Your FAITH has to do Something

14"My brothers and sisters, if people say they have faith, but do nothing, their faith is worth nothing. Can faith like that save them? 17… Faith by itself, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead). 18Someone might say, “You have faith, but I have deeds.” Show me your faith without doing anything, and I will show you my faith by what I do." Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove." |James 2:14, 17-18|

James encourages us in the scripture above by asking us a simple question about FAITH. Many times, many of us we major on the minors and forget the majors that really matter in life. Paul writes in Hebrews 11:1 and tells us what Faith is; but James comes and challenges us not just to have Faith but have a Faith that has got ACTIONS in it. I love the way the Message bible frames the question that James is asking. The bible says: "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?" |James 2:14 MSG| The bible clearly shows us that it’s not just about professing that you have faith but you have to show it by your works. The Amplified bible calls them "deeds of Obedience" See this; "But someone will say [to you then], You [say you] have faith, and I have [good] works. Now you show me your [alleged] faith apart from any [good] works [if you can], and I by [good] works [of obedience] will show you my faith. |James 2:18 AMP|

Many times we find ourselves in some situations that really call out to us to have faith and more so a strong willed Faith; but all the same, it is not just enough to have faith but we need to put our faith in action and thus we will  be able to see results. One of the worst things that can ever happen to you is being in one situation for a long time. It is too bad to be in a situations or circumstances that are disappointing; discouraging; a helpless state etc. and watch people pass by you to their blessings, breakthrough and attain what God has called them for as you just sit there and watch. Take an instance of the man who was lying beside the pool for 38 year |John 5:7| just waiting for the pool to be stirred and hoping that someone would throw him into the pool for his healing… Imagine such a period… He was seeing people stand there beside their relatives and once the pool was stirred, they would throw their relatives inside and he would be left there again.

One of the worst things that can ever happen to you is to be in one situation for a long time. It is so sad to be in situations or circumstances that are disappointing, discouraging etc. and watch very many people pass by you as you just watch. You should couple up your faith and belief and what you profess need to do something.  We have very many examples in the bible of people who had a need and what they did was that they too a step of faith and what they were believing God for came to be. Take a look at the four Lepers outside the gate of Samaria in 2 Kings 4; they took steps of faith and God multiplied their steps and sounded like a vast army; if they just resided at their dwelling place outside the city gate, nothing much would have happened. Another person who took steps of faith is the blind Bartimaeus and from his story |Mark 10:46-52|, blind Bartimaeus, we can learn a few things about Faith.

1) Faith connects. It cries/calls out. Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was passing by Jericho and he decided to connect with Him and get his healing. Sometimes we miss out our blessings simply because we are not able to connect with the moment and the season that we are in or the wave that comes our way. Bartimaeus, as blind as he was, was able to discern the time and season that he/was in (prevailing) and thus he was able to get his miracle. Know the season that you are in and connect with our miracle.

2) Faith Speaks: Bartimaeus called out to the Lord in need of his healing. Many times, we just keep quiet and die in our situations when we can call/cry out and get our help. Why stay in that situation that you are in today for a life when you can get your deliverance and help just by connecting your faith to your maker. It just calls for your faith to connect by Crying/Calling out to the master.

3) Faith Moves: Bartimaeus didn’t just connect with the time and season that was prevailing in Jericho; he didn’t just speak and call out to Jesus… but he also took a step of faith and moved to the Saviour. He left the place where he was used to sit on the roadside begging and went to meet with Jesus. Faith takes an action. Do not just sit in your comfort zone and think that everything will work out as you wish without you taking a step. You got to move off the comfort zone and move ahead to a place of action.

4) Faith makes a claim/declaration of what it wants and knows its portion. You got to declare what you want. Bartimaeus knew that he wasn’t supposed to be bling and thus he asked for what he wanted and that was the restoration of his sight. You got to know what you want to see/be in your life and then declare it. What you speak becomes. God spoke in the creation and whatever He spoke came to be. What is spoken in the spiritual world actualizes or is manifested in the physical world. Unless you declare it, it will never be.

5) Faith follows: After Bartimaeus received his sight; he followed Jesus speaking and testifying of what God had done. The problem with many of us is that when we receive what we were asking for; we go away and we never follow. We so much want the miracle but we do not want to associate ourselves with the miracle worker. We want to many things but once we get them, we forget how desperate we were when we were asking for the same and we forget God. We need to continue with the same spirit and follow/pursue God with the same zeal and desire as we were when pursuing after our miracle or what we wanted. Many of us we want the blessing and once we get it, we forget the blesser and that shouldn’t be the case. We need to remember that we will need him again thus we need to hold on and follow him!

The devil knows the impact we have and the repercussions thereof once we get the answers to our prayers. We get more devoted to God and our faith is built and established in him. The people who were around Bartimaeus tried to block him but he was determined to get to the Saviour. The devil will throw many things around us to discourage us but we need to stand on our ground and look forward and ahead focusing on our goal without wavering. Its time you got aggressive and go for what is yours and your inheritance in Christ Jesus.

Amen!