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Increase Our Faith Elder Mike Montgomery

and Elder Mark Rowell

“And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.” (Luke
17:5)

I recently heard a sermon regarding faith and forgiveness that turned my mind toward

the many facets of life that are impacted by faith. Before we get into what we do with
our faith, we must first understand from whom and when it comes. God gives it to his
children as a gift in the new birth.

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to
think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as
God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” (Rom 12:3)

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Gal 5:21) Note: As faith
is a component of the fruit of the Spirit, it is impossible for faith to act independent of
the Spirit.

The faith which resides in the child of God serves as the “substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1) As a substance, it as real as any one
of our natural senses. By it, we can touch the face of God; see the things of God that

we could not see otherwise; feel his glorious presence when bereft of friends; hear his
still, small voice in the midst of calamity; and taste heavenly things. This is because
faith does not sit dormant within our inner man, but it actively radiates within us to
yearn for God and for Heaven. It forms the structure for every effort we take to serve

our Lord and his people. It starts and stays as a key ingredient to life, the abundant
life!

God finds most pleasing the one who not only believes that He is, but that He is the

rewarder of the one who diligently seeks Him. (Heb 11:6) For us to reap the rewards
which pleases God to give, we must act on our faith and use it as He requires of us.
We cannot let it lie dormant within us and not exercise it, not strengthen it, not
increase it! Why? It is because that we cannot please God without faith. Cain could

not please God because he sought Him not by faith, but Abel did and God had respect
for him and his offering. Abel had faith where Cain had it not.
continued