FAITH THAT DOES!

By Alicia F

Last week was incredible as JP taught over some of the most controversial verses in the entire bible. James 2:14-26. The message was about faith and deeds and how each of these directly effects our individual spiritual growth and witness to a watching world.

James 2:17 “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

2:18 “…Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”

2:22 “You see that his faith and his action were working together.”

When is the last time you put your belief (faith) into action? Would you say that you take what you read in God’s word and actually apply it, you act on it in reality? One of the most convicting verses for me last week was James 2:19 “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.” Think about that. It’s really not that hard to say you believe in God. We have knowledge of him, we read about His work in the bible and we’ve seen His work in the lives of those around us. Even the demons of hell know and believe that too! The thought of possibly being compared to one of them makes me shudder. I pray we all do more than just give lip service to our King.

Hebrews 11 showcases the faithful servants who understood faith and action working together. It is titled “Faith in Action.” You must read it! They all DID things to back up their faith. “Abraham offered Isaac,” “Noah built an ark,” “Rahab, because she welcomed the spies,” on and on they believed and so they acted. They are described as righteous, friend of God, heirs to the inheritance.

Trusting in the knowledge of God is faith. How are you and your friends doing in this? Are you helping each other make tough choices? From last week’s message, are you intentionally helping the poor or those that can do nothing for you? Do you believe that God wants more for you, so you’ll ACT to stop going to bars to get drunk? Do you believe that God loves you, with a pure love (1 John 3:1), so you’ll ACT to stop giving yourself away to unhealthy relationships? I pray you trust what you read, therefore following through in doing it.

I encourage you to read James 1-3 in preparation for tomorrow. Look forward to seeing you and diving back in.

Praying for each of you!