21 Day Devotional to Strengthening Your Faith

By Patricia J Williams

 This devotional is designed so that you might understand the basics of faith as determined from the precepts of the Bible. By understanding faith and what Christ has done for you, you will be able to hear His call and put into action real, effective Christian growth and action, by faith, for His Glory and Kingdom! In ministry, there will be times of stress, uncertainty and failure. We will be tired, tried, tested and go through setbacks, difficulties and suffering. We need to understand faith in a real heartfelt way so we can keep our eyes focused upon our Lord. Faith will become stronger and better through the afflictions we face. Faith must not be just an idea or a plan; it must be a reality. It must be working in you before you can be effectively used by our Lord.  This study is aimed for Christians desiring to grow deeper in their faith. They will find it impacting, convicting and convincing, because it is from the precepts of the scriptures.

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

                                     Matthew 17:20 KJV

• Language: English
• Publisher: Patricia J Williams
• Release date: Mar 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393318453

Patricia J Williams

Patricia J. Williams is a columnist ("Diary of a Mad Lawyer," The Nation), and a professor of law at Columbia University. Her books include Open House, The Rooster's Egg and The Alchemy of Race and Rights. She also contributes regularly to Ms. and The Village Voice.

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All scriptures used are from the King James, New International and Amplified Version of the Bible.   

Faith is a five-letter word that requires action. Often some may boast we have faith, until the real test comes to test our faith to see do we really have faith. It’s hard to believe in something that you can’t see, feel, or touch. This is not an ordinary devotional, it is more encouraging, inspirational and testimonial. When God told me to share my testimonies in the form of a devotional, I was excited, eagerly awaiting the outcome of this project.

Let’s be real, faith is a process. You have given your life to Christ now the work has begun. As you study for the next twenty-one days, you will find your faith in God will strengthen. Everyone has faith, God declares it in His word.

This devotional is designed so that you might understand the basics of faith as determined from the precepts of the Bible. By understanding faith and what Christ has done for you, you will be able to hear His call and put into action real, effective Christian growth and action, by faith, for His Glory and Kingdom! In ministry, there will be times of stress, uncertainty and failure. We will be tired, tried, tested and go through setbacks, difficulties and suffering. We need to understand faith in a real heartfelt way so we can keep our eyes focused upon our Lord. Faith will become stronger and better through the afflictions we face. Faith must not be just an idea or a plan; it must be a reality. It must be working in you before you can be effectively used by our Lord.  This study is aimed for Christians desiring to grow deeper in their faith. They will find it impacting, convicting and convincing, because it is from the precepts of the scriptures.

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Matthew 17:20 KJV

Doing your twenty-one-day journey, you are going to take the mustard seed of faith you have and strengthen it through the word of God and prayer. There are times when God will send someone in our lives to help push us into our Destiny. It requires faith on our part to believe God for His Promises concerning our lives.

Faith is so vital to the Christian life, that scripture tells us without it, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Yet faith is such a powerful gift from God (Ephesians 2:8–9) Christ told His disciples, with just a tiny measure of it, the size of a mustard seed, they could move mountains. So, what does it mean to have a mustard seed faith?

We see the reference to mustard seed faith twice in the scripture. First, in Matthew 17:14–20, we see Christ’s disciples unable to exorcise a demon from a young boy, even though Jesus had previously given them the authority to do this very thing (Matthew 10:1). When they inquired of Jesus why they were not able to drive the demon out, the Master replied, Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there’ and it will move; Nothing will be impossible for you (Matthew 17:14–20 NIV).

Next, in Luke 17:6, Jesus tells His disciples, If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, Be uprooted and planted in the sea," and it will obey you. By using the uncommonly small mustard seed as an example, Jesus is speaking figuratively about the incalculable power of God when unleashed in the lives of those with true faith.

We know this statement about moving mountains and uprooting trees by faith is not to be taken lightly. The key to understanding the passages is the nature of faith, which is a gift from God. The power of faith reflects the omnipotent nature of the God, who bestows faith on His own. The mustard seed is one of the tiniest seeds found in the Middle East, so the conclusion is that the amount of faith needed to do remarkable things is very small indeed.    Just as in the parable of the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31–32), Jesus uses rhetorical hyperbole to make the point that little is much when it comes from God.   

The mustard seed in the parable grows to be a huge tree, representing the tiny beginnings of Christianity, when just a few disciples began to preach and teach the gospel. Eventually, the kingdom grew to huge proportions, encompassing the entire world and spreading over centuries.

Throughout this devotional, you will exercise the mustard seed of faith, that God gave you. Eventually, you will have the confidence to walk boldly in your faith. Don’t just read the devotional, allow it to minister to your spirit. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you while increasing your Faith.  Get ready to take that Journey of Faith and exercise the seed that is within you!

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Mustard Seeds

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What Is Faith?        9

Faith is not a Feeling       15

When Doubt Creeps In       24

When You Don’t See Anything

Happening in Your Life       36

When You Think Your Faith

Has Failed         49

Praying the Prayer of Faith      59

When You’re Tired of Believing     70

When You Want to Give Up      77

Stepping Out on Faith       85

What Disrupts your Faith?       90

How to Apply Your Faith     97

Types of Faith       104

Faith and Works        115

Faith’s Test       121

Faith’s Protection      130

Faith’s Boldness      135

Faith’s Spiritual Strength      143

Faith’s Fearlessness     148

Faith’s Deliverance    153

Faith’s Covenant      163

Faith’s Declaration      168

Questions About Faith

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What is Faith?

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1 KJV

This scripture is known as the Faith Hall of Fame.

Faith is taking what we need from the abundant provision of God in the spiritual realm and bringing it into the natural realm.

Our salvation is a good example. Jesus died for your sins and the sins of the world (Romans 5: 6-11). This is spiritual truth. Nevertheless, for salvation to become a reality in our lives we must receive it by faith.

Salvation is believing God for something we cannot see nor touch, yet it is something He has already accomplished in the spiritual realm.

Hence faith is not hoping for something that does not exist (a bit like crossing your fingers), but rather trusting, believing and receiving from Him something He has already provided.

What is faith? A New Testament example:

An example of this definition is found in Matthew 9:27-30 where two blind men came to Jesus and asked Him to heal them. Jesus first asked them, Do you believe that I am able to do this? and their reply was, Yes, Lord. Then He touched their eyes saying, According to your faith let it be unto you. Their eyes were opened.

Their faith and assurance, that Jesus could give them sight was the substance or reality they hoped for. It also gave them the evidence and trust that they would receive what they asked for. They believed. They had faith in advance that it would be done.

Old Testament examples

Another example is that of Daniel’s three friends who refused to bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s image of gold. Those who refused to bow to the image were threatened with being thrown into a fiery pit alive.

The three young Jewish men (Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego) who refused to bow to the image told King Nebuchadnezzar: If that is the case, our God whom we serve can deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and He will deliver us from your hand, O king, but if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up (Daniel 3:17-18).

They did not know in advance how God would deliver them from the fiery furnace, whether at that time by saving their physical lives or later in the resurrection. Their faith or trust was the substance of what they hoped for, and it was the evidence of that which was not yet seen or received. Their faith or trust was built on serving God and obeying His commandments. They believed God would deliver them because they obeyed His commandments and did not bow down to worship any other gods.

Hope

Now if faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see, it would help us to have a little understanding of hope.

Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:2 (NIV) "

But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast." Hebrews 3:6 (NIV)

Our hope is in Christ. The word of God and the promise of God is what our hope is based on. In other words, hope is something sure and concrete. It is opposite of what the world calls hope.

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed

1 Peter 2:24.

For example, the doctor’s report says something negative, God gives you a positive report. God's word says, You are healed. 

If you are believing God for healing, you base your hope on God's promise of healing and then receive that healing by faith.

Reading Hebrews 6:18-19 helps explains hope in an obvious way.

Let’s focus on two unchangeable things [His promise and His oath] in which it is impossible for God ever to prove false or deceive us, we who have fled [to Him] for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and a strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope appointed for us and set before [us] Now we have this hope as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it - a hope] that reaches farther and enters into [the very certainty of the Presence] within the veil,[Lev. 16:2.]" Hebrews 6: 18-19 (Amplified bible)

Hope is what we can hold fast to. It is a trustworthy expectation of what God can do. It is an indwelling strength and strong encouragement we can hold onto.

For example, if