Faith doesn’t guarantee comfort or prosperity—it is something we have to fight for, to choose over and over again—to praise God every day to ignite our faith. Although joy is part of the journey, we will also experience lows, frustrations, and disappointments.

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people…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. Jude 3, 20-21, NIV

Perhaps God has placed us in hostile places and situations to grow our faith. We can’t rely on the faith of parents or the fact that we belong to a Bible-believing church. We must make our own choices, own our own faith, and maintain our own relationship with the Lord. And God has placed in each of us the fire of faith as well as the tool that will light the blaze. We have to choose to strike the match of praise in order to light the fire of our faith.

We need to know God, hear his voice, and nurture our relationship with Him—attach ourselves to Him—as if it’s the most important thing ever, because it is! God wants us to look at Him. Focus on Him. Delight in Him with praise and worship. You will find that it has a radical effect on you.

[ Taken from Strike the Match, Light the Fire. Praise and faith are the first two steps in a Biblical chain reaction in which each action activates the next, so that when we pray, God releases His power and authority to overcome evil, and we will reign and rule with Christ on earth and forever in heaven.]