Encouragement for Growing in Faith Without Comparing

If you’re like me, you’ve wondered, “Am I growing in faith enough?” I feel like I read, study, and pray, but sometimes it feels like I’m just stagnant. At times like this it’s so tempting to compare myself to the Christian women I follow on Instagram. Even as I type, I can easily think of two or three that seem like perfect Christian wives and mothers who are always exuding and sharing the Word of God while keeping all the other plates in the air.

Introduction: When Growth Feels Hard to Measure

I know in my head that comparison won’t give me growth I desire, but I also see them growing (or so it seems). Maybe if I do what they do, I’ll grow too. Right?

Maybe, but maybe not. Let’s look at what Scripture says about growing in faith and examine if comparison – to others or even to past versions of ourselves – will bring the growth we want.

We start with Scripture because biblical growth looks different than what we might expect. We look to Scripture because it’s God that actually brings the growth, not us (1 Corinthians 3:6). God’s Word also explicitly says we aren’t supposed to compare ourselves to others (Galatians 6:4), so right away we can take the pressure off ourselves. Even so, how do we know we are growing?

What Spiritual Growth Really Is (According to Scripture)

Scripture anchors:

• John 15:4–5 — [Jesus speaking] Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
• Philippians 1:6 — …being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Putting It Into Practice

Spiritual growth is first relational before it’s behavioral. Our Savior Jesus Christ tells us that He wants a relationship with us. We can’t bear fruit (be productive) until we cling to Him and let Him fill us with His food, like sap courses through a tree.

And just as that sap moves slowly and quietly, so does our spiritual growth. It takes time and dedication for growing in faith to occur. There may be hard time coming, but the gift of God is that He’s with you then, too. Our spiritual growth is always taking place, just as the sap is always moving through the tree.

Paul tells us that God will complete the good work He began in us. He wants us to grow in faith. And it’s God who defines what that growth looks like, not Instagram or our Bible study friends.

Why Comparison Disrupts Spiritual Growth

Scripture anchors:

• 2 Corinthians 10:12 We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.
• Psalm 139:13–16 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Putting It Into Practice

We see from the verse in 2 Corinthians that people who compare themselves are not wise. Wisdom doesn’t come from looking around – it comes from looking at God. If we’re spending all our time looking at others or comparing our today self to our self from years ago, we aren’t looking at God. Therefore, we are limiting our own growth.

Different seasons provide different kinds of growth. Now that I have one son about to graduate college and another about to graduate high school, I have different time available to me than I did when they were in elementary school. My growth today looks different than it did then. Both are where I need/needed to be.

God’s work in us is personal and intentional. He made each of us uniquely different, each for a different purpose. We each have a different walk with Him If we are doing what we need to be doing (see the next section) then we can be sure we are growing, on matter how it looks on the outside.

Encouraging Signs You Are Growing in Faith

A. A Growing Awareness of God

Scripture Anchors:

• Psalm 16:8 I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
• Proverbs 3:6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

What You’ll Notice:

Here you’ll find that you are noticing God more in daily life. You’ll see a sunrise and thank Him for sending you such a beautiful sight. You’ll encounter a situation that you never could have orchestrated and know that it was God taking care of you.

When these things happen, you turn to Him instinctively. You know that He is at the heart of everything that is happening in your life. When you keep your eyes on God, you trust that the path before you is the one He provided.

B. A Willingness to Trust God More Fully

Scripture Anchors:

• Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
• Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

What You’ll Notice:

With this sign of growing in faith, we find ourselves trusting God more fully and in more circumstances. We don’t trust what our eyes see as much as what we hear from the Holy Spirit. That trust brings us peace, even when we don’t fully understand the situation or events. Over time we learn to relinquish more and more control to God, who ultimately is the only One truly in control.

C. A Softened Heart Toward Others

Scripture Anchors:

• Galatians 5:22–23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
• Colossians 3:12–14 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

What You’ll Notice:

When you see that you have increased patience, kindness, and humility toward others you are growing in faith. These fruit of the spirit grow as we grow in faith. You’ll also find that you love others with God’s love, flaws and all, rather than seek perfection in everyone. When you find yourself saying something like, “That person doesn’t have to be perfect and neither do I,” you are growing in faith.

D. A Desire for God, Not Just Answers

Scripture Anchors:

• Psalm 42:1–2 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
• Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

What You’ll Notice:

This sign points to a desire for God more than wishes. When we want to be with God, hear His voice, be obedient, and love others as He does, you know you are growing in faith.

When you want HIM more than you want stuff, your faith is growing. When you want a closer relationship with the Son of God, you are growing your faith. Choosing presence (with God, with those who love Him, with yourself and the Holy Spirit) over performance (being the “perfect” Christian, wife, or mother) is a sign that you are growing with God in your faith.

How God Grows Our Faith Over Time

Scripture Anchors:

• 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. (💕 I love this verse)
• Hebrews 12:11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

Putting It Into Practice

Growing in faith happens through repetition and faithfulness, day by day. When we choose to put our hope in the Lord every day, even when things seem bleak, we are growing our faith. When we choose to trust God, even when we think we’ll be weary from life, we are growing our faith.

Does that mean it’s easy? No. Some days we are weary. But God is faithful. He holds us up when we think we can’t go another step. And choosing to believe Him every day reinforces those daily rhythms of trust. As Scripture reminds us, there will be a “peaceful harvest of right living” when we’ve learned to live in these rhythms.

I’m reading The Mountain is You at the recommendation of my counselor. In one part the author says that big change doesn’t happen in dramatic moments but in everyday simple changes. The same is true with growing our faith. Sure, there are dramatic moments that draw us closer to God. But a lifetime of growth happens one normal day at a time when we choose God.

The good news? God is patient! My life is evidence of this fact. If you do great a few days, then have a day or so where you take your eyes off Jesus, that’s okay. Go back to your routines and recommit to Him. He’ll still be there waiting for you. Growing in faith is an ongoing process, not a one-time event.

How to Grow in Faith Without Comparing Yourself

Scripture Anchors:

• Micah 6:8 No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
• Luke 16:10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much…”

Putting It Into Practice

Now we know that comparing ourselves isn’t the way to grow in faith, but what are the practical steps? Here are some easy ways you can grow in faith by keeping your eyes on God:

• Stay rooted in Scripture and prayer (you can find my Scripture reading guide here)
• Limit spiritual comparison (including online)
• Join a Bible study that meets weekly
• Celebrate faithfulness in small things
• Trust God’s pace for your life

A Simple Prayer for Growing in Faith

Scripture Anchors:

• Mark 9:24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
• Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Please Pray with Me:

Dear Lord, Thank you for your love and patience. Please forgive me for comparing myself to others and for expecting my growth in faith to look like theirs. I do believe, help my unbelief! Help me to keep my eyes on You and trust that I am growing, even when it doesn’t feel like it. Help me to trust you every day and to look for You all around me. Your Word says that You’ve begun a good work in me, and that You will complete it. I am trusting in that. I love you and want to spend my life growing in faith. Please help me to do that. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Closing Encouragement: Faith Grows Best When It’s Free

Scripture Anchors:

• Psalm 37:23–24 The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
• 2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Final Encouragement:

Remember, growth is a process, it’s not a race. We don’t magically “get there” one day. We live our growth moment by moment. Because of that, it’s important to keep walking with God every day. God is faithful and does want to finish what He started. He began a good work in you. The good news is He wants to finish it.

I promise that you are growing more than you think you are. Stay diligent, keep your eyes on God, and trust. Remember what Romans 5:3-4 says: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces endurance; endurance produces character; and character produces hope.” As you endure, God is shaping your character and filling you with hope for what’s to come. May the riches of His glory dwell within you today and always.

With love,

🌸 Andrea

Did you find this post interesting or helpful? If so, please share it – you can use the social buttons below.

When you share my post with your friends and family, you are helping spread God’s love. Thank you for partnering with me!