GROW: Faith and How to Have It

Faith steps back into the growth series as the living center of a disciple’s maturity. Jesus’ word sets the measure: “According to your faith be it unto you.” Faith becomes the currency of the kingdom, not because people move mountains, but because God is the mountain moving God. The mustard seed image lowers the bar of despair and raises the bar of expectation. Tiny trust, rightly placed, becomes a tree that gives shade, shelter, and fruit. Unbelief, by contrast, ties hands and shuts doors. Unbelief kept Israel circling, muted Jesus’ mighty works in his hometown, and still keeps souls outside the gates of life. So faith and believing are one cloth; to say one without the other is to talk nonsense.

Salvation, the promise of the Spirit, victory over the world, victory over Satan, and sanctification all come by faith. But when faith is left on the shelf, worry grows, guilt germinates, loneliness thickens, and worst of all, disobedience takes root. The cure is not positive thinking. Positive thinking is just noise when the shot goes wide and the scorecard says twenty over. Biblical faith sets its eyes on a Person and on the character of that Person. Mercy, grace, compassion, kindness, power, provision, healing, creation, salvation, love. Praying faith calls on who God is. That is why the father of the tormented boy prays the cleanest faith-prayer in the book: “I do believe; help my unbelief.” Weak faith in the right object outwalks strong feelings in the wrong one. Knowing the ice holds lets a person rise and cross with confidence.

The root of faith sinks deep where hearing is alive. “Faith comes by hearing” is not a slogan, it is a pipeline. Scripture, prayer, worship, teaching, discipleship, the gathered church, the ordinary means of grace. Unconfessed sin plugs the ears like potatoes. Confidence grows where the will of God, the Word of God, and the voice of God are welcomed.

The release of faith shows up in obedience. “Without faith it is impossible to please God,” so real faith acts. Love is an action verb, and so is faith. Sometimes the strongest faith is the kind that waits. While waiting, obedience keeps serving, giving, worshiping, discipling, trusting. Faith is not manufactured. Faith is given, like breath in the lungs, a fruit of the Spirit. To refuse it long enough brings spiritual faintness. So the call lands plain: be saturated with Scripture, be dedicated to Jesus, be separated from sin, be activated by the Spirit. Keep eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter, and ask him plainly, “Help my unbelief.”

Key Takeaways

• 1. Faith rests in the right object Faith is not about people pushing mountains. God is the mountain moving God, so faith looks away from self and fixes on him. Even weak faith placed on a strong Savior bears fruit. Confidence grows as the heart knows who he is and what he has done. [55:27]
• 2. Faith grows by hearing God Hearing is the God-ordained root system of trust. Scripture read and preached, prayer, worship, and fellowship become the channels where faith is fed. When the voice of God is welcomed, confidence stops wobbling and starts walking. Where hearing dries up, faith thins out. [64:58]
• 3. God’s character anchors believing prayer Prayer that names God’s mercy, compassion, and power leans on more than wishes. The father who cried “help my unbelief” staked everything on Jesus’ compassion, not on his own strength. Knowing God’s character turns vague hope into living expectation. That is how trust becomes personal and durable. [59:36]
• 4. Unbelief births worry and disobedience When faith isn’t practiced, worry multiplies, guilt lingers, loneliness deepens, and disobedience takes the wheel. Unbelief doesn’t just feel bad, it steers lives into choices that bind hands and close doors. Practiced faith reorders the heart and opens the way to obey. [52:50]
• 5. Real faith acts and learns to wait Faith is an action verb that keeps serving, giving, and worshiping while waiting on God’s timing. Quick fixes would shrink trust, but holy delays stretch it into strength. Waiting is not wasting when obedience keeps moving. In due time, the work of God proves worth the wait. [70:08]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [17:20] - Back to the growth series: faith
• [44:29] - What faith is and why it matters
• [46:34] - Be it unto you according to faith
• [47:01] - Mustard seed faith picture
• [48:45] - Unbelief shuts doors
• [50:19] - Gifts that come by faith
• [51:29] - When faith is not practiced
• [53:32] - Knowing God by His character
• [55:27] - Right object: have faith in God
• [57:38] - “I believe; help my unbelief”
• [63:22] - Faith comes from hearing
• [67:06] - What blocks hearing God
• [70:08] - Faith acts and waits
• [73:43] - Four applications and invitation

1. In the sermon, the mustard seed is used to illustrate faith. What does this analogy teach about the relationship between the size of faith and its impact? [47:01]
2. According to the sermon, what are the practical consequences of unbelief in a person’s life? [52:50]
3. What does the father’s prayer in Mark 9:24 (“I believe; help my unbelief!”) reveal about the tension between faith and doubt?
4. How does the sermon contrast “positive thinking” with biblical faith? [56:25]

1. Why might Jesus emphasize the object of faith (God) rather than the amount of faith (mustard seed)? How does this shift focus change how we approach challenges? [55:27]
2. The sermon states, “Faith comes by hearing” is a pipeline, not a slogan. What does this mean for how believers cultivate trust in God? [01:04:58]
3. How does unbelief “tie hands and shut doors,” as mentioned in the sermon? What biblical examples support this idea? [48:45]
4. Why is waiting on God’s timing described as an act of faith? How does obedience during waiting strengthen trust? [01:10:08]

1. Where in your life do you relate to the father’s prayer, “I believe; help my unbelief”? What specific area of doubt or struggle could you bring to God with this prayer today?
2. The sermon mentions that unconfessed sin “plugs the ears like potatoes” and blocks hearing from God. Is there a habit, attitude, or relationship you need to address to unblock your spiritual ears? [01:07:39]
3. How can you intentionally “saturate yourself with Scripture” this week to grow your faith? What practical step (e.g., a reading plan, memorizing a verse) will you take? [01:13:43]
4. The sermon says faith is an “action verb.” What is one tangible act of obedience (serving, giving, forgiving) you can do this week while waiting on God’s timing in a difficult situation?
5. Reflect on a time when you focused on God’s character (e.g., His mercy, power) rather than your circumstances. How did this shift change your perspective? How can you apply this to a current challenge? [58:57]
6. What “ordinary means of grace” (prayer, worship, fellowship) do you need to prioritize to strengthen your faith? Which one feels most neglected in your life right now?