James 2 - Faith AND Action Required!

James poses a great question, “(14) What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?” You see, it is easy for us to say we have faith, show up to church, sing praises to glorify God, raise our hands to give Him praise, say “amen” during a sermon, say we have faith in God, we believe in God’s promises, and we really, truly might, but do we DO anything to back our faith? Or are we just “fooling ourselves” with “warm, fuzzy” claims of faith as we sit back and do nothing? As James poses in verse 14, without action, is there truly faith? He answers this in verse 17 and again in verse 26. “(17) … faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” “(26) As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”

Wow, this one rocked me to my core, I am shameful, scared, and thankful all in one. I have truly been seeking the Lord over the past year, more intensely over the last month and He has been laying things on my heart, I believe, to test my faith. Most, I have responded to, with glorious results; it is awesome to see the power of God at work! Admittedly and shamefully, some I have been afraid of or timid to approach, out of fear that I am not qualified to address these issues, it is not my place to speak, I have no authority over these issues. All of that may be true; however, God qualifies me to address, God says it is my place to speak, God has authority over these issues, and my faith in His holiness demands that I take action. So I must move forward, trust in my Lord God, profess my faith through action, and watch His glorious plan work miracles. I know it can and will happen, God is good all the time. I have just let temporary fear hold me back, momentarily, but I must also remember, God is with me, His will be done! I must move forward with a spirit of boldness, to do His will, and I will do so with full faith in the One True God. Mark 10:27 “…all things are possible with God." Please pray for me as I seek God’s will and take action to support my faith and His plan.

If you are facing similar “nudging” from the Holy Spirit but, like me, were or are afraid to move forward, remember 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” God bless you as you take action to support your faith, so others can benefit from God’s goodness by our actions, Him working through us, and He can receive the glory for the great things He has done, is doing, and will do.

God bless and keep you.