “But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Him,] for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). On a scale of 1 to 10, how well are you pleasing God today? 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 (circle one).
11. If you could ask God for something really big, what would it be? __________________________.
12. What are you willing to do to strengthen your faith so you can get what you really want? ___________________________________.
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
All PBC lessons are available online at trbc.org/pbc. Go to www.Hopenow.tv for the current program schedule.
Dr. Towns’ email is eltowns@liberty.edu.
Dr. Towns’ web address is www.elmertowns.com.
