Faith - Don't simply believe, act!

I was at our worship team rehearsal today, and our worship leader said something that really got me thinking.

"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." (James 2:14-17)

How many of us live our Christian lives with true faith? If I was completely honest with myself, I would have to say that my faith has been quite failing. I thought I had faith, but I rarely put it to action. If I know someone who needs a miracle I will think to myself that I need to pray more, but then I don't. Simply saying 'I will pray' is not going to help see it happen, we need to take action. Even when I simply say 'I believe', it has made me think that it is a small step in faith and that's enough. But simply thinking you believe is not enough. It needs to be from the heart, we need to believe without a doubt, and then we need to act upon our faith. Faith is not simply a thought, it's believing in what we can't see, believing the impossible is possible, and acting on it is what really brings that faith to life. If we want to see miracles, we need to not only believe we will see miracles, we need to act. We cannot make miracles happen on our own, but with God on our side, anything is possible.

'Faith without works is dead'. It's something I hear often and haven't put a lot of thought into it until now. There really is no faith without action. When we put action to our faith and God comes through, people will begin to understand the miracles that God is capable of. Acting on our faith will see others saved. People learn by watching us, if we keep our faith in our heads then others will never learn of the love God has for them, and the truth of His Word. Faith is a powerful weapon that when used well can defeat the enemy. When we believe and show others, our faith may just give them the strength they need to believe in miracles too, bringing them closer to God. It's like a domino effect, the faith and actions of one person can lift the spirit of another who will then begin to have faith themselves and it will continue from person to person. We will never fully know the power of our faith, or what our one small action may help to accomplish in the years to come.

Thankful for: Life

Every day I want to wake up and be thankful for something. So today, I am thankful for life. I no longer want to start my days lying in bed not wanting to get up. I am going to face the day with a smile. I'm going to look at life head on, knowing that God has given me this life for a reason. I have my life not out of luck, but because God planned it this way. I thank God for the life He has given me, for the life that up until now I have taken for granted. I thank God for the life that many years ago, I felt was worthless and was ready to give up on. I thank God that I still have this life, that He has it in His hands, and He will guide me every step of the way.