By Todd Barrier  

How do we grow our faith? How do we make it stronger? How can we depend on it to get us through the tough times when we are weak?  

It’s a tough question and might be a tough answer. Like many things, a tactic that might work for one person might not work for another. However, one thing can definitely help us all be confident in our faith: the testing of it.  

If we wait to depend on our faith until the tough times come, we probably haven’t built it up enough to stand on.  

On the other hand, if we have tested our faith in other situations, when the toughest of times come, we will know we can depend on it.  

That’s the way many Bible heroes did it.  

In Daniel 1, Daniel and his friends tested their faith in the “king’s food incident” and came out better for it. This testing of faith surely had an impact on them when they depended on their faith in other situations; the fiery furnace and the king’s decree against praying come to mind right away.  

Paul continuously tested His faith and was strengthened spiritually each time, which allowed him to continue to preach the Word even in the face of persecution.  

In Romans 15:13 the Bible says, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” 

Through the testing and growing of our faith, we can find peace in the decisions we make, which leads to the joy our God gives us!  

Are you testing your faith?