And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

October will be here before we know it. And October ends with Reformation Day, because on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, lighting the fuse that exploded into the Protestant Reformation.

I have a suggestion for you. Since one of the great cries of the Reformation became Sola Fide (faith alone), how about making this October “Faith Month.” For private worship and reflection you could select and meditate on Scriptures that explain what faith is and how it works. There’s a lot to chew on. In Romans alone you’ll find faith mentioned 35 times, in Hebrews 31 times, in Galatians 19 times. In John’s Gospel you won’t find faith mentioned at all! But you will find some form of the word “believe” 85 times. It’s worth pondering why. Or you could memorize some or all of Hebrews 11 (yes, you can!).

Here’s another suggestion. On September 18th, a new, updated version of John Piper’s book, Future Grace: The Purifying Power of the Promises of God, is being released. It’s the best thing I’ve ever read on what the Bible means when it commands us to live by faith. And it’s very practical. It’s a manual for Christian living. And the great thing is that it has 31 chapters. You could read one chapter each day of October and come away better equipped to fight the fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12).

Wouldn’t it be great if on Reformation Day your thanksgiving to God for the gift of faith was deeper and richer because you meditated on the Bible in your language and received clear, biblical teaching? And what an honor it would be to the brothers and sisters who paid a high price to secure these for you.

Make October “Faith Month.” You will not regret pressing deeper into what it means to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).