Growing Stronger by Billy Graham

“‘If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. — Matthew 17:20

Growing Stronger by Billy Graham, from Our God of Comfort and Hope

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. — 2 Peter 3:18 Many years ago, engineers made plans to construct a suspension bridge over a deep river gorge. The biggest problem was how to get the heavy steel cables from one side of the gorge to the other. Helicopters hadn’t been invented, and the rock-strewn river below made it too dangerous to transfer the cables by boat. The solution? One day the engineers flew a kite over the gorge. As it hovered over the opposite shore, they deliberately grounded it — which meant the two sides of the river were now linked by a thin kite string. They then tied a slightly heavier string to one end of the kite string and carefully hauled it across to the other side. They repeated this process several more times, graduating on to stronger ropes, until eventually they were able to pull the heavy steel cables across the gorge and construct the bridge. Spiritual growth is like the construction of that bridge. Just as the link between the gorge gradually grew stronger, so God’s will is for our faith to grow stronger and stronger. Building a Strong Faith If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. — Matthew 17:20 If our faith isn’t rooted in the Bible, it will wither like a plant pulled out of the soil. Only a strong faith — a faith based on God’s Word — will protect us from temptation and doubt. Do you want your faith to grow? Then let the Bible begin to saturate your mind and soul. One of my most enduring memories of my mother is of her sitting quietly in her favorite chair, reading her well-worn Bible every day. This was her practice right up to the end of her life and was the reason she had such an unwavering faith. The Bible says, “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17 NIV). Faith doesn’t just happen; it grows when it is planted in the fertile soil of God’s Word. Excerpted with permission from Our God of Comfort and Hope by Billy Graham, copyright Billy Graham.