Build Up Your Faith - Peggy Sims

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But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Jude 1:20-21 NKJV

God gives us a measure of faith to get our relationship with Him started. But it is a two-way relationship. The Holy Spirit is there to help us build up our most holy faith. He will also lead us to build each other up in faith through His gifts. (Romans 12:3-4) But first we have to remember who we are in Christ.

The Letter of Jude

In his letter, Jude writes that we have been called (by God), we are loved in the Father, kept for Jesus, saved and holy (set apart from the world). Jude also declares that those who lead others into sin and cause division in the church do not have the Holy Spirit.

Jude’s letter reminds us who we are and who we are not. He shows us that we can stumble if we don’t keep building ourselves and one another up in our faith.

We Are Beloved!

Jude called Christians “beloved.” Remembering that we are dearly loved by God is key. We are born-again by the Spirit as sons and daughters of God. So, we love like our Father!

If we allow anything or anyone to steal this truth from us our faith will be in danger. That is why Jude tells us to keep ourselves in the love of God. That means guard your own heart and mind so that God’s grace can flow in and out of our hearts in everything we say and do.

We Are Forgivers & Lovers

Our God accepts us! When we believe that with all of our hearts, our faith in His love is a guard against offenses. Allowing the sin or weaknesses of others to pierce our hearts will damage our faith. We can pour out God’s mercy toward others. Our faith hinges upon whether we follow the Spirit of love.

God’s Love is Strong

The Holy Spirit also fills us with the integrity to stand up for truth when people are being harmed by lies. He gives us the courage to defend the innocent against unjust cruelty and manipulation. God’s Spirit gives us strength to endure persecution for the sake of the Gospel, even if it costs us our lives.

God’s love is powerful and protective against the plans of the enemy. But we must follow the Spirit lest we try to take matters into our own hands and resort to retaliation, revenge and hatred. The flesh and the Spirit are at odds, so we must be able to distinguish one from the other. Our fleshly desires must die so that Christ may live in and through us. (Galatians 5:17)

Building Supplies

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 NLT

Once we understand our Foundation in Christ, then we can build upon Him and also build one another up in the Lord. If our motivation for what we do in this life isn’t God’s love for people, we need to clear out the rubble and find Jesus, our Foundation, again. He is always present and deserves our undivided attention.

Build by Praying in the Holy Spirit

Jude tells us that our faith can grow as we pray in the Holy Spirit. Speaking in tongues is an intensely powerful way to pray. Also, sometimes we can sense the Holy Spirit’s compassion and begin to weep as if He is praying through us for others, for a nation, for ministries, for our Brothers and Sisters who are being persecuted, etc. There are many ways we can pray in the Holy Spirit. The key is to be aware of God’s presence and yield to Him.

Build With the Word

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. Matthew 7:24-25 NIV

Our faith-building supplies are found in the Word of God. Jesus’ words will have a powerful effect in building our faith if our relationship with God is our highest priority. If we follow the Spirit wholeheartedly, we will put Jesus’ words into practice and our faith will be built up! He is our Rock!

Talk About Heaven

Jude said to look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus because He is coming back to take us to be with Him forever! Jesus wants us to talk about Heaven because it is one of the best ways to keep building our faith! We can help avoid worrying about the chaos that is happening here on earth by focusing on the joy ahead of us. Reading scripture, singing and talking about the spectacular new place Jesus is preparing for us gives our hearts a “re-set.”

The temporary things of this world fade against the thought of seeing Jesus face to face! Visualizing our neighbors sitting with us at the marriage supper of the Lamb fills our heart with God’s grace. Everything Jesus said about His Kingdom makes more sense when we talk about Heaven.

So, beloved, build yourself up on your most holy faith. Build up the faith of your Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Pray in the Spirit. Stay in the love and mercy of God. And look forward to all of us being in Heaven together with Jesus– forever!” Hallelujah!