Tag Archives: faith
Putting That Effort Into Grace
Grace is wonderful but we cannot stop there. If we think that grace alone is sufficient without us playing any part in our salvation then we are completely mistaken. Salvation as an ongoing process is grace accompanied with our decisions made by our free will. That is why the Bible says that we can despise and neglect this grace given to us. After we receive grace we need to exercise our will and move in the direction that God wants us to move in. By ourself we can do nothing but grace alone without the exercise of our free will can also achieve nothing. We have to choose to do right by receiving the grace to do right. Our efforts don’t come first but grace does. We must first receive the grace of God to do right and then we must exercise our will and do that which is to be done. That is when our human will merges with the Divine will of God. God does not force us to do anything. Nor will He stop us from doing something wrong against our will. We have to be empowered for our task by the grace of God and then instead of waiting for God to do something we need to do our part by obeying the voice of God for the task ahead of us. We surrender and God empowers and then we take the step of faith knowing that the power of God is behind us. Grace is not passivity but the power for every activity we do for God. You will know when the grace of God is there, then it is your responsibility to act from that grace given by God and please God with your faith by taking that step which comes from your own will. First it is grace and faith and then the works follow as we do our part by obeying the will of God.
Faith Is An Act…
We may believe and we may agree and we may even confess all night and day but until we act, faith will not work. Faith is belief plus action. You have the assurance and then you show that you really have the assurance by acting on the word of God. Faith says, If you believe, you will act. You have to act to make your faith real. What is it that is hindering you? What is it that you fear? You have to act on your faith. Faith sees the invisible and makes it visible. It just does not happen all in the mind. You have to act on your faith. You have to do what you normally would not do. You have to act. You are not becoming an actor but you act on what you believe is true as shown to you in the word of God. If God’s word says that you are a child of the light, it is time to act as one. We have to keep our eyes focussed on the truth and have an attitude of contempt for our circumstances. Our circumstances will change as our faith increases with each step and finally becomes perfect. Faith is based on the facts of the word of God but it is expressed by our actions. We have to step on the water before we can walk on it. Put your full weight over the troubled waters and you will see your faith in action. It is like the Apostle James said, Faith without works is dead. Faith is an act.
Acting As If It Were True…….
There are many definitions of faith. And one definition is “Faith is acting as if it were true.” If we really have faith then our attitude and outlook towards our problems would change. We would start looking at them in a different light now since we have faith. If you had faith you would consider it done. The problem is solved. So you would act different now. It is not about the evidences presented before you but the Word of God that counts. So you now act as if it were true and it becomes true because it was already true. Once you know the will of God, you have to believe it and act as though it were true because it is true. Your acting does not make it real but you act because it is already real. More than two thousand years ago, Christ purchased your salvation and you have to appropriate everything that Christ won for you. You have freedom, peace, joy, health, success and life. Your needs are met and you are abundantly blessed. Do not look at your circumstances. By faith you have to thank God because He has promised to supply all your needs. Giving thanks is one way we can act as if it were already true. If you don’t have peace, thank God that He has given it to you in Christ. Do the same for everything else that you need because God cares for you and He wants to give every good thing to you. But you have to have faith because without faith no one can please God. And everything that is not of faith is sin. Faith does not look at the circumstances but at the Saviour who has changed the circumstances in the invisible world. Your faith will make it real in this world. Faith is not expectancy but assurance that the thing promised has come to be true so you act as if it were already true. You are not expecting it to happen in the near future. It has already happened, so when it really happens, you are not surprised but it is all very natural. The blessings of God come very naturally to you because you already believed them to be true before they were really true in the natural realm. If the bank gave you a check for a thousand dollars, you would consider yourself to be a thousand dollars rich, even though you do not have the money with you. It can be considered as if you already had the green notes because you can encash the check from the bank. It the same with God’s facts. They are what Christ has already won for you. You only need to encash them with your faith. So, once you know what is yours, you act as if it were already yours even though it may take some time to be really yours. This is acting as if it were true.