«So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God» (Romans 10:17).
WHERE DO YOU get faith? How is faith strengthened? Paul told the Romans that faith comes by hearing the Word, that is, by reading, meditating, learning, and applying what the Bible says to our lives. As long as that takes place, we strengthen our faith.
Pastor Adolfo Suarez recommended these steps:
- Study the Word: We must use and exercise our intellect and memory in order to arrive at an understanding of the Word of God.
- Reflect on the Word: We must think seriously in order to obtain caution and judgment. Reflecting is bowing down calmly in the face of divine guidance with the intention of applying it to our daily lives.
- Speak the Word: As we study the Bible and reflect on its teachings, it moves us to keep its passages and chapters in our memory. The process indicated in Deuteronomy 6:7 which urges us to speak, converse, and declare the Word, makes it easier to memorize portions of the Bible.
- Think from the Word: «Ihe end result of this process is that the Word becomes a guide for our thoughts, that is, a reference. Our way of thinking is built on what we read in the Scriptures, and then, our thoughts impact our actions.
This type of study, meditation, and reflection on the Bible not only cultivates our intellect, but also imparts, strengthens, and increases our faith, becoming God’s great agent for the transformation of character.
If studied and obeyed, the Word of God works in the heart, subduing every unsanctified attribute. The Holy Spirit comes to convict of sin, and the faith that is born in the heart works out of love for Christ and shapes us in His own image in body, soul, and spirit. Then God can use us to do His will. The power given to us works from the inside out, leading us to communicate to others the truth that has been transmitted to us (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 100).
Roberto cannot see. He has read the Bible by Braille and by listening to it forty-eight times. What about you and I? How many times have we read it?
Can we renew or begin new and better habits of study and reflection?
Are we reading, assimilating, and thus integrating God’s message in our lives?
Is it in the Word that we seek the strength for our faith?
The Bible is like a parachute: if we do not open it, it does not work Open, listen, meditate, apply, and share.
We are revived by His Word because faith comes and is strengthened by hearing—and following!—the Word
