via TJC
Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.”
Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove. ~James 2:14-18 MSG
Growing in faith is as much about application as it is about knowledge. As the author of Hebrews reminds us, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” That’s an incredible way to put it: Assurance and evidence. This means we must move it from our heads and hearts and display it with our actions. Our actions are not just for us, they present the case to show God’s love to those around us.
God has blessed me with victory in my faith by providing me with evidence because other men were faithful. For many years, I struggled with a prejudice that made it difficult for me to love all of my brothers in Christ. Funny enough God had many of those “hard to love brothers” active in TJC. The evidence of their love strengthened my faith. It gave me the assurance to knock down the walls and dismantle the prejudice. The fight isn’t over, there is still work for me to do. But as I move forward, (though sometimes regress) my brother’s faith in the Lord, and their actions of love is all the evidence I need.
Daily Battle Order:
Kingdom Man, do a God-act today! It will give someone the evidence and assurance to have victory in their faith.
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