Faith Is a Muscle

Faith is like a muscle. If you don’t use it, you lose it. And no one can do the work for you.

I go to the gym with a trainer, and her presence motivates me. She encourages me, pushes me, believes I can do more than I think I can. But no matter how great my trainer is, she can’t lift the weights for me. I still have to do the work.

Faith works the same way.

Friends and community can motivate your faith. They can pray for you, encourage you, even believe for you when your faith feels weak. Scripture tells us, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up”(1 Thessalonians 5:11). But encouragement doesn’t replace responsibility. “Each of us will give account of ourselves to God”(Romans 14:12).

Our walk with Jesus is personal. Just like strength in the gym requires effort, faith requires action. “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead”(James 2:17). We have to show up, trust God, and take steps of obedience—especially when it’s uncomfortable.

Spiritual growth doesn’t happen by accident. Scripture reminds us to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling”(Philippians 2:12). That doesn’t mean earning grace—it means actively choosing trust, surrender, and obedience in our daily lives.

Others can walk beside us, cheer us on, and support us—but they can’t do the work for us. Faith is personal. Our trust in Jesus is built one choice at a time.

—Wendy