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Give Life to Your Faith
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:
"…faith without works is dead."
(James 2:20, NKJV).
TODAY'S WORD:
Are you giving life to your faith? If we aren’t doing something that shows that we believe God, the Bible says that our faith is dead. Dead faith won’t accomplish anything. We have to give life to our faith by putting actions behind it. It doesn’t have to be anything big, just something that shows your faith in God. For example, I know people who are down and discouraged. They pray, “God, please get me out of this discouragement. God, give me my joy back. God, give me a new beginning.” And yes, prayer is important, but it’s only part of the process. What really causes God to act is when you do something about it—you get back up, dust yourself off, and say, “You know what? I’m not going to stay down. This is the day the Lord has made! I am going to be happy and have a great day.” That’s putting action behind your faith.
I encourage you today to let your actions give life to your faith. Show the world that you are trusting God’s Word. As you do, you’ll give life to your faith and step into new levels of His victory and blessing in every area of your life!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Father, thank You for Your Word that builds faith in my heart and refreshes my soul. I choose to put action behind my faith today. I choose to give life to my faith so that You can accomplish Your will in me in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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God Is on Your Side
BY RICK WARREN — JUNE 6, 2014
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and
the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:13 (NLT)
the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:13 (NLT)
No matter what you’re going to face this next week, you’re not going to face it alone. God is with you, he is in you, and he is for you.
Philippians 2:13 says, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (NLT).
“God is working in you.” The word “working” in Greek is the word energos, from which we get the word “energy.” God is the energy driver in your life. You’re not just going on willpower. You’re not just going on your own power. God says he will give you the power you need, no matter what you’re facing.
Not only is he in you, he is with you. The Bible says, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:18, 20 NIV). That’s quite a promise! The Bible says Christ is in you; the Bible says you’re hid with Christ in God; and the Bible says you’re sealed with the Holy Spirit. That means for the devil to get to you, he’s got to get through the Trinity! That’s a pretty good protection. That is a great fear reliever.
Not only is God with you and in you; God is also for you. Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, no one can defeat us” (NCV).
When a shepherd leads the sheep, there are always guard dogs at the back, nipping at the sheep to keep them moving in the right direction.
The Bible says that the guard dogs in your life are goodness and mercy. God gives you the things you don’t deserve — that is his goodness. And, he doesn’t give you the things you do deserve — that’s his mercy.
Do you ever feel the smile of God in your life? If you don’t, you don’t really know God. Some people think God is like the angry parent who’s mad at them all the time. No. God is for you!
If you want to be happy, you need to get up every morning and say, “God, thank you that you’re going to be with me today, you’re going to be in me today, and you’re going to be for me today.”
Isn’t that great news? If God is with you, and God is in you, and God is for you, what in the world are you doing being depressed?
Talk It Over
- How do you think God wants you to access his power that is available to you?
- When do you doubt God’s presence the most? Ask God for faith to see him at work in your life.
- How will your perspective of a difficult situation change now that you know God is on your side?
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