One more post on encouraging words regarding our dependency on God. I must say that everything we do and everything I write in Words of Encouragement has to do with our dependence on God. Therefore let’s take a look because faith is not faith without action, and without action there is no dependency on God.
James 2:17 niv
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
I also like the KJV (King James Version), “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”
Taking Action
Remember the two steps on developing our faith from yesterday? Well, here is the missing step. It’s taking action. As you are walking with Jesus, in your every-day-walkin’-around-kind-of-life, you must take action. I want to make a point here. Faith and belief are two different things on the same side of the coin.
James 2:19 niv
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
And so to believe is one thing, but Faith demands action. But if there is no action, then faith is dead – it doesn’t exist. You can say that you believe all you want. So faith and action is like wet and water, you can’t have one without the other. No wet, then no water and vis-a-versa. Ever jump in the water and not get wet? See what I mean.
Same with Faith and action, can’t have faith without action. So if you act without faith (without God’s word), then there is no dependence on God.
Adam and Eve gave in to the lie that they could be independent and look out for their own best interests. They traded paradise for pain, sweat and death and being banned from paradise. One moment’s departure can spell disaster for a person’s business, job, family and even their life.
Warning!!!
When you do something on your own, without (faith) relying on God (as if you got by with something), don’t trust it. It’s Pride just crying wolf. In other words you might not notice any consequences from taking matters into your own hands, but don’t be fooled.
Let us review – You have to take action!
- Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Rom. 10:17)
- Now, walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7). So we walk by the word of God, not by our sight, or senses or what we feel like.
And now we see the missing step:
3. Action! The formula here is: belief + action = faith
You owe it to yourself, your family, your employees, your co-workers, and all those God is extending his arm out to, through you, to decide upon whom you depend! Are you depending on God?
James 2:18 amp
But someone may say, “You [claim to] have faith and I have [good] works; show me your [alleged] faith without the works [if you can], and I will show you my faith by my works [that is, by what I do].”
Challenge for today – Look at your day, what’s on your productive schedule? Pick one thing to specifically focus on where you can depend on God. What does that look like? Hear the word, walk by the word, act on the word, be the word, Jesus is the word, in all you do. So be it!
