Encouragement for Your Week: June 21-27

This Week’s Verse

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

– Romans 10:17 NKJV

Devotion

The Apostle Paul makes it clear that faith and God’s Word go hand in hand. In Romans 10:14-15, he breaks down how this relationship works in five simple steps:

1.      God sends people to share the good news about Jesus.

2.      Those messengers go out and preach.

3.      Others hear the message.

4.      Some of those listeners believe the message.

5.      Those who believe call out to the Lord for salvation.

God chose to share His message through human writers so that we could easily understand it. But because the Bible is written in human words, some people struggle to see it as divine truth.

This is where faith comes in. For God’s Word to change our lives, we have to receive it with faith. It takes faith to believe that words written by human beings are actually a message from God. In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul explains where this faith comes from: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” The Holy Spirit works in our hearts, giving us the faith we need to accept the gospel for what it truly is.

We only receive this saving faith once, but our faith doesn't have to stop there—it can continue to grow. The more time we spend reading and listening to God’s Word, the more the Holy Spirit strengthens our faith.

If you want your faith to grow, try praying the same prayer Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:17. This week, ask God to give you His Holy Spirit—the "Spirit of wisdom and revelation"—so you can know Him better and trust His Word more every day.