Do you know someone with a strong faith? They’ve probably been following Jesus for many years and have a track record of making a positive impact. They probably also have some spiritual disciplines that fuel their faith.
A strong faith in God doesn’t happen overnight. It takes intentionality, effort, and dependence on God. How do we build a faith that can stand up to anything? Let’s explore three keys to a strong faith together.
What Is a Strong Faith?
A strong faith isn’t a perfect faith, because there’s no such thing. So instead of wasting our time trying to reach an unattainable goal, let’s quickly define what it means to have a strong faith.
A strong faith is a steady trust in Jesus that helps us become more like Him.
Think of a strong faith as a healthy part of the body. It’s stable and functional, and it helps you thrive. It can also shift, change, and adapt in response to new challenges.
Let’s look at three ways you can create a strong foundation for a lifelong faith. These keys are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to spiritual growth—designed to provide you with clarity as you pursue Jesus.
3 Keys to a Strong Faith
How can you grow spiritually and build a faith that remains strong in Jesus?
Key 1: Curiosity
It may feel like a strong faith should have all the answers, but when you think about it, faith—by definition—isn’t built on certainty. Instead, faith is built on curiosity. Following Jesus is a lifelong journey of seeking God. It’s an active process that includes learning from others, exploring Scripture, and uncovering ways we need to grow spiritually.
To be clear, we can be certain of God’s love, forgiveness, and grace. But too much certainty in our own understanding can actually weaken our faith. Why? Because God is infinite, people make mistakes, and followers of Jesus can worship Him and connect with Him in diverse ways.
If our faith is built on certainty, we can fall into the trap of spending more time defending our beliefs than sharing the love of God with the world. So let’s remain confident in who God is and what He’s done while staying curious about how He continues to work in us, through other Christians, and throughout the world.
Practical Ways to Cultivate Curiosity
- Read the Old and New Testaments with a Bible study group or other believers.
- Ask questions about your faith, Scripture, and life.
- Seek answers by exploring God’s Word and praying for wisdom.
- Spend time in prayer, talking to God and listening for His voice.
Key 2: Humility
There are no premium members of the kingdom of God.
There are no premium members of the kingdom of God. Every believer is in a continual process of spiritual growth. But it can be easy to fall into the trap of forgetting our weaknesses and looking down on others.
Pride can take on so many harmful forms, like hypocrisy, legalistic judgment, ignoring people who seem “unworthy,” and chronic defensiveness in response to real or perceived criticism.
No matter what pride looks like, it always gets in the way of a strong faith in God. Why? Because faith grows in the soil of humility. Jesus’ ministry was fueled and sustained by humility. Just look at how Paul, a biblical author, encouraged other Christians to follow Jesus’ example:
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Philippians 2:5-8 NIV
Humility invites us to freely serve, give, and grow. But pride demands us to compare, take, and defend. One leads to a whole, healthy faith, while the other leads to a fragile, self-focused, and isolated faith.
Practical Ways to Practice Humility
- Confess your struggles to God and trusted friends.
- Serve in your church or local community, following the example of Jesus.
- Remember that God helps us, not because of our strength, but because of His love.
Key 3: Relationships
Faith isn’t meant to be lived alone. God designed us to grow spiritually alongside others, not in isolation. Christian community strengthens our faith, provides encouragement in tough times, and keeps us accountable as we continue to follow Jesus.
Throughout Scripture, we see the importance of relationships. Jesus, though fully God, built close relationships with His disciples. The early church in the New Testament regularly spent time together praying, worshiping, and sharing resources.
This was more than just a friend group that met occasionally—these were people who depended on one another. When one person felt spiritually weak, the rest of the community could offer support. Together, they grew closer to God each day.
God wants that same kind of community for you, too. The kind where you’re vulnerable and allow others to be vulnerable with you. A space where no one feels like a burden for being vulnerable, and everyone pushes each other to continue pursuing Jesus.
Practical Ways to Embrace Community
- Join a small group, LifeGroup, or Bible study to grow alongside other believers.
- Find a mentor or accountability partner to encourage you in your faith journey.
- Get involved in your church and serve others as part of the body of Christ.
- Pray with and for fellow believers, lifting each other up in both joy and struggle.
What’s the Point of a Strong Faith?
Faith isn’t supposed to make us feel superior or comfortable. Instead, faith fuels us to pursue our calling of partnering with Jesus. Faith helps us become curious, humble, and relational—and all of those qualities then equip us to resist temptation, restore relationships, and make a positive difference in our communities. But the ultimate goal is to get to know God better. And as we do, we’ll naturally want to introduce others to the real life found in Jesus.
If you want to continue exploring practical tips that will help you strengthen your faith, check out this article.
This article is inspired by the small group study guide Following Jesus: Conversations About the Kingdom by Life.Church. Use this guide with friends, family, or your small group to explore Jesus’ way of living together. You’ll discover new, richer, and more beautiful ways to follow Him.