This is the second post of a blog series offering practical steps rooted in Christ and biblical principles to help you build resilience and trust in God's plan. By following these steps, you'll learn to navigate life's trials with faith and confidence, leaning on Christ's everlasting support.

If you missed it, click this link to read the first post in this series. 

From my perspective and experience, the best way for building a resilient faith is to strengthen your relationship with Jesus Christ. I found it empowering to make that personal relationship in a quiet place where I can read and meditate on His Word and listen to what He whispers. A scripture that has been so powerful for me is,

"The Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.”  Mark 12:29-30

A few years ago, a friend asked me, "Who influences your life most? Who is your model?" 

The Power of Influence

For many of us, our parents are the first people we depend upon for validation, acceptance, and love. As we grow, other significant individuals, like friends, grandparents, or mentors, may enter our lives. Into adulthood, professors, bosses, colleagues, partners, or others might intentionally invest in our growth and well-being.

Positive and Negative Influences

Most of us have had at least one person who has profoundly influenced our lives. Can you think of someone who has been there for you? In my life, I have experienced influences, both positive and negative. Negative experiences taught me what I didn't want to replicate, while positive influences gave me traits I aspired to emulate.

However, while valuable, these influences did not empower me for building a resilient faith to live and love wholly. I made choices that harmed myself and my children, struggling to find help and dependable guidance without judgment.

Finding the Ultimate Role Model

In my journey to educate and empower myself and others for building a resilient faith, I want to share the One Person who, over nearly two decades, has become the most significant model in my life. Diligently seeking to follow His way and know His Truth has profoundly transformed my life, causing a ripple effect in my children's and grandchildren's lives. Knowing Him can do the same for anyone.

Jesus: The Greatest Influence

Jesus is my model and the primary influence in my life. He is the One I seek to be with and listen to moment by moment. Through learning about God's love through His Word, Jesus' teachings, and His way of life, I have found Truth, principles, and attitudes worth emulating. By looking to Him, He built a resilient faith in me. Like you, I desire to live in His healing love and peace.

Embracing Childlike Faith

Before allowing Jesus to own my heart, soul, and mind, I didn't understand the fullness of His grace, truth, and love. Jesus reveals that He meets us where we are when we come to Him with childlike faith. Just as a child depends on a parent for provision and love, Jesus invites us to approach Him with the same trust, assuring us that He will accept and care for us. Growing in Him, we gain confidence that we are His and our names are written in Heaven.

Confidence Through Grace

This confidence does not stem from intellectual prowess, wealth, or power but through God's grace. It's not something we can earn or buy; it's a gift available to anyone willing to receive it.

In my most broken state, I called out to Jesus for help. He rescued me from darkness and confusion, healing my heart's broken pieces one by one. He can do the same for you.

Jesus: Model, Mentor, and Leader

Since then, while I've allowed a few close friends into my guarded heart, Jesus remains my greatest model, mentor, and leader. His servant heart, exemplified by washing His disciples' feet and seeking God's will in all He did, turned the world's ways upside down. Jesus didn't come to condemn us but to save us and offer eternal life with Him.

Jesus forgave our sins, died for us, and conquered death by rising again. His mission, fulfilled with love, peace, and prayer, is a testament to His strength and commitment. The Holy Spirit guides those who receive His gift to live similarly.

There is no one I aspire to be like more than Jesus. With His strength, we can become more like Him and fulfill our mission and purpose. Keeping our eyes on the eternal prize makes it easier to emulate Him. The most significant part is that nothing is too hard for Him!

Purpose and Fulfillment

Through my relationship with Jesus, I've written a book (currently being rewritten) and become a speaker, coach, teacher, and mentor to women—things I never imagined or did before knowing Him! He helps us find our purpose and mission here on earth, offering fulfillment and reward. It's like having one foot in heaven before we get there.

What I love is that we can all achieve this. Regardless of who we are or what we've done, Jesus understands and offers us a new life with Him.

Practical Steps to Building Resilient Faith with Jesus

As you begin building a resilient faith and deepen your relationship with Jesus, consider adding one or some of these practical steps into your daily life:

• Prayer: Spend dedicated time each day in prayer, sharing your heart with Jesus and listening for His guidance.
• Bible Study: Regularly read and meditate on the Bible to understand and apply Jesus' teachings to your life.
• Worship: Engage privately and with a community to express your love and gratitude to God.
• Serve: Follow Jesus' example by serving others, showing kindness, and meeting the needs of those around you.
• Community: Surround yourself with a like-minded supportive Christian community that encourages and strengthens your faith.
• Be Expectant: Watch for God to show you He is present with you.
• Journal: Keep a faith journal to record your prayers, reflections, and how God works in your life.
• Gratitude: Practice gratitude daily, acknowledging God's blessings and thanking Him for His faithfulness.
• Discipleship: Seek out a mentor or become a mentor to others, fostering spiritual growth and accountability.

By integrating these practices into your life, you are moving toward building a resilient faith and can experience the transformative power of a relationship with Jesus.

Key Scriptures for Building Resilient Faith with Jesus As Our Model

Trusting in God's Plan:
Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Strength in Difficult Times:
Isaiah 40:31: "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
   
God's Ever-Present Help:
Psalm 46:1-3: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."
   
Peace in Jesus:
John 16:33: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Faith and Assurance:
Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

God's Grace and Strength:
2 Corinthians 12:9: "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."
   
Encouragement to Persevere:
James 1:2-4: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

God's Love and Support:
Romans 8:38-39: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Walking by Faith:
2 Corinthians 5:7: "For we live by faith, not by sight."

God's Faithfulness:
Lamentations 3:22-23: "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Meditate (put them in your mouth, chew on them, roll them around until you realize how good they taste and swallow them)on these scriptures. They provide a strong foundation for building a resilient faith by emphasizing trust in God, strength during challenges, and the assurance of His constant presence and love.

“You can Triumphantly Bounce Back by Taking Faithful Steps with Jesus”

In the third post on this topic we will cover "Trusting God", another crucial part of building a resilient faith to bounce back and stand strong.

Photo Credit: Olivia Snow on Unsplash