FAITH BY WORKS

10/06/2022

"But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (James 2:18) Very often, certain Christians misconstrued hope for faith. You hear things like, "I am believing God for this or that," and these individuals say it with such pious posturing that you might be fooled into thinking that they will manifest the things for which they claim they have faith, in no time. However, not so. Faith and believing are not the same things, and when someone tells you he or she is believing for something, they are right. Believing is hoping and hope is not faith. In today's theme scripture, James emphasizes action as faith. He clarifies that faith is active, not passive. Faith goes out and looks for work after Ephesians 4:28 says "...but rather let him labour, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need." Faith sows a seed based on "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38). Faith refrains from calling a person, thing or situation what God has not called it and calls these things exactly what God has called them in His word. Don't say you have faith when in actuality you may be operating from hope, mental assent or a guess if you aren't taking action. Faith is acting with certainty on the hope that God gives through His word. The Bible says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1) You act on what God has guaranteed as soon as you require the benefits of that guarantee whether it relates to prayer, finances, family, relationships...whatever. God bless you! Faith-Filled Confession I live by faith and not by hope, mental assent or assumptions. I draw on God's guarantees knowing that if He has said what He has said, then, His word is settled and I will have the benefits of acting on what the LORD has said. Hallelujah!

ONE YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Isaiah 27-28; Ephesians 5