To increase your faith consider supernatural events such as the resurrection of Jesus, as well as the signs, wonders, and miracles God still performs today.
Continued from last week April 25
How strong is your desire to have more faith? In the previous post we saw that the strength of faith largely depends on one’s choices and actions. God has given us means to faith that we must employ. In addition to the three noted in the previous post, here are two more means to faith, which rest on God’s supernatural works.
The Resurrection of Jesus
The resurrection of Jesus is a cornerstone of faith. When you become persuaded that God really did raise him from the grave, it transforms your worldview, for it implies several things.
One, the resurrection implies that God exists.
Two, the resurrection implies that God is engaged in our world and willing to do miracles. He is not a disengaged deity, the God of the deists, who created the world and then left us and the creation on its own.
Three, the resurrection affirms the reality and possibility of the supernatural, of miracles.
Four, the resurrection affirms that Jesus is who he claimed to be: the Son of God.
The apostle Paul tells how the resurrection of Jesus should increase one’s faith when he prays “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know…what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:17–20 ESV).
Therefore, to strengthen your faith, meditate on the resurrection of Jesus and God’s promise that the same resurrection power is available to every believer.
Signs, wonders, and miracles
On the role that miracles can have in growing faith, Jesus said, “ 25 The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me…. 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” (John 10:25, 37–38)
In Acts, miracles played a role in leading people to faith. See for example Acts 8:4–13; 13:1–12.
Supernatural signs, wonders, and miracles from the hand of God still happen in the world, and hearing such testimonies strengthens your faith.
Of course, even Christians, steeped in a culture that holds to naturalism, are skeptical of anything supernatural. A skeptic can always find a reason to discount miracles today, just as people did who doubted Jesus, but many contemporary miracles have been documented extensively and beyond reasonable doubt.
Are there fake miracles and charlatans? Of course. But that does not disprove the genuine.
Several credible scholars and journalists who have written books about miracles and included vetted stories are:
Craig S. Keener (Miracles Today and other volumes)
J. P. Moreland (A Simple Guide to Experience Miracles, and Kingdom Triangle).
Lee Strobel (The Case for Miracles)
Eric Metaxas (Miracles)
Tim Stafford (Miracles: A Journalist Looks at Modern Day Experiences of God’s Power)
Next week: More means to faith
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)