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Keep Faith Growing by God’s Word

What causes the faith of some to stop growing and even to wither and die?

God’s Word says that “faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld.” (Heb. 11:1) Many point to materialism as the cause of failure to have such faith. Others say that it is pleasure-seeking, and still others that it is fear that causes faith to stop growing but instead to wither and die. While such things may be involved in causing the faith of some to weaken, when one looks a little closer one finds that this condition is basically due to a failure to keep on feeding on God’s Word.

Yes, “faith follows the thing heard,” and to be a fine minister one must be “nourished with the words of the faith.” One must pay “more than the usual attention” to God’s Word if one would not drift away. This is what the Thessalonian Christians did, and for this reason the apostle Paul could write them: “Your faith is growing exceedingly.”—Rom. 10:17; 1 Tim. 4:6; Heb. 2:1; 2 Thess. 1:3.a

How can one check to see that his own faith keeps on growing exceedingly by God’s Word?

Just as a home requires continual maintenance if it is to be kept in good repair and serve its owner well, so with one’s faith. To keep on growing exceedingly in faith one must keep testing whether one is in the faith.’ (2 Cor. 13:5) How can this be done? By asking oneself such questions as: “Am I or my family studying less? Do I find my explanations of Bible subjects a little hazy in understanding? Is my public ministry a hurried, get-it-over-with program? Has Bible truth become commonplace with me because it is so easy to obtain?”

If your answer is “yes” to any of these questions, then DO something about it! Call to mind the zeal you once had and put Kingdom interests first in your life! Establish a dependable program for taking in spiritual food, buying out the time for Bible reading, for preparing lessons and your assignments in the Theocratic Ministry School, service meeting or for a public talk. Jehovah says: “‘My righteous one will live by reason of faith,’ and, ‘if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.’”—Heb. 10:38; 12:2.

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