When considering how to increase our faith, it helps to know what faith is.  For more information on this see, “What is Faith?”.  In essence, faith is a belief in God.  Faith without works (actions which show love to God and others) is a dead faith.  We want faith with works.  So we are asking how can we increase faith with works.

The apparent paradox of faith is that it is both a gift and something that comes by hearing.

Faith is a gift

Here are couple of passages which show faith is a gift.

Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

1Co 12:7  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
1Co 12:8  for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
1Co 12:9  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
1Co 12:10  to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

Faith comes by hearing

Faith also comes by hearing.

Rom 10:17  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Since faith is a gift, one obvious way of increasing our faith is to ask God for more faith, as the disciples and others did.

Luk 17:5  And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”

Mar 9:24  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Since faith also comes by hearing, another obvious way of increasing our faith is to read the Bible. 

But are there other ways we can increase our Faith?  There are four separate occasions in the book of Matthew where Christ remarks on the disciples’ lack of faith.  The reason for their lack of faith is different on each occasion.  Considering the reasons for their lack of faith gives us insight into how to increase our faith.  Let’s take a look at these four occasions.

Don’t Worry

The first instance where Christ remarked on the disciples’ lack of faith is when the disciples were worried.

Mat 6:25  “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Mat 6:26  “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Jesus said don’t worry about feeding and clothing ourselves but consider how God looks after even small creatures.  If God looks after them, then how much more will He look after us.

Mat 6:27  “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

Worrying about a problem doesn’t fix the problem.

Mat 6:28  “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
Mat 6:29  “and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Mat 6:30  “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Worry is caused by a lack of faith.  By addressing worry we can increase our faith. To stop worrying think about how God looks after His creation. For example, God feeds the birds and clothes the flowers, and so how much more will He look after us – who are of much more value? 

Don’t be Fearful

The second instance where Christ remarked on the disciples’ lack of faith is when they were fearful.

Mat 8:23  Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.
Mat 8:24  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.
Mat 8:25  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
Mat 8:26  But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

The disciples feared they were going to die.  Jesus said they were fearful because they lacked faith.  But how can we get rid of our fear? I John 4:18 provides the answer.

1 John 4:18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

If we loved God perfectly, we would be fearless because perfect love casts out fear.  To stop being fearful we need to understand God’s love for us which in turn helps us to love God.  We need to understand that whatever God lets us go through is ultimately for our own good, and therefore there is nothing to fear.  Being fearful is caused by a lack of faith.  By addressing fear we can increase our faith. To stop being fearful learn to love God more.

Don’t Doubt God

The third instance where Christ remarked on the disciples’ lack of faith is when Peter doubted.

Mat 14:25  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.
Mat 14:26  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
Mat 14:27  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
Mat 14:28  And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
Mat 14:29  So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
Mat 14:30  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
Mat 14:31  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Peter doubted God.  Doubting God is doubting what God tells us, not what He hasn’t told us.  This is an important distinction. Take the example of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego.

Dan 3:16  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
Dan 3:17  “If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.
Dan 3:18  “But if not, [they didn’t know] 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.”

God didn’t tell Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego whether He would save them or not.  They didn’t know.  They had doubt about something God had not told them.  However, they had no doubt about God’s power.  Doubting God is caused by a lack of faith.  By addressing doubt we can increase our faith.  One way to stop doubting God is to read His word which reminds us of His faithfulness.

Don’t forget what God has done

The fourth instance where Christ remarked on the disciples’ lack of faith is when they had forgotten to take bread.

Mat 16:5  Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
Mat 16:6  Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”
Mat 16:7  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.”
Mat 16:8  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?
Mat 16:9  “Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?
Mat 16:10  “Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?
Mat 16:11  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?—but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Mat 16:12  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Jesus told the disciples to take heed of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  The disciples didn’t know what Jesus meant, so they discussed it among themselves.  Jesus did not chastise them for reasoning among themselves.  However, their wrong conclusion that “it is because we have taken no bread”, revealed the real problem.  The disciples had forgotten the miraculous feeding of the crowds on two different occasions.  So Jesus did not chastise the disciples for reasoning among themselves but rather for forgetting the miracles He had recently performed.

Forgetting or not bringing to mind the miracles God has done in the past is caused by a lack of faith.  By addressing this forgetfulness we can increase our faith. The antidote to forgetfulness is to read the Bible. 

Conclusion

Here are some things we can do to increase our faith.

1. Ask God to increase our faith, as faith is a gift.
2. Read the Bible, as faith comes by hearing.
3. Don’t worry.  To address worry consider how God looks after His creation.  God feeds the birds and clothes the flowers; how much more will He look after us.
4. Don’t be fearful.  To address fear learn to love God more since perfect love casts out fear.
5. Don’t doubt God.  To address doubt read the Bible to be reminded of God’s faithfulness.
6. Don’t forget what God has done.  To address such forgetfulness read the Bible to be reminded of God’s miraculous interventions.