Faith Needs Action!

The best way to know if you’re grown in faith is to ask yourself if you look more like Jesus.

Only after we have “put off” the old man and “put on” the new are we truly set free to praise the Lord with a whole heart.
* “Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright.”Psalm 33:1
*You can rejoice this morning because the Word of God that you meditate and ponder on is “right and true.” You do not have to doubt or question the truths and the wisdom that come from His Word. In the midst of living lives in this chaotic and confusing world, God’s Word comes through like a beacon in a storm. Rejoice and praise God today because of His Word.
*Because we have been made pure through Jesus, our response should be to praise Him.
THE BRIDE
What would a man think if his bride-to-be invited him to her house, sat him in
the living room and then went her way? While he waits, she works in the
kitchen, dusts the furniture, mops the floors—and never says a word to him!

Jesus endures the same pain any man would feel if his beloved continually
praised him, saying “I love you” over and over, yet showed him little or no
attention! WE Need a personal Relationship with Jesus!

The sweetheart may claim, “Well, he’s always on my mind.” I have heard
people say that about Jesus: “He’s on my mind all day, in everything I
do.”
BUT you can have Him on your mind all day and still neglect Him!
**When a bride-to-be does this, her so-called love is a lie! She may tell her fiancé she truly loves him, but her Actions tell him she does not.

The Lord asks, “Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet
My people have forgotten Me days without number” (Jeremiah 2:32).
* David also said Israel kept forgetting the Lord: “They forgot God their Savior, Who had done great things in Egypt”. (Psalm 106:21).

The Lord mentioned His pain in Scripture for the whole world to see! He said openly, “My people neglect Me for days on end!”
Why would the Lord tell the world about such neglect? Shouldn’t lovers’ differences be kept quiet?
No—He wants us to know how hurt He is! He tells the whole world because He is so heartbroken by our behavior!

Imagine that you are an engaged young woman going to church with your
husband-to-be. You grasp his hand and tell everyone, “We’re going to be
married. I love him—he is absolutely wonderful!” But as soon as you are out
the door, you just clam up and do not say a word to him! What is he supposed to think?

I would not want a bride who extols my virtues– says loving things about me in
public, tells me how precious I am, and then later gets cold and avoids
spending time with me. That is not true affection!
If you do not have quality time with Jesus every day—if you do not
spend time in prayer with Him, or seeking His Word—you do not love Him and you are breaking His heart!

Be free of all bondage and keep your heart pure before the Lord.  Then, you will be able to discern spiritually.  However, anything that creates darkness in your soul will cause you to dump down in the flesh and will cloud your spiritual perceptions.  Be on guard, for this is a time when seductions to choose flesh over Spirit are rampant.  Obtain and maintain purity.
*Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

FAITH NEEDS ACTION!
*We haven’t learned the Word of God until we lived the Word of God.
*One of the primary purpose’s of the Holy Spirit is for us to be witnesses of the Good News of Jesus.

Teaching and learning in the scriptures, are much more than academic.
* It involves being guided by God’s principles in relationship to others, as well as knowing and responding to God. *It calls for the learner to put the Word of God into practice, not just hear it (Jas. 1:22).
* It involves hearing a word from the outside and putting it on the inside, so that it may be expressed in our every action.  If we obey the scripture and prove ourselves to be doers of the word rather than only listeners, we will truly show forth the love of Christ. People that merely listen hear about God’s judgement and wish…
* Proverbs 2 tells us to incline our ear unto wisdom, apply our heart to understanding, cry after knowledge, lift up our voice for understanding, seek her as silver, search for her like hidden treasures, and then we will understand and find the knowledge of God (Prov. 2:1-7).
God says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6), and He admonishes us to meditate on His Word day and night that we may observe to do all that is written therein.
*Extreme love: acknowledges God’s wisdom. You must know and do! ACTION!   One reason why many believers have no clearer understanding of God’s word is, they close their eyes to TRUTH which they do not wish to practice.(Philippians 3:8)
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)

Lord, thank You for one of the greatest freedoms You have given all of us is the freedom to be ourselves. Help us NOT to  focus on trying to be like everyone else and focus on what YOU have planned for us to be!  Knowing You Lord through Your Word for who You are is a powerful and freeing feeling. Increase Daily Lord my  personal relationship with Christ that everything will fall into place for Your Glory and my Joy! Amen

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, (Philippians 3:10).