The One Simple Shift That Unlocks a Deeper Faith
Do you ever feel like you’re running on a spiritual treadmill? You pray, you read your Bible, you go to church, but you still feel distant from God. It’s a frustrating place to be—knowing there’s more to a relationship with Christ but feeling like you just can’t break through to that next level. You might even look at others who seem to have a vibrant, powerful faith and wonder, “What’s their secret?”
What if the answer isn’t about doing more, but about becoming less?
The secret isn’t new. In fact, it was shared by one of the most remarkable men in the Bible, John the Baptist. He lived a life entirely dedicated to one purpose: pointing others to Jesus. His profound insight, captured in a single sentence, holds the key to unlocking the deeper, more meaningful faith you’ve been searching for.
In this post, we’ll dive into the powerful truth of John 3:30 and give you practical steps to finally get off the treadmill and experience real growth.
A Tale of Two Miracles
Before we get to John’s famous words, we have to understand his story. It begins with a miracle. His parents, Zachariah and Elizabeth, were righteous people, well past the age of having children. Yet, the angel Gabriel appeared to Zachariah and promised them a son who would prepare the way for the Lord.
A Divine Delay: Zachariah doubted the angel’s message. From a human perspective, his doubt was understandable. But with God, anything is possible. Because of his doubt, he was unable to speak until the child was born. Sometimes, when our prayers seem delayed, we must trust that God is working in His time, not ours.
Six months later, the same angel, Gabriel, visited Elizabeth’s young cousin, Mary, with an even more astonishing message: she, a virgin, would give birth to the Son of God, Jesus.
Think about that. John the Baptist and Jesus Christ were cousins. Their very existence was a miracle, a testament that nothing is impossible with God. Their connection was so profound that when a newly pregnant Mary visited the six-month-pregnant Elizabeth, the baby John leaped in his mother’s womb. Even before they were born, they had a fellowship.
The Heart of the Matter: “He Must Increase, I Must Decrease”
John grew up to be the forerunner God promised. He baptized people in the River Jordan, calling them to repentance and preparing them for the one who was to come. He was wildly popular, but he never let it go to his head. He knew his mission.
When his disciples grew jealous that more people were following Jesus, John corrected them with one of the most powerful and selfless statements in all of Scripture:
“He must become greater; I must become less.” – John 3:30
This is the core principle. This is the secret. John’s purpose was to exalt Jesus, not himself. And that is our purpose, too. For Christ to truly have His way in our lives, our own selfish tendencies and personal desires must take a backseat.
It’s a simple concept, but it’s not always easy. To let Christ increase in our lives, our “self” must decrease.
How to Practically “Decrease” in Your Daily Life
So what does this look like on a Monday morning? How do we live this out in a real, tangible way? It’s a process, a daily choice, not an overnight transformation. Here are a few practical steps to start today:
- Surrender Your Decisions: Before you make a plan—whether it’s for a new job, a new home, or just your schedule for the day—pause and ask God for His guidance. Instead of presenting God with your plan and asking Him to bless it, ask Him to reveal His plan to you.
- Redirect the Credit: When a prayer is answered or something goes right in your life, who gets the credit? It’s easy to say, “My hard work paid off.” Instead, make a conscious effort to say, “God did this. To God be the glory.” True healing and blessing come from Him, not our own efforts.
- Check Your Motives: Why do you serve at church, help a neighbor, or post about your faith online? Is it to build your own reputation or to genuinely point people to Christ? Our true mission is to influence people to follow Him, not us.
- Grow in His Knowledge: You cannot increase what you do not know. To allow Christ to dominate your life, you have to know Him better. This means intentionally “decreasing” time spent on worldly distractions and “increasing” time spent in His word and in prayer. The more you know Him, the more you will want to be like Him.
- Embrace a Higher Ground: As you practice these steps, you’ll find yourself on higher ground. Your personality, your conduct, your words, and your thoughts will begin to reflect Christ more and more. It takes discipline, but the result is a peace and joy that the world can’t offer.
Your Next Step on the Journey
The journey of faith isn’t about becoming a perfect person; it’s about allowing a perfect God to work through you. John the Baptist lived a victorious life not because of his own greatness, but because he made himself small so that Christ could be seen as great.
You can have that same victory. You can get off the spiritual treadmill. It starts with the simple, daily choice to say, “Lord, you increase, and I decrease.”
Let go of the need to be in control, to get the credit, to have your own way. Surrender it all to Him and watch as He does more in and through your life than you could ever ask or imagine.
Join the Conversation
What is one area of your life where you can intentionally “decrease” this week to allow Christ to “increase”? Share your commitment in the comments below to encourage one another!
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