Why do we struggle to build our faith as Christians?

Have you ever bought one of those furniture pieces you had to assemble? You know the one, a million different size screws and one of those little half-bent metal bar things to act as a wrench? Are you like me where you open the box, scatter all the pieces, proceed to scan the directions (maybe 😆), and often grab the nearest piece?   

Random is often how we approach the Bible. We pick a spot or a problem and go! Think for a moment about your favorite book or favorite T.V. show. How would you explain the plot or the main characters to a friend who wasn’t familiar? Would you start in the middle or maybe work backward? Of course not! Wouldn’t so many things be missed?  

What if I were to tell you that the Bible has a set of directions?

Directions guide us to where we need to go. The Bible teaches us where to go and who we need to know. In this blog, I will teach you five important steps to building your faith as a Christian.

These directions will lead you to Jesus Christ, our Savior, and help you understand the point and purpose of His coming and how that should affect your response to Him.

1# The Pursuit of Christ

1 Corinthians 3:10&11

10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder, I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.   

In this passage, the Apostle Paul addresses the Corinthian church, focusing on the true foundation of their faith. He begins by offering a stern rebuke, referring to them as “fleshly children” due to their immature behavior, marked by strife and jealousy. Their divisiveness arose from debates over the better teacher—Paul or Apollos.

Paul emphasizes that it is not the messenger who matters but rather the foundation upon which they build their faith. He clarifies that the ultimate foundation of the Christian life is Christ Jesus, and neither he nor Apollos determines this foundation. They are simply servants who, under God’s guidance, help lay the groundwork for others to build upon.

The apostle’s point is profound: the focus should not be on who delivers the message but on the message itself—the gospel of Christ. Paul stresses that Christ alone is the true and unshakable foundation of faith, and believers must build their lives on Him. Neither human leaders nor personal preferences should distract from this central truth.

If we don’t pick the foundation of our faith, shouldn’t we be looking to God, who gave us His revealed Word, to determine how everything fits together?  

Returning to our furniture example, what will our kitchen island or chair look like if we don’t first read and follow the directions? Will we be able to use it the way it was intended?

Without direction from the Bible, our focus on studying it becomes about our needs or wants.

I know, dear sister, if you have read this far, you want to please God. The question is whether your current approach leads you to the right foundation, Jesus Christ.  

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#2 The Priority of Christ

Luke 14:16-20  

But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’   

#3 Devotion to Christ

2 Peter 2:1-3

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.   

In the opening chapter of 2 Peter, Peter instructs his readers to remember the gospel and everything God has provided them through Christ. He then calls them to respond to God’s work by walking in a manner worthy of that calling.

Peter sets up the rest of the book with a warning against false teachers, reminding his readers of the surety of the word given through his personal experience with Christ on the mountain of transfiguration.

If you remember, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John to the mountain, showing them his second coming glory. As if that wasn’t enough, they hear God from heaven personally confirm His Son’s mission. 

We are easily swayed from one idea to the next if we don’t have the right foundation. Peter wanted his readers to be grounded in the same truth he had been given directly from Jesus Himself.

When you look at your foundation, are you anchored to Christ, or does your Christian walk seem to change according to the latest cultural or Christian trend? 

#4 The influence of Christ

Matthew 7:24-27 

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”  

#5 The Hope of Christ

Isaiah 41:8-10  

8. But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; 9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; 10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.   

In this passage, the prophet Isaiah speaks to the southern kingdom, Judah. His message was to those who refused his rebuke of their sins and the coming exile to Babylon. As we read further in scripture, we know that his warning came true, and the Babylonians exiled the southern kingdom.

In verses 8-10, we see God’s promise not to ultimately destroy Judah. God had chosen His people as His own; He had set them apart, and they could have hope on that basis. Their hope depended not on themselves but on God’s promise to keep them.   

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Through His Holy Spirit, God makes us aware of our sinfulness and need for forgiveness and redemption. He also shows us that our hope is dependent on Him, not on ourselves.

When we build our lives on the lasting hope of God’s relationship with us in Christ, our hope is anchored to the Eternal One and the one who is Holy and perfect.

The Holy and perfect One provides us with everything lacking in ourselves; everything that has caused our hope to be unsteady is steadied in Him.

He has exchanged our sins for His righteousness. In Him, we can stand firm in the hope that we are secure in Him no matter how many times we fall.

Do you find that your hope is based on your performance? Our world daily tries to focus our hope on performance. Dear sister, hear me when I say it is finished; Jesus has paid the price for your sin. There is nothing left to add.

The question is, are you placing your hope in the finished work of Christ? 

Conclusion

Resources I recommend for understanding the basics of the Christian faith.

A Visual Theology Guide to the Bible: Seeing and Knowing God’s Word

Visual Theology: Seeing and Understanding the Truth About God

Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth