Faith Builders vs. Faith Busters: Anchoring Your Heart in the Storm

How do you talk about faith to someone facing their hardest battle?

One day, I was meditating on what to share about "faith" for a Zoom meeting with a cancer support community. It was a sobering moment. When people are suffering, biblical teachings on faith and healing aren't just academic—they are deeply personal and a lifeline. For people experiencing a deep fear following a cancer diagnosis, I found myself asking: What could I share that would be truly encouraging? How do we move from "hoping" something is true to having the "assurance" that God is with us in our storms?

As I meditated on what to share, I felt God reveal a powerful perspective on how we build our Faith—our spiritual strength—and what, specifically, tends to tear it down. Faith isn't just a feeling—it’s a foundation built on specific truths.

The Mechanics of Our Personal Faith

The Holy Spirit guided me to specific examples in the New Testament. In all these examples we see a pattern. Jesus repeatedly connected a person’s own faith to the transformation they experienced:

• To the Centurion: “Be it unto you as you have believed” (Matthew 18:13).

• To the woman with the issue of blood: “Daughter, your faith has made you well” (Luke 4:48).

• To the blind beggar: “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you” (Luke 18:35).

• To the Syrophoenician woman: “Woman, you have great faith; your request is granted” (Matthew 15:28).

The Bible defines faith as "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). As a student of the Word, my burning question was: How do we build that level of confidence?

Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing from the word of Christ.” Why is the Word so powerful? Hebrews 4:12 tells us it's because “the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, cutting through so as to divide soul from spirit, joints from marrow, it is even able to discern the thoughts and deliberations of the heart.” In the original Hebrew context, "hearing" isn't just sound hitting your ears; it involves trusting and obeying. Hearing and doing are two sides of the same coin. The people in these stories didn't just hear rumors; they believed the testimonies of others and persistently sought Jesus. They didn't just have an opinion; they had a conviction of Him and His word.

The Mustard Seed Mystery

We often think we need "giant" faith to see results, but Jesus said something that sounds like a contradiction. He rebuked His disciples for having "little faith," but then said that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains (Matthew 17:20).

A mustard seed is tiny, but it is alive. It carries the transformative power to grow into something massive. Its nature transforms with little effort. I understood that the size of our faith isn't the issue, it’s the assurance and the focus. "Little faith" is often faith that has been choked by doubt, fear, and a focus on physical circumstances. Real transformation happens when we believe without wavering, regardless of what the external physical evidence looks like.

My Personal Toolkit: The Index Card

To help the support group (and myself) visualize this, the words Faith Builders and Faith Busters came to mind. I summarized and wrote these points on an index card and placed it next to my computer to remind myself daily: "What am I believing right now?" In addition, a simple mental shift helped me keep a healthy focus: I began replacing my fearful “what if” questions with “even if… “affirmations. This simple shift changed my life-draining thoughts and words into life-building ones.

Faith Builders (Strengthening your confidence)

• Keep Your Focus: Keep your focus on the end result of what you are believing for and keep your eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

• Personal Relationship: Knowing Him well through two-way prayer.

• Remembering God’s Track Record: Look back at how God has been there for you—even when you don't see it, He is working behind the scenes—or lean on the stories of others to clear away fear or doubt. Because He was faithful then, you can trust His promise to never leave you in the future.

• The Word as Food: Study, obey, believe, and meditate on the Word; it is "living and effective" (Hebrews 4:12). Speak life giving words and God’s truth.

• The "Even If" Pivot: Replace fearful life-draining "What if?" questions with life-building "Even if..." affirmations.

• Community: Listening to testimonies and surrounding yourself with believers.

• Persistence: Standing firm and resisting the lies of the enemy during trials.

Faith Busters (Clearing the obstacles)

• Doubt & Unbelief: lack of trust and belief in God’s word, believing the lies of the enemy above God’s Word.

• Fear and Wrong Focus: Looking at the "wind and waves" of your circumstances which are distractions that bring fear instead of God’s promises and direction (like Peter in Matthew 14).

• Distance: Allowing your relationship with God to grow cold through lack of communication, or a weak relationship where you don't know His voice or His Word.

• Negative Influence & expectations: Surrounding yourself with bad influences that feed your fear and doubt and tear you away from God. Believing and expecting the worst outcome.

Growing Through Struggle

I shared with the support group that building our faith is like exercise—you have to keep it up or you lose its benefits. Even Peter, who had great faith to walk on water, sank the moment he focused on the storm instead of Jesus (Matthew 14:30). The desperate father of the demon-possessed boy cried out, "I do believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24).

Faith is like muscle that requires regular exercise. You need to practice regular meditation on God’s word, with reminders to stay strong. 2 Peter 1:5-8 encourages us to actively add virtues to our faith—such as goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance and love—to keep us from being ineffective in our faith. We can be strong in faith in some areas of our lives and feel weak in others—and that’s okay. God doesn't ask for perfection; He encourages us to grow and be persistent through our trials.

Confidence in His Character

Whether you are facing a health battle, a season of doubt, or simply wrestling with what you believe, remember that your faith is a living connection to a God who loves you. He doesn't ask for a perfect performance; He seeks a sincere heart. If you feel weak today, don't get discouraged. Lean on His strength. As the scripture encourages us, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

★ Key Takeaways: Anchoring Your Faith

• Faith is a Living Connection: It’s not about the "amount" of faith you conjure up, but your response to God’s character. Like a mustard seed, even a small amount has the power to grow and transform your reality.

• Hearing is the Catalyst: Move from passive listening to practicing and speaking the Word. True "hearing" involves trusting and obeying, which allows God’s Word to separate deep conviction from temporary emotions.

• Use Your Diagnostic Tools: Regularly check your Builders and Busters. Watch for negative expectations, expecting the worst outcome chokes your focus. If you’re sinking, check if you’re looking at the "wind and waves" instead of His promise. Remembering God's track record: Look back at how God has been there for you— even when you don't see it, He is working behind the scenes—or lean on the stories of others—to clear away fear or doubt. Because He was faithful then, you can trust His promise to never leave you in the future.

• The Power of Focus: Strengthen your faith muscle by focusing on Jesus and the end result of what you are believing for. Don't let physical circumstances dictate your internal assurance.

• Relationship Over Performance: God seeks a sincere heart, not a perfect "faith score." Even the cry of "Help my unbelief!" activates His strength in your weakness.

• Exercise the Muscle: Faith is built through trials, persistence, and regular “spiritual exercise.” One of the most powerful exercises is replacing fearful “What if?” questions with “Even if…” affirmations and aligning our words with God’s truth. Don’t be discouraged if you feel weak today—spiritual muscles are built through the tension of the storm, and God’s strength is perfected in our weakness.

If you would like to take a deeper look into the tools that help anchor and build your faith, I invite you to explore the Candid Conversations about Christianity course.

I’d love to hear about your own journey. Does your heart feel anchored in peace right now, or are you in a season where you’re crying out for help with your unbelief? Whether you have a comment, a question, or a story you’d like to share, please feel free to reach out through our Contact Us page.

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