How to Allow Jesus to Finish Your Faith
Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (NKJV).
Have you ever seen wood when it has first been cut for furniture? It’s rough and full of splinters, and it’s nothing you’d want to sit on! But then come the finishing touches—sanding, whittling, smoothing. The artist takes a rough block of wood and turns it into something smooth and beautiful—a finished product.
When we are first born again, we are a bit like that rough, splintery block of wood. Jesus authors our faith when we are born again, but we aren’t quite finished! Jesus is the Author and the Developer of our faith. He is the finish Man.
Can we ever really be finished? Well, the Greek word for finisher is also translated developer. That’s what happens when we put our faith on the line—the Developer comes on the scene to finish our faith. But we must allow Him to do it.
Here are three ways you can actively allow Jesus to finish your faith.
1. Lay Aside Every Weight
Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV) tells us Jesus is “the author and finisher of our faith.” But in verse 1, it gives us instruction to “lay aside very weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us.”
That’s the first step in allowing Jesus to be the Finisher of your faith. He’s already the Author of your faith—we all have the same measure of faith deposited into us when we become born again. Your part is to walk in faith by laying aside every weight, which is anything that holds you back from getting where God is taking you. That can be sin, or it can also be bad relationships, a poor use of time, or a lack of time with Him.
Whatever is holding you back may not be obvious right now, so go to God in prayer and turn on your spiritual ears. Be willing to hear what He reveals. Then, whatever it is—get rid of it! Get excited about laying aside very weight. It’s the only way He can finish what He has begun in you.
2. Look to Him.
Hebrews 12:2 says we must look to Him to be the Finisher of our faith. That’s the way we run the race—looking to Him. We can’t look in the natural realm. We can’t even look at our own natural abilities. God’s not counting on our natural abilities. He’s counting on His ability in us to do the job.
When Peter got out of the boat, he actually had to walk on the water to get close enough for Jesus to pull him up. When he started looking in the wrong places—looking at natural circumstances—that’s when he started to sink. As long as he looked at Jesus, he walked on the water, but when he started looking at the wind and the sea, he started to sink.
That’s what stops us from achieving what God has for us—when we look away from Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, and look at circumstances instead. We begin to look at our own failure, our own ability, our symptoms, our bank account. Then we start to sink.
You can’t look at the wind and the sea. You have to look at the Master. Look at the One who called you. Looking to Jesus, the Author and the Finisher of our faith. That’s the way you run the race and win.
3. Die to Yourself.
God will never start something that He cannot finish. The promises of healing, living debt-free, restoring family relationships—God has every intention of bringing those promises to pass. As far as God is concerned, they’re already done.
Your part?
Die to yourself and allow Jesus to fully develop your faith (1 Corinthians 15:1). That means you release everything to Him, hand Him the reins, and fully surrender. You set aside what you want in the moment and focus on God alone. It means your own desires are not at the forefront of your mind—God is. That can be tough! But it’s how you demonstrate your faith.
Now that you know how to allow Jesus to be the Finisher of your faith through laying aside every weight, looking to Him and dying to yourself, you are on your way to a powerful faith life! Whatever you’re believing for, He is waiting to help you get there. Keep believing, keep surrendering, and believe that God is going to finish what He started in you!
Learn how to build your faith muscle in this teaching from Kenneth Copeland: