The Power of Acting on Our Faith
Have you ever felt like your faith isn’t making a real difference? You want to experience God more vividly and draw closer to Him, but it’s not always happening. According to James, one of the keys is not just to be hearers of God’s word but doers as well.
In James 1:21-25, James emphasizes the importance of acting on what we believe from God’s word, particularly the truths that touch our hearts. He writes to born-again believers, urging them to submit to the word of God that is already known and “implanted.” He tells us it is the power to deliver us through current circumstances, but only as we submit to it. “But prove yourselves doers of the word, not merely hearers who delude themselves.”
Believing God’s Word is a great beginning. God shows us what is true, real, wise, and good. However, if we fail to act upon our beliefs, we are cheating ourselves out of the blessings God wants to give.
Believing God’s Word is a great beginning. God shows us what is true, real, wise, and good. However, if we fail to act upon our beliefs, we are cheating ourselves out of the blessings God wants to give.
James challenges us to prove ourselves as doers, not just hearers, of God’s word. This is how we will experience God’s blessings in our lives. When hard times come, our faith won’t hold strong if it’s a held belief that makes no difference to us. Doing so is detrimental to our faith in Jesus.
When we hold a belief but fail to act on it, we experience dissonance. For instance, if someone claims that God is sovereign and present with us but, during challenging or frightening situations, never even considers God, panics and takes control, this creates dissonance. Such inconsistency disengages us from God, weakens our faith, and leaves our lives unchanged.
Living out our faith makes it real and transforms who we are.
Jesus compared those who hear God’s word but never act on it to a foolish man who built his house on sand. When the storms of life–challenges, tragedy, suffering, and loss–come, that foundation won’t hold strong.
But those who hear Jesus’ words and obey them are like a wise man who built his house on the rock. No matter what trials may come, their faith will endure because it is rooted deeply in Christ. Acting on the beliefs we are convinced of will deepen them. Living out our faith through obedience is the key to weathering life’s difficulties.
But those who hear Jesus’ words and obey them are like a wise man who built his house on the rock. No matter what trials may come, their faith will endure because it is rooted deeply in Christ. Acting on the beliefs we are convinced of will deepen them.
Many things in this world will try to undermine our trust in Christ: cultural influences that oppose biblical values, sinful habits and desires, and family upbringing that instill different ways of thinking and behaving. So, when God convicts us about something, it may feel like He’s asking us to give up part of our identity or go against deeply ingrained patterns.
So, how do we overcome these challenges and live courageously for Jesus? Here are a few suggestions:
1. Focus on God’s perfect love given to you in Jesus Christ.
2. Believing, act. Any small step you take is a huge choice to honor and draw close to God. He will draw close to you and use this to grow your faith and transform your life.
3. Slow down, read God’s Word, and listen to His Spirit, particularly as you see the dissonance between God’s Word and your life. Pray for spiritual wisdom and understanding that you may walk in a way that pleases God.
Colossians 1:9 … We have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.
4. Exchange lies you’ve believed for the truth of God’s word. Meditate on truth daily.
5. Choose to obey in faith, even when you don’t feel like it or don’t understand. Trust God.
The next time you read or hear a Bible passage that convicts you, or you’re in a situation where you know you are not acting on your faith, meet with God and take that step of obedience, no matter how small. You will draw closer to Him as a result and find His words to be true and life-giving.