Activate your Faith

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things

not seen." Hebrews 11:1

Do you ever wonder if there’s more to following Jesus than just going to church on Sunday or being a nice person? While those things are important, God has so much more for you. "...For God has given

all of us a measure of faith." Romans 12:3

3 Ways to Activate Your Faith.

As we go over different methods of activating your faith, remember that the goal isn’t to give you a list of spiritual activities to master. The point is to know Jesus more and join Him in the work He's doing in the world today.

1. Pursue Spiritual Disciplines

Have you seen someone run a marathon without any training? Probably not! People spend months, if not years, to get to that point. In Paul’s first letter to the believers in Corinth, he encourages them to pursue Christ with this: 


"Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize." 

1 Corinthians 9:24-25


Our faith is the same way; it takes time and a training plan. We don’t grow close to God by accident, but by making a plan to pursue spiritual practices that help us to know Him more. For you, that might look like:

  • Waking up earlier to spend a few minutes in prayer.
  • Starting a 30-day Bible Plan.
  • Giving up unnecessary expenses so you can tithe. 
  • Playing worship music on the way to work.

Try this: Pick just one spiritual discipline, make a plan, and ask God to use it to transform your heart and help you know Him more.

Spiritual practices are the foundation of an activated faith, but God didn’t create us to just check spiritual boxes. So how do we take what we learn and put it to work in our lives? By spending time with other followers of Jesus.


2. Surround Yourself With Community

The greatest athletes train with the support of a coach, family, and friends—a team that encourages them, especially when the grind gets difficult. How much deeper might you go if you had a team of people to encourage you during hard times? The Book of James was written to believers facing setback after setback, and it starts with this:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

In other words, when we stand firm with Christ through trials, the experience actually matures our faith. But how do we stand firm? We surround ourselves with a godly community. From the very beginning of time, God intended for us to be social beings when He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone” Genesis 2:18

Community is the group of people in your life who show up and celebrate with you, mourn with you, and laugh with you. It’s the place where you can wrestle with questions and have people encourage you to pursue Jesus, especially when times get tough. 

Having a Christian community can take several different forms. Attending church regularly is a great first step, but it doesn’t end there. For you, it could mean: 

  • Introducing yourself to someone and making it a priority to meet each week.
  • Connecting with others at church by joining the GoTeam.
  • Finding a small group to meet with each week.

What next step do you need to take to immerse yourself more in Christ-centered community? Whatever it is, remember that God didn’t design you to live life alone; He designed you to be in community.


3. Live with Humility

Jesus is the God of the universe, but He didn’t come to earth as a conquering king. Instead, He came as a humble servant, and He invites us to live as He did. Society tells us to climb the ladder of success, prioritize our own happiness, and surround ourselves with people who agree with us. Jesus calls us to do the opposite: to serve others, deny ourselves, expand our relationships, and love people who are different from us. 


The religious leaders who opposed Jesus looked spiritual on the outside but were rotten on the inside. They pursued spiritual habits and spent time in community, but they were self-focused. These religious leaders would quote Bible verses to prove how much they knew, performatively pray with poetic, complex language, give offerings in public to prove to others how holy they were, and attend religious gatherings out of social duty. 


But Jesus showed humble, genuine love, the kind that might not get noticed or praised. He spent time with people who had nothing to offer, He prayed in secret, and He affirmed the worth of people rejected by society. 

This path isn’t easy, and life can get harder when we stop living for ourselves. But Jesus isn’t inviting us into a comfortable life—He’s inviting us into a fulfilling one.

We practice this humility knowing that a future exists without pain or death. 

Until then, we are part of God’s solution here on earth.


We don’t serve to earn a reward, but as a response to the gifts we’ve already received. 

How can you practice humility today?


An Active Faith

Following Jesus isn’t passive—it’s active. Thankfully, there are so many ways to take a step to activate your faith! 

God meets us where we are, so what step will you take? You could set aside time for prayer or reading God’s Word. You could find a God-honoring community to do life with. Maybe you could begin serving others, knowing you’ve already received the gift of salvation. Boldly step into what God is putting on your heart.