In Mark 9, a father brings his son to Jesus because the boy is suffering. "Have mercy on us and help us," he says, "if you can." Jesus challenges the word immediately — not the request, the doubt hiding inside it. We do the same thing the father did. We look at our grades, our family, our finances, our mistakes, our past, our circumstances, and say, "if this can change…" But faith that wavers gets compared in Scripture to "a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind" (James 1:6) — moved by whatever circumstance hits it last. Your situation may be impossible for you. It isn't impossible for God.

Having faith doesn't mean you never struggle. You can have faith and still say, "God, I don't understand." You can have faith and still be afraid. Look at what the father says next, after Jesus challenges him: "I do believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24). He doesn't pretend. He doesn't claim certainty he doesn't have. He names the fear and brings it to Jesus in the same breath — "When I am afraid, I will trust in you" (Psalm 56:3). You don't need perfect faith. You need to put your imperfect faith in a perfect God.

What comes out of your mouth often reveals what's happening in your heart. There's a difference between saying "if God can use me" and "God can use me." Between "if God has a plan" and "God has a plan." "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21) — and "faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ" (Romans 10:17). If all you listen to is "you can't," "you're not good enough," "God isn't going to do anything" — your faith will grow weak. Fill your heart with His Word, and you'll begin to speak differently.

There will be moments when you want to quit. You pray. You wait. You wait. You start thinking, "Maybe God forgot about me." Remember: "faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see" (Hebrews 11:1). Think about a seed — you plant it, you water it, and nothing seems to happen, but underneath the ground, something is. "Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart" (Galatians 6:9). Imagine standing in front of a bridge. Someone tells you, "This bridge will hold you." You can say "I believe you" and still be standing on the ground. Faith happens when you actually step onto the bridge.