OPENING ILLUSTRATION: Imagine a blacksmith forging a sword. The process begins with raw, unshaped metal. The blacksmith must heat this metal to extremely high temperatures, making it malleable enough to be hammered, shaped, and ultimately refined into a strong, sharp blade fit for battle.
Spiritual Parallel: Similarly, "Forging our Faith" involves a transformative process where our spiritual lives are subject to heat—the challenges and trials of life. Like the iron and steel in the blacksmith's forge, our faith is tested and shaped by these difficulties. Each trial heats our faith, making it malleable and ready for God's shaping hand.
Here the blacksmith's forge represents life's trials, the blacksmith's tools symbolize spiritual disciplines, and the forged sword exemplifies a mature, effective faith capable of overcoming challenges and advancing God's kingdom. This powerful imagery not only clarifies the necessity of trials in developing faith but also encourages believers that the outcome of their spiritual formation is both beautiful and purposeful.
INTRODUCTION: Faith is a fundamental aspect of the Christian life, often compared to a journey or a process of growth and development. Throughout the Bible, faith is not presented as passive but rather as something dynamic and evolving, forged and refined through various experiences and challenges. The Scriptures tell countless stories of individuals who, through their encounters with God, grow from doubt to trust, from fear to confidence.
"Forging our Faith" involves the ways in which trials, demands, delays, and daily dependence on God shape and reinforce our reliance on His promises and power. As seen in biblical narratives, individuals like Abraham, who "believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3), and the disciples, whose faith grew as they walked with Jesus, exemplify this journey. The apostle Peter, referring to the trials that test faith, likened them to gold refined by fire, indicating that our faith, proven genuine, leads to praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:7).
Faith is not developed in a vacuum but in the context of real-world challenges and in constant dialogue with God through prayer, Scripture, and the community of believers. "Forging our Faith" explores these dimensions, recognizing that faith's true strength is shown through perseverance and trust in God's character and his ultimate plans for us, even when those plans are not immediate or clear. As we embark on this exploration of faith's formation, we delve into how God uses every element of our lives to mold us into faithful witnesses of His grace and truth.
WHY DOES GOD BUILD OUR FAITH?
1. TO STRENGTHEN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD:
• Trust and Dependence: Proverbs 3:5-6 encourages believers to trust in the Lord with all their heart and not lean on their own understanding. Faith strengthens our reliance on God rather than on our wisdom or strength.
• Intimacy: James 4:8 instructs believers to draw near to God, and He will draw near to them. Faith is the bridge that connects humanity to the divine, fostering a deeper relationship with God.
2. FOR OUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND MATURATION:
• Testing Produces Steadfastness: James 1:2-4 tells of joy in trials because testing of faith produces steadfastness, leading to spiritual maturity. God builds our faith through challenges to refine us like gold (1 Peter 1:6-7).
• Fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These characteristics are developed as our faith in God grows.
3. TO EQUIP US FOR GOD’S PURPOSE:
• Walking by Faith, Not Sight: 2 Corinthians 5:7 emphasizes living by faith, not by sight. Faith equips believers to follow God’s leading, even when the path is not visible.
• For Service and Ministry: Ephesians 2:10 states that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand. Faith motivates and empowers us to fulfill these divine assignments.
4. FOUNDATION FOR SALVATION AND PLEASING GOD:
• Faith is the foundation of our salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9).
• Without Faith, we cannot please God (Hebrews 11:6) and the entire roll call of the stalwarts who God chose because of their faith (Hebrews 11).
HOW DOES GOD BUILD OUR FAITH?
God builds our faith using PRACTICAL METHODS that involve REAL-LIFE CHALLENGES and EXPERIENCES.
1. DIFFICULTIES
God builds our faith by allowing us to FACE TRIALS and HARDSHIPS, which REFINE OUR CHARACTER and DEEPEN OUR DEPENDENCE on Him.
• 1 Peter 1:6-7: "In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
TRIALS ARE A FURNACE where FAITH IS PURIFIED like GOLD, CREATING A DEEPER TRUST IN GOD.
• James 1:2-3: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance."
CHALLENGES LEAD TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH, teaching perseverance in FAITH.
• Isaiah 48:10: "See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction."
God uses DIFFICULTIES AS A REFINING PROCESS to PURIFY and STRENGTHEN His people.
ILLUSTRATION: Job (Job 1–42) endured unimaginable suffering, loss, and pain, but through his trials, his faith was strengthened. He ultimately declared, "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you" (Job 42:5).
2. DEMANDS
GOD BUILDS OUR FAITH by asking us to ACT IN OBEDIENCE to seemingly difficult or impossible commands, calling us to trust His plan even when it is unclear.
• Hebrews 11: The "faith chapter" lists individuals like Noah, Abraham, and Moses, who trusted God despite daunting demands. Their FAITH EXPRESSED ITSELF THROUGH ACTION AND OBEDIENCE.
• Hebrews 11:8: "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."
Abraham responded to GOD’D CALL WITHOUT KNOWING THE DESTINATION, DEMOSTRATING TRUST IN GOD’S DIRECTION.
ILLUSTRATION: Abraham’s Sacrifice of Isaac: God demanded Abraham’s full faith by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac (Genesis 22:1-19). Abraham obeyed, believing God could resurrect Isaac if necessary (Hebrews 11:17-19).
Noah’s Obedience: Noah built an ark despite never seeing rain, trusting God’s instruction (Genesis 6:13-22; Hebrews 11:7). His obedience resulted in the preservation of humanity and animals.
3. DELAYS
GOD BUILDS OUR FAITH THROUGH SEASONS OF WAITING, TEACHING PATIENCE, TRUST AND RELIANCE ON HIS TIMING RATHER THAN OUR PERCEPTION OF TIME.
• Deuteronomy 8:2: "Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands."
The Israelites experienced WAITING IN THE WILDERNESS for 40 years, a period that TESTED THEIR TRUST IN GOD’S PROVISIONS AND PROMISES.
• Isaiah 64:4: "Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him."
God uses DELAYS AS MOMENTS TO ACT ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHO PATIENTLY TRUST HIM.
• Psalm 37:34: "Wait for the Lord and keep His way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it."
• Hebrews 6:12: "We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised."
ILLUSTRATION: Joseph’s Years in Prison: Joseph (Genesis 37–50) waited years between the dream God gave him and its fulfillment. Despite betrayal and imprisonment, Joseph trusted God’s plan and His timing, ultimately becoming a leader in Egypt and saving his family.
Hannah’s Patience: Hannah waited for years to receive the blessing of a child, trusting God even in her disappointment. God eventually answered her prayer, and Samuel was born (1 Samuel 1).
4. DOLLARS
GOD BUILDS OUR FAITH BY TEACHING US TO TRUST HIM WITH OUR RESOURCES. Through giving and stewardship, we learn that everything we have comes from Him, and He remains our ultimate Provider.
• Luke 6:38: "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
FAITH IS BUILT THROUGH GENEROSITY, TRUSTING GOD FOR PROVISIONS even as we give to others.
• 1 Chronicles 29:14: "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand."
This verse reflects King David acknowledging that all wealth comes from God, prompting humble and joyful giving.
ILLUSTRATION: The Widow’s Offering: Jesus commended the widow who gave all she had—two small coins—as an act of complete trust in God (Luke 21:1-4). HER FAITH WAS NOT IN HER MATERIAL POSSESSIONS BUT IN GOD’S ABILITY TO PROVIDE.
Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath: A widow trusted God’s promise through Elijah and gave her last meal to him. GOD MULTIPLIED HER RESOURCES, so she and her son had enough to survive through the famine (1 Kings 17:7-16).
APPLICATION: To live out our Faith, we must EMBRACE A HEART POSTURE OF HUMILITY and DEPENDENCE, modeling the examples of biblical figures who trusted God’s plans even when they couldn’t see the whole picture. By seeking God's guidance in prayer, meditating on His Word (Psalm 119:105), and serving others with generosity and love (Luke 6:38), we allow our faith to shine as a reflection of His light in a world filled with questions and challenges.
Ultimately, LIVING OUT THE PROCESS MEANS ANCHORING OURSELVES IN THE TRUTH THAT GOD IS FAITHFUL, EVEN WHEN THE REFINING PROCESS IS HARD. As Proverbs 3:5-6 encourages, we are to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." By SURRENDERING TO HIM DAILY, HIS TRANSFORMATIVE WORK IN OUR LIVES STRENGTHENS OUR FAITH, EQUIPS US FOR HIS PURPOSES, AND ALLOWS US TO EXPERIENCE THE FULLNESS OF HIS LOVE AND POWER. Therefore, Hebrews 11:6 reminds us, "Without faith it is impossible to please God."
