A Prayer to Deepen and Strengthen Your Faith
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading:
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”--Hebrews 11:1
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What does it take to deepen and strengthen our faith? 2 Timothy 4:7 likens our faith to running a race: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
It’s true that life can seem like a rat race, where we just keep doing the same things over and over again, like a hamster running in a wheel. Because life and even how we live out our faith day-to-day can seem redundant to us at times, wearing us down and adding failures, disappointments, and heartaches to our weariness, we want to keep faithfully going on with the goal of finishing our lives in faith.
Four Keys to Deepening and Strengthening Our Faith in the Race of Faith
In 1 Corinthians 9, God encourages us to keep moving forward, giving us keys to keep running the race of faith for as long as we live and breathe on earth. If you’ve ever run a physical race, you know it takes preparation to participate. The following are four keys God gives us to help deepen and strengthen us and stay on the course ahead of us.
1. Set our hearts and minds on winning the prize. What is that prize? It’s Jesus and eternal life with Him.
1 Corinthians 9:24 asks us, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”
2. Train to win. 1 Corinthians 9:25 explains how “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
1 Timothy 4:8 describes the importance of spiritual training. “For physical training is of some value, but holiness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
3. Realize we’re being cheered on. Although we may not know exactly what this means or what it looks like, Hebrews 12:1 reveals that, like a grandstand full of people watching a race, we are being watched and cheered on by a great crowd, too.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Even though we may not see them or know when, where, and how they are seeing us, 1 Timothy 6:12 tells us, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
4. Fix our eyes on the finish line. Where does our race end? With Jesus, the One we are running to in faith and keeping the course is dependent on us “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
As James 1:12 explains, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
Let’s Pray:
Dear Father,
Please deepen and strengthen our faith today as we fix our eyes on Jesus, who has gone before us and perfected faith on our behalf. Help us to set our hearts on winning the prize of eternal life with You by training to win, recognizing we have heavenly support through the many witnesses cheering us on, and fixing our eyes on Your perfect Son, Jesus. Free us today from all earthly hindrances, bondages, and evil spiritual forces that seek to trip us up, lead us astray, slow us down, and rob us of our crown of life. Help us, O Father, to stay steady in our race, full of hope, knowing, as Jesus reminds us in Revelation 3:11, “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Krisanapong Detraphiphat
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
Kerry Washington. Andrea Bocelli. Reba McEntire. Mark Wahlberg. Tony Dungy. Matthew McConaughey, What do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their story of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.
Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
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