Faith Without Works

Faith is very simple, according to Jesus, but we tend to make it complicated. Jesus says we just need to believe like a child. In a nutshell, faith is believing God and believing that all He says in His Word is true. The part that complicates it for us is our own carnal nature. We struggle with faith because we all have a fleshly carnal mind to contend with, that constantly rises up against the authority of God. We may not even be consciously aware of it. We have to be vigilant about bringing our mind under the authority of Christ. We tend to go from extremes between doubt and fear to irrational requests that we call “big faith”. When we don’t receive what we asked for, questions start to run through our minds. “Did I not have enough faith?” “Did I not pray enough?” “Did I miss God?”

One thing that I have come to understand is that faith is a journey and a partnership with God. Faith is not simply asking for something and then waiting for it to plop on our laps. Faith is action. It is surrendering to the will of God. It is trusting Him with the outcome as we continue to obey and live out his principles and precepts. ‭‭James‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭17‬ says, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” 

We can easily miss the obvious when we are waiting “in faith” for God to answer our petition. We can be so consumed with our specific request that we ignore the answers and directions that are already given in God’s Word. The practical application of faith is often ignored. Obeying the principles and precepts of God’s Word is actually putting faith in action. While we are waiting, we pursue godly character and integrity, so that we know God’s heart on a matter. As we put one foot in front of the other in our daily walk with the Lord, we get more clarity about our petitions. How we pray will change as we are led by the Holy Spirit. We will be better prepared to receive and be a good steward of the very thing that we are asking for. Also, our hearts are more aligned with God’s heart and His desires. We develop the fruit of faithfulness. We are less and less ruled by the carnal desires of the flesh and more and more ruled by the Holy Spirit. If our goal is simply to have our prayers answered, we develop tunnel vision and miss the bigger picture of what God is doing.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, fill me with the desires of Your heart. I want to pray according to Your will. Holy Spirit, show me where I need to put my faith in action.