Faith in Action
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“No unbelief or distrust made him
waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong
and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God”
(Romans 4:20 AMP).
TODAY’S WORD
Just as putting your physical body
into action makes it grow strong, putting your faith in action through prayer
and thanksgiving will cause your faith to grow strong, too. I love what this
verse says about Abraham: No unbelief made him waver regarding the promise of God.
What does it mean to waver? To waver means to go back and forth. It's a very
unsteady posture. Spiritual wavering is when we go back and forth in believing
the promises of God. Wavering shows up in our words and actions. Notice this
verse didn't say that Abraham never had unbelief or doubtful thoughts. It tells
us that he didn't let those thoughts cause him to waver in his words, actions
and resolve. He took captive every thought and stood strong through His praise
and worship!
Remember, praise makes you stable; it
makes you strong. Put your faith into action by thanking and praising Him all
throughout the day!
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Heavenly Father, today I choose to
bless Your name! I thank You for life. I thank You for breath. I thank You for
provision, healing, strength and joy. I praise You for abundantly supplying all
my needs so that I can be a blessing to others in Jesus' Name. Amen.
***
“As holy people ... be sympathetic, kind, humble, gentle, and patient.” (Colossians 3:12 GWT)
In real fellowship, people experience sympathy. Sympathy is not giving advice or offering quick, cosmetic help; sympathy is entering in and sharing the pain of others.
Sympathy says, “I understand what you’re going through, and what you feel is neither strange nor crazy.” Today, some call this “empathy,” but the biblical word is “sympathy.” It says, “As holy people ... be sympathetic, kind, humble, gentle, and patient” (Colossians 3:12 GWT).
Sympathy meets two fundamental human needs: the need to be understood and the need to have your feelings validated.
Every time you understand and affirm someone’s feelings, you build fellowship. The problem is that we’re often in such a hurry to fix things that we don’t have time to sympathize with people. Or, sometimes, we’re preoccupied with our own hurts. Self-pity dries up sympathy for others.
There are different levels of fellowship, and each is appropriate at different times:
The Bible teaches us to “share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 NLT).
It is in the times of deep crisis, grief, and doubt that we need each other most. When circumstances crush us to the point that our faith falters, that’s when we need believing friends the most.
We need a small group of friends to have faith in God for us and to pull us through. In a small group, the Body of Christ is real and tangible even when God seems distant.
This is what Job desperately needed during his suffering. He cried out, “A despairing man should have the devotion of his friends, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty” (Job 6:14 NIV).
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