“What have I said, daughter? Do you remember the words I have spoken to your heart?” These were the questions I could hear the Lord asking me as I sought comfort in Him. My heart was weary of crying through a series of seasons that seemed to be little more than one barren desert after another. Things had not turned out the way that I thought or hoped that would. As a result, I found myself struggling to hold on to the promises that the Lord had given to me.

Those promises were varied – some simple and others grand. They were for my family, my relationships, my church, my work, and my own journey with the Lord. At this point, though, they all seemed completely disconnected from my present reality. I was having trouble seeing how things could possibly change. It seemed like the mountains in life would never move and that the promises would never be fulfilled.

So, I tried to protect my heart from disappointment; I resolved to forget and shoved God’s promises away into a dark corner of my heart. And that’s exactly what I did.

In hearing those questions from the Lord, though, those old promises began to come into the light. A little dusty, but still as precious as they had always been, each one was pulled out and set on the table. I wept as I sensed the Lord’s gentleness and kindness; His relentless love was working to make things right in even the darkest corner of my heart.

I thought the problem was that those promises seemed to be impossible. In reality, though, I had unbelief in my heart. The unbelief wasn’t about the promises themselves as much as it was about my perspective on God’s character. I would have quickly said that He is a good God and a loving Father, but I didn’t fully belief that He is faithful to move mountains and fulfill promises.

As the Lord graciously showed me this area of unbelief, I sensed Him prompting me to dive into Scripture and grab ahold of the truth of His character.  

This search was a simple one. Scripture is full of declarations of God’s faithfulness and testimonies of mountains that He moved for His people. In fact, the names of God in the Bible include Faithful and True (Rev 19:11). The goodness of His character and nature know no end. His steadfast character is the foundation upon which our confidence and assurance rests. The tallest mountains are nothing in comparison to His loving-kindness and He will fulfill His every promise. That profound, unfailing faithfulness is simply who God is.

These words, even as I write them, seem flowery, romantic – and far removed from the heartache of struggling to hold onto promises while seemingly immovable mountains loom around us. And yet, they are true.

It is in moments of barrenness or disappointment that we must rely on our faith. No other path will lead us into victory or blessing the way that faith will (Heb 11:1-6) (Luke 10:6). Indeed, it is by faith that mountains are moved (Mark 11:23).

Faith – or an active belief in all that God says – is central then, if we are going to trust Him to move mountains and fulfill promises. At first, the concept of faith can seem like an abstract one, but building our faith can be extremely simple and practical.

One of the best ways to build faith is by spending time reading and memorizing scripture. As verses and passages fill our hearts and minds, a storehouse of truth is built up within us that allows us to act in accordance with the Word rather than circumstance or emotion (Rom 10:17) (2 Cor 5:7). Having scripture memorized is a practical and highly effective way to speak truth to your heart (and the people around you) with confidence and grace.

Start by memorizing verses about God’s character or find a section of scripture that relates to the promises that God has given you. Write them out on your bathroom mirror or place them on a card above your kitchen sink. As you memorize different verses, ask the Lord to strengthen your faith through belief in His Word.

Testimonies also build our faith. They are tremendous tools to usher in both freedom and courage (1 John 5:5) (Rev 12:11). Because of this, be intentional in recording testimonies, big and small within your life; share those testimonies with others. Ask your friends and mentors about how God has moved in their lives. Allow their stories to encourage your heart and edify your faith.

In fact, just spending time with other believers is a great way to build your faith. Quality time spent in intentional fellowship compounds our faith. This is particularly true for people who have walked with the Lord longer than you have or are more mature in their faith. Follow them as they follow Christ. You will see how powerfully iron sharpens iron as you do.

Building faith as you walk with the Lord is a process. Memorizing scripture, valuing testimonies and spending time in community do build up your faith, but it also takes time. Give yourself grace as you journey with Him in the day-to-day. Don’t shy away from the growing, testing, and trying (James 1:3). Instead, submit yourself wholeheartedly to the Lord, remembering that He really is Faithful and He really is True.

As we diligently seek the Lord, He will build our hearts up in faith. With these faith-filled hearts we can be confident that we will eventually see breakthrough. The mountains will move and the promises that we have hoped for will be realized.

And best of all – our faith will be stronger. This journey will lead us closer to God’s heart and cause us to worship, serve and love Him all the better.