Faith is very important in our lives. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith," says Ephesians 2:8. We all need to build ourselves up in our most holy faith in Christ Jesus, who saved us and loved us. Great thing is that we are not alone in this journey of building up our faith: God is with us.

God Himself builds up our faith in Him. After all, Christ is the "Author and Finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). The Bible also promises that God, "who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (see Philippians 1:6).

Excited to build your faith up? Here are three ways God builds up our faith with us.

1. He prunes us

In John 15, Jesus said "I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you" (vv. 1-3).

God Himself prunes our lives by taking away all that hinders us from bearing the fruits of our faith. He desires that we grow in faith, and thus He will take away things that will stop us from growing in Him.

2. He prays for us

Unbeknownst to many, praying in the power of the Holy Spirit supercharges our faith building. Jude 20-21 tells us, "But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."

Aside from reading our Bibles and obeying it, we need to pray in the Spirit who "Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" (see Romans 8:26). Paul, probably the most famous Christ-follower we have ever heard of, said in 1 Corinthians 14:18, "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than any of you."

3. He reminds us of His plans for us

Whenever our faith falters because we think that it's impossible for us to reach the very point that God had intended for us, we must think again: God is faithful to fulfill all His purposes.

Consider young David, who had waited a long time before he could sit as King over Israel. He was anointed as a young boy in 1 Samuel 16, but had to wait a while before he could sit as King. In fact, he was already 30 when he became King (see 2 Samuel 2:1-4, 5:4).

Friend, when you face challenges, it doesn't mean God has given up on you. He's only building you up to become strong in your faith. He says in Isaiah 44:8a, "Do not tremble; do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim my purposes for you long ago?"