Rising Faith | Pastor John Varner

Devotional

Day 1: The Author and Finisher

Jesus stood among His disciples after rising from the dead, showing His scars and eating broiled fish. He kept working on their faith even when they doubted. Like a builder finishing a house, He molds our trust in Him through every season. The Bible says He’s both the starter and completer of our faith—He’s not done with you yet. [56:33]

When life feels shaky, remember Peter stepping out of the boat or Thomas touching Jesus’ wounds. Faith grows when we fix our eyes on Christ, not our storms. Jesus isn’t just your past miracle-worker; He’s actively shaping your trust today.

What area of your life feels unfinished? Where do you need to surrender control to the One who holds all things? “Let us run with endurance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal one step He’s asking you to trust Him with today.
Challenge: Write down three areas where your faith feels “unfinished” and pray over them.

Day 2: Faith Comes by Hearing

A preacher once sat silent for five years, learning to listen before speaking. Like the woman at the well, we often come to God with demands instead of open ears. Faith grows when we stop talking and start hearing—Scripture says it’s God’s Word that fuels our trust. [58:10]

Jesus told Satan, “Man lives by every word from God’s mouth.” Your faith weakens when you neglect His voice. The disciples’ faith exploded after walking with Jesus for three years—not from sermons, but from daily listening to His heart.

When did you last sit in silence to hear God? “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17, ESV)

Prayer: Confess any distractions keeping you from God’s Word today.
Challenge: Set a 10-minute timer. Listen to a Scripture audio without multitasking.

Day 3: Diamonds in the Highway

The preacher found diamonds in a mangled bracelet on the road—faith often shows up in unexpected places. Like the Roman centurion who amazed Jesus, great faith sees God’s power even when circumstances look broken. [01:04:10]

First John 5:4 says faith is our victory over the world’s chaos. The widow with the copperhead bite didn’t die because her family declared God’s promises over poison. Your words shape your faith; your faith shapes your victory.

What “mangled” situation are you grumbling about instead of claiming God’s power? “Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory: our faith.” (1 John 5:4, ESV)

Prayer: Thank God for one past victory as proof He’ll act again.
Challenge: Identify one problem and say aloud, “My faith overcomes this” three times.

Day 4: The Tractor Key

A man hesitated to ask his father for a tractor, not realizing it was already repaired for him. Like the prodigal son’s father, God has blessings prepared we’re too afraid to claim. Jesus said, “Have faith in God”—not in your ability to beg. [01:33:11]

The Syrophoenician woman (Mark 7:24-30) didn’t let Jesus’ silence stop her request. Bold faith grabs hold of what God’s already provided. Your Father isn’t stingy—He waits for you to ask with confidence.

What have you avoided praying for because it feels too big? “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.” (Mark 11:22-23, ESV)

Prayer: Boldly ask God for one thing you’ve been too timid to request.
Challenge: Write your bold request on paper and date it as a faith marker.

Day 5: More and More

A farmer’s boy kept repeating “4:00” to remember his message. Like David reviewing God’s past victories before facing Goliath, we strengthen faith by rehearsing His faithfulness. The psalmist said God increases us “more and more”—faith thrives on expectation. [01:12:19]

When the Israelites stopped expecting manna, they starved. The woman with the issue of blood pressed through crowds because she expected healing. Your faith isn’t a one-time event—it’s a daily choice to expect increase.

Where have you settled for “enough” instead of pursuing “more”? “May the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children.” (Psalm 115:14, NIV)

Prayer: Thank God for three specific ways He’s increased you this year.
Challenge: Share one faith victory with a friend to encourage their journey.

Sermon Summary

Faith must rise and keep rising so miracles and personal victories can follow. The ascended Christ actively imparts and finishes faith in believers, and that impartation requires continual attention: faith increases as people hear and respond to God’s word. Hearing the Word becomes a spiritual discipline; attention to revelation and repeated confession root truth in the heart so faith can move from momentary wonder to steady, repeatable victory. Faith operates as the mechanism that translates invisible promises into visible change—healing, provision, deliverance, and endurance in loss.

The talk follows a practical arc: faith needs feeding, regular use, and careful protection. Feeding happens through Scripture, repeated declarations, and openness to the Spirit’s daily words; using faith strengthens it, because unused faith atrophies like a limb kept in a cast. Protecting faith means resisting cynicism, whining, and a hardened heart so that trials refine rather than consume belief; faith proved by fire becomes more precious than gold. The present ministry of Christ continues to release revelation and faith to those who look to him, making spiritual growth an expectant posture rather than passive hope.

Illustrations anchor the principles in concrete life: stories of a bought car and cheap gasoline, a mother healed after confession of faith, repeated harassment stopped by a change of heart rather than external force, a dramatic rescue from a snake bite, and a tractor handed over already repaired. Each example models how faith shifts outcomes when cultivated. The teaching closes by urging boldness to ask for what the Father has already prepared, a call to receive and act on what God places within reach. In sum, rising faith is both gift and task: God gives faith, but believers must feed, use, and protect it so it will produce continual, reliable victory.

Key Takeaways

1. Faith is the believer’s victory Faith functions as the mechanism that overcomes the world’s pressures and recurring problems; victories become repeatable as faith rises beyond accidental outcomes. When faith is cultivated it produces a pattern of conquest instead of sporadic relief, shifting identity from survivor to overcomer. This makes trials stages for growth rather than traps for defeat. [60:21]
2. Faith comes by hearing Scripture Hearing is not passive reception but an ongoing discipline: repeated exposure to God’s word and the Spirit’s specific whispers reconstitutes inner conviction. Hearing shapes imagination and expectation, and when the heart takes the word as true it becomes the soil where faith grows deep roots. Persistent listening aligns perception with God’s reality. [57:20]
3. Feed and use your faith Faith needs regular nourishment and exercise; scripture meditation and spoken confession keep truth active in the bloodstream. Using faith in small acts strengthens capacity for larger tests, just as muscles grow through repeated use. Neglect produces spiritual atrophy; intentional practice builds durable trust. [81:49]
4. Protect faith from corrosive doubt Guarding faith means refusing the whining question “why” as a habit and resisting narratives that harden the heart toward God. Trials refine faith into something more precious than gold when protected from bitterness and sarcasm. A tender, expectant heart preserves access to revelation and power. [86:14]
5. Expect God’s prepared provision God often prepares resources before courage to claim them arrives; bold asking unlocks what the Father has already readied. Belief aligned with action lets provision move from possibility to possession. Courage to ask and receive intersects with God’s readiness to give. [93:11]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[51:52] - Praise and opening testimony
[54:00] - This place where faith rises
[56:33] - Jesus: author and finisher of faith
[57:20] - Faith comes by hearing the Word
[60:21] - Faith is our victory
[68:36] - Overcoming attacks: a family story
[78:54] - Healing and tangible provision
[81:49] - How to feed, use, protect faith
[93:11] - Claiming what God has prepared

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Hebrews 12:2 (ESV)
“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Romans 10:17 (ESV)
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Observation Questions

According to Hebrews 12:2, what two roles does Jesus play in the development of our faith?
The sermon emphasized that faith grows through hearing God’s Word. What practical example was given about repeating truth to avoid forgetting it? [24:05]
What three actions does the speaker say are necessary to strengthen faith (feeding, using, protecting)? [21:49]
How did the story about the tractor illustrate God’s readiness to provide? [33:11]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think trials and challenges are described as refining faith “more precious than gold” (1 Peter 1:7)? How does this contrast with how we often view difficulties?
The sermon said, “Faith comes by hearing, hearing, and continuing to hear.” How does repeated exposure to Scripture or God’s voice reshape our expectations and actions?
In the story about grumbling over gas prices, how did gratitude shift the speaker’s perspective? [02:04] Why might complaining weaken faith?
The tractor story highlighted boldness in asking. What might hold believers back from asking God for what He’s already prepared?

Application Questions

What is one practical way you can “feed” your faith daily (e.g., specific Scripture, prayer habits, or declarations)? How will you prioritize this?
Identify a “small” area where you can actively use faith this week (e.g., trusting God for peace in a stressful moment, generosity). What step will you take?
What negative thought patterns or habits (whining, cynicism) do you need to guard against to protect your faith? How can you replace them with truth?
The tractor story showed God’s provision was ready before the ask. What is one thing you’ve hesitated to ask God for, and how can you approach Him boldly this week? [33:11]
Share a time when repeated declarations of Scripture shifted your perspective or outcome. How could this practice help you in a current challenge?
How can you create space to “hear” God’s voice more consistently (e.g., quiet time, journaling, worship)? What distractions need to decrease?

Sermon Clips

38s

#SeekersFindBlessings

“I found money. I found billfolds. I found a C Corp quartz watch years ago. Brand new watch. Laying right out in the middle of the highway. Yeah. I found all kind of stuff. So, how do you find things? Sometimes, you just kind of stumble over it. Yeah. Okay? That may have been the case there because Jesus marveled at it but but on the other hand, when there's another way of finding things, you get to, you you go on a search for those things. You go looking for those things and I really believe that the father is looking to find somebody whose hearts, whose heart is turned perfectly toward him in faith, in trust, believing him, looking to him. Right. Hallelujah.”

28s

#FaithAbovePressure

“Haven't we been bombarded since that time? Oh yeah. Okay. So, if if faith is a victory that overcomes the stuff that you're dealing with, if faith is a victory for all the difficulties and all the problems, then, we ought to recognize that we need to get out. Our faith needs to go to a higher level. They don't need to stay where it is because if faith is a victory over that stuff and that stuff is increasing and the pressure is coming against us. We need to get our faith higher than that.”

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