We have the God Kind of faith, yet there are different levels of faith. It is important to know and identify these different levels of faith. When we know where our faith is, we can then make a solid plan for our spiritual growth.
(You may be interested in my other article: How to Grow Your Faith God’s Way)
Every Christian has faith, which is what Ephesians 2:8 tells us.
For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.
Both the grace and the faith are a gift from God. What we do with our faith determines what level of faith we have.
To better visualize the different levels of faith I made a chart to show them.
The 7 Levels of Faith
| Level of Faith | Description | Scripture Reference |
|---|---|---|
| The Measure of Faith | This is the starting point. Everyone starts with the same measure. |
Romans 12:3 |
| Dead Faith | Faith without corresponding action is dead faith. |
James 2:17 |
| Little Faith | We can see great signs and wonders and still have little faith. |
Matthew 8:26 |
| Genuine Faith | This faith is sincere and real; solid and unchanging. |
2 Timothy 1:5 |
| Growing Faith | Our faith must always be growing. |
2 Thessalonians 1:3 |
| Unwavering Faith | Unwavering faith is steady; holding on to God’s Word. |
Hebrews 10:23 |
| Greatest Faith | The faith we want to attain in every area of our life. |
Matthew 8:10 |
Now let’s study each level separately so we can identify each level and understand how they affect us spiritually.
The Measure of Faith
Romans 12:3 “… as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.” (CSB)
The measure of faith is the starting point for every believer. God gave each of us the same measure of faith. God doesn’t favor one person over another. He gave Billy Graham and John Piper the same measure of faith He gave you and me. What makes the difference is what we do with our faith.
Why did He give us His faith?
It is not only for us to be born again or saved. God gave us faith for us to live by.
Faith is more than a belief in God. Even the demons believe in God. (see James 2:19) Faith is to be a lifestyle for the believer.
But the righteous one will live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:4b and quoted in Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38)
We are to take this measure of faith and infuse our whole life with it. Every part of our life is to be lived by faith.
That is the lifestyle of faith.
Dead Faith
James 2:17 “In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.” (CSB)
We can find it difficult to imagine the measure of the God Kind of faith could turn into dead faith. How can this happen?
Faith becomes dead when we substitute intellectual faith for the God Kind of faith. James 2:19 talks about the demons believing in God. Their belief is not a heartfelt belief, it is intellectual knowledge in their mind.
(If you want to know more about true belief, you can access my article about belief HERE.)
Faith dies when it becomes all “head knowledge” instead of “heart knowledge”. When faith is head knowledge, we no longer act on our faith. There is no corresponding action when faith resides in the mind instead of the heart.
What good is it, my brethren, if a man professes to have faith, and yet his actions do not correspond? Can such faith save him? (James 2:14 Weymouth)
James talks about not just praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ, but helping with physical needs when we can do so. It is fantastic to pray for our fellow Christians, but we need to help them if there are physical needs.
But there is also another aspect to corresponding action. We find it in the story of the woman with the issue of blood.
Now a woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years had endured much under many doctors. She had spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she became worse. Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothing. For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I’ll be made well.” Instantly her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction. (Mark 5:25-29 CSB)
I want you to notice some distinct things in this verse. First, she heard about Jesus. This ill woman heard about Jesus and His teaching, preaching, and healing. This caused faith to rise up in her until the point she activated her faith by speaking it. She said, “If I just touch his clothes, I’ll be made well.” Then she added the corresponding action to her faith and went out to do what she said.
Getting the desired result from your faith in 3 steps:
- Hear the Word to build your faith
- Activate your faith by speaking it
- Do the corresponding action
She received the desired result because of the corresponding action to her faith. It was the corresponding action that determined the result.
Too often we can hear the Word and speak the Word, but don’t put action to the Word. Therefore, many people don’t receive what they are believing for.
Little Faith
We can see great signs and wonders and still have little faith. It happened to Jesus’ twelve disciples. Signs and wonders alone can’t increase our faith. Let’s look at an example from the Gospels.
Matthew 8:26 “He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’”
Jesus is rebuking the twelve for their little faith. Notice that their little faith caused fear in them.
Little faith = fear. Great faith = fearless.
This is a good point to remember and a reason to grow your faith.
Jesus wouldn’t have rebuked His disciples for little faith if there wasn’t a reason for them to have a greater faith. That would not have been fair. Let’s look at what happened preceding this.
The day before this, Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. This sermon takes up three chapters in Matthew’s Gospel. That is a significant amount of teaching, and I am convinced Matthew only wrote about the highlights.
The disciples’ faith should have increased by hearing the Word taught by Jesus. Immediately following the teaching is three dramatic healings. Yet, when the disciples’ faith was tested by the storm, they only had little faith.
Where does faith come from? Romans 10:17, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (NKJV) This is the reason Jesus expected His disciples to have greater faith. He had preached the day before about the Kingdom of God and faith. They heard the Word but didn’t really accept it.
The disciples didn’t allow their faith to grow and therefore, Jesus rebuked them.
If we have little faith, we can grow our faith.
(If you desire to grow your faith, continue reading and I will teach you how.)
Genuine Faith
What is genuine faith? Genuine faith is sincere and real. It is solid, unchanging, and remains for a lifetime. It is not fake, nor is it temporary.
2 Timothy 1:5 “I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.” (NLT)
I like how this verse points out how we carry faith from generation to generation. It started with Timothy’s grandmother, Lois, and then was passed on to his mother, Eunice. Finally, we find this same genuine faith in Timothy. I am sure Timothy passed it on to his children and grandchildren.
This is a key point for parents and grandparents to understand. It is our job to pass our faith on to the next generations. It starts at home, and the church reinforces that faith.
You can read more about teaching your children in two of my devotions:
Share the Greatness of God with Your Children
Test Yourself for Genuine Faith
2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves.” (CSB)
We are told to test and examine ourselves to see if we are in faith. Are we still living by faith? Do we walk by faith or by sight? Are we controlled by God’s Word in our heart or do our feelings and emotions control us? Does faith in God come out of our lips or are we speaking words of worry and fear?
These are all things we must examine to determine if our faith is genuine or not. Now don’t worry if you don’t pass all these questions. We have time to change using the power of the Holy Spirit.
How do we know if we have genuine faith? There are two definite signs of genuine faith.
Two Signs of Genuine Faith
- Do the words you speak correspond to the Word of God? Words of doubt and unbelief do not. If you speak what God’s Word says and then follow it with a “but,” everything after the “but” will be doubt and unbelief.
- Do your actions correspond to your faith?
These two simple steps will identify if your faith is genuine or not. If you fall short, don’t worry. Throughout this article, I will add teaching that will help you grow your faith and make it Rock solid. (The Rock is Jesus.)
Growing Faith
Is my faith growing? Is it bigger today than last week, last month, and last year? Our faith should always be growing. We should constantly increase our capacity to believe.
We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other. (2 Thessalonians 1:3 NKJV)
This verse holds the key to knowing if your faith is growing. If it grows, your love will abound. Faith and love are so intertwined, it is impossible to separate them. Paul told the Galatians, “… what matters is faith working through love.” (Galatians 5:6 CSB)
The only way our faith works is through love. Our love for God and our love for one another.
If our love is growing, our faith is growing.
How to Have Growing Faith
How do you grow your faith? Is there a key to growing your faith? Yes, there is a key to growing your faith. Peter gives us the key in his second letter. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18 CSB)
God commands us to grow in our knowledge of grace and of our Lord and Savior. This makes sense in light of Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.” (CSB)
Faith comes from hearing the message about Christ. The message of Christ is from the first verse in Genesis to the last verse in Revelation. Therefore, the Word of God is the key to growing our faith.
Five Steps to Growing Our Faith
- Daily Bible Study
- Daily Prayer
- Daily obedience
- Daily pray in the spirit
- Daily exercise your faith
We must do the five steps to growing our faith daily. Why daily? Because our faith is always growing or shrinking. There is no status quo in the spirit. Therefore, we can’t be spiritually idle.
Do these five steps daily and we will have growing faith. The more we enlarge our faith, the more power our faith will have. Let’s determine today to grow our faith so that we can overcome the world. (1 John 5:4)
Unwavering Faith
Not too long ago I was catfishing on the bank of a lake near me. As I sat there, I watched a stick in the water. The waves were moving the stick towards the shore. It would move forward and then backwards, forwards, and backwards. The stick seemed to want to come to shore but appeared uncertain. The stick was wavering. This is what we shouldn’t do with our faith.
What Is Unwavering Faith?
Unwavering faith is certain about God’s promise and knows the outcome before it is seen.
This is faith that has no doubt.
But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, being double-minded and unstable in all his ways. (James 1:6-8 CSB)
Wavering is when our faith is tossed around. It goes back and forth like the stick I watched on the water. “Yes, God has healed me. No, the pain is still there; I must not be healed.” The person who does this should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
Why is Unwavering Faith Important to You?
We must have unwavering faith. It is unwavering faith that receives from God. Our faith in God and what He has promised should be solid and immovable. We know we have received from God before we have seen or experienced what we are believing for.
Paul wrote to the Hebrew Christians, “Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23 CSB)
Our confession is what God said in His Word about our situation. We build our hope on what God said. Therefore, when we confess our hope, we are confessing what God said concerning our situation.
Writing about wavering, James pens, “But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:6-8 CSB)
The Apostle James makes a clear statement about unwavering faith. He describes wavering as being tossed back and forth.
James said those with wavering faith are double-minded and unstable. Double-minded is being of two minds. Yes, I am healed. Oh, no, I guess I am really not healed. That is double-minded and is what causes wavering faith.
The person with wavering faith is “unstable in all his ways.” A clearer translation is, “Unstable in all their conduct or actions.” Their faith will not have the corresponding action.
What Does Unwavering Faith Look Like?
This is the person who says, “God told me in His Word that I am healed. If God said it, I believe it, and that settles it. Pain you must go. Healing commence now. I don’t care what I see, or what I feel, God’s Word is truth and I believe that over anything else. Thank You Father, for my healing.”
That is what unwavering faith is. Regardless of evidence to the contrary, faith believes God’s Word over anything else.
This is exactly what Abraham did.
He believed, hoping against hope, so that he became the father of many nations according to what had been spoken: So will your descendants be. He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body to be already dead (since he was about a hundred years old) and also the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, because he was fully convinced that what God had promised, he was also able to do. (Romans 4:18-21 CSB)
We must be like our father in the faith, Abraham. It is our heritage and built into our spiritual DNA. (see: 2 Peter 1:3)
Do you want to receive all God has promised you? Then you must have unwavering faith.
Greatest Faith
Great faith. That is what each of us wants. We don’t want dead faith, little faith, or wavering faith. It is great faith – the God Kind of faith we desire.
There is a story in Jesus’ ministry where he was amazed when a man exhibited great faith.
When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, pleading with him, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible agony.” He said to him, “Am I to come and heal him?” “Lord,” the centurion replied, “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith. (Matthew 8:5-10 CSB)
This story shows us what great faith is. The one with great faith knows that when they speak the Word in faith, it will happen because God makes sure it happens.
“So my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.” (Isaiah 55:11 CSB)
When we speak His Word, it is words He has already spoken. Therefore, He will make sure His Words will do what He desires them to do. This is the basis for great faith.
This is the God kind of faith.
(To learn more about the God Kind of faith, read my article HERE.)
God spoke, and the universe came into existence. God spoke and there was light. God spoke and the plants and trees grew. God spoke and hordes of animals came into being. When God speaks, His faith obeys.
This is the principal Jesus taught the disciples in Luke 17:5-10.
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,” the Lord said, “you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. “Which one of you having a servant tending sheep or plowing will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? Instead, will he not tell him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, get ready, and serve me while I eat and drink; later you can eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did what was commanded? In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we’ve only done our duty.’” (CSB)
We exhibit the greatest faith when we command our faith like we would a servant. We take the Word of God, apply it to the situation, and then command the result God’s Word promises.
We need to rise to the point where we use great faith all the time. Meditate on the incident with the centurion and his servant. Also, meditate on Luke 17:5—10. Visualize this happening in your life. Build the image of this in your spirit.
Let your faith be your servant.
The Challenge
Here is my challenge to you. Take some time and evaluate the level of faith you have in every area of your life. Realize that your faith can be great faith in one area and dead faith in another area.
Do this privately alone if you desire. It is better, though, when you share your results with an accountability partner. If you are married, that should be your spouse.
Write down the results of your self-assessment. Then form a plan to develop your faith to the greatest faith in every area of your life.
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