Everyone will go through stages of faith during their walk with God. As believers begin their walk, they are considered 'Baby' Christians. When a person first accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they are beginning their first stage of faith.Most believers will tell you when they came to Christ, they found something incredibly worthy of praise. "Baby" Christians are excited about their new found faith and they want to tell the world what they've discovered. God walks closely with 'Baby' Christians as He reveals Himself in remarkable, and often, mysterious ways. As a person grows in their faith, they enter different stages or seasons of faith.
The 3 Stages of Faith include:
- Little Faith - Here a person is uncertain and they are trying to believe. Having little faith can limit many aspects in their life. Look at how the disciples had little faith in Matthew 8:23-27. A furious storm appears as they are on the waters. Jesus rebukes the winds and calms the storms but these men had shown little faith.
- Great Faith - Someone with great faith is growing and maturing in their faith walk. They stand firm on the truth of God. They keep their focus on God. David was a man of great faith. As a boy, David faced Goliath. He didn't focus on his giant, but kept his focus on God. He looked beyond what he saw. His remarkable faith is a testament of great faith.
- Perfect Faith - This is the stage every Christian wants to reach. The perfect faith thanks God for what is already done. A person who faces hardships in life, knows God has already worked it out for his own good. With great expectation, a person with perfect faith watches God work fulfilling His promises. At the core, it is a deep understanding, "knowing", that God is in control.
There are growing periods of great faith when a person sees God working things out in every way. There are seasons of dryness when they call out to God and He doesn't seem to answer. Those are the times when God feels so far away.
Every believer will be stretched in their faith. They will be taken out of their comfort zone as they learn to trust in Him.
The perfect faith is illustrated in the expectancy of great things. As the psalmist said in Psalm 27:14, "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."
If you're looking for that perfect faith, trust in the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind. Today's Bible Study ends with a prayer.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your loving mercies. They are new every morning. For your love strengthens me as I walk this journey of faith. My soul longs for your truth and grace. Today we praise you, as we read Psalm 28:7, "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him."
Amen.
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