AMBITIONS FOR 2026: Increase my Belief!

AMBITIONS FOR 2026: INCREASE MY BELIEF

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” Luke 17:5

For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:20

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”Mark 9:24

As we step into 2026, I want to spend the next few weeks reflecting on ambitions: spiritual goals I desire for myself and for each of you. Not ambitions driven by pressure or performance, but by surrender and trust. Today, we begin with this simple but powerful prayer:

Lord, increase my belief.

Why Do I Struggle to Believe?

There are moments when I pray, but perhaps not with my whole heart. I believe God hears me, yet I quietly doubt whether He will act in the way I hope. Sometimes, I’m honest enough to admit that my struggle isn’t with whether God can answer, but whether His answer will align with my expectations.

Scripture reminds me: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord (Isaiah 55:8).

In those moments, I realize something important: I’m not praying in step with the Holy Spirit, but instead praying in my flesh. I may even be praying the wrong prayer.

So I pause. I surrender. And I pray instead:

“Lord, I trust You. Lord, I believe in You. I lift this problem to You and trust You to guide me through it. Thank You for hearing my prayer. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Every time I pray this way, something shifts. My circumstances may not immediately change—but my belief does. My faith grows not because I see the outcome, but because I rest in who God is.

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS

When Jesus told His disciples they had “little faith,” He wasn’t condemning them, He was inviting them. He was showing them that greater faith was possible.

Jesus used images they could see, such as uprooted trees and moving mountains, not to glorify human power, but to reveal God’s power. These miracles were never about willpower or words spoken loudly enough. They were about trusting completely in the authority of God.

Since God has the power to move mountains, how much more can He move hearts, especially the ones I’ve labeled as “impossible”! When I truly believe this, I stop trying to fix people myself. I lift them to Jesus. I trust Him to do what only He can do.

This is how God grows my belief: by teaching me:

to expect the impossible, 

to trust Him to heal relationships,to soften hardened hearts,

to draw people to Himself.

And I choose to say it out loud:

I believe He can.I believe He will.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

Reflect:  Who can I lift up to Jesus today and trust Him to move their heart?

Lord, thank You for the gift of faith. I don’t know where I would be without it. I humbly ask You to increase my belief, not so I can control outcomes, but so I can trust You more fully. Help me to lift others to You with confidence, obedience, and hope, believing that You are always at work. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.