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www.truthworks.com 25 FEB 05 devotion archive |
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YOU GOTTA HAVE FAITH I tell you the Truth, “I’m in such a rut when it comes to my spiritual life.” “I just never feel like reading the Bible or praying.” “Everything in life is just so boring.” Maybe you’ve heard others say those words or maybe you’ve said them yourself. Perhaps you’re in one of those “slumps” right now. Well, the bad news is – it’s more common than I care to think with young and old Christians. The good news is – it really shouldn’t be and honestly doesn’t have to be. When our Christian walk becomes a crawl we need reminders. Sometimes that’s all it takes. For me, the best reminder to get me motivated is to realize why I’m here and what I’m here for. Simply put, man's whole purpose in being is to please God for we were made for His good pleasure. When I’m pleasing God life is not boring and the spiritual slump is gone. Now here is the tricky part - how in this world can I actually please God? Can it even be done?
Exodus
33: God was pleased with Moses so we know that it is possible to please God. But the way to please God is not always so obvious. Let's look at a few ways that men try to please God.
We give in the
offering plate. I could go on for days with this list. This list seems to line up with all the teaching we have received. But do the things on this list please God? I tell you the truth, each of these actions can be pleasing to God, but are not necessarily pleasing to Him in themselves. There are many people that perform each of these actions well, yet God is displeased with them. The reason? The action itself has less to do with pleasing God than the purpose. There is one thing that must always be present in order to please God. And I'm going to give you the secret ingredient.
Hebrews 11: Without faith, none the actions I have described will please God. Man's relationship to God has always been dependent upon faith. I can try as hard as I want to please God in a variety of ways, but if I am not working in faith it is all in vain. So what is faith?
Hebrews 11:
24By
faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's
daughter. 25He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than
to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26He regarded disgrace for the
sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was
looking ahead to his reward. 27By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's
anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28By faith he kept the
Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn
would not touch the firstborn of Israel. You see, when we simply go through the motions, act out the actions, we end up bored with all the religious rituals. But when I seek God in faith, believing that what I do will impact me in miraculous ways, there is an excitement that comes with it. If you’re Christian life is not exciting, you’re missing something. And that something if faith. Read the word and expect God to speak to you in amazing ways. Pray in faith and listen for God in faith and there will be power in your prayer life. Awake in the morning, expecting in faith that God is going to do a marvelous work in your life today. Be sure of what you cannot see today. Let your faith in God be the basis for all your actions. Remember that God is not impressed with great deeds. He is impressed with simple faith. It is the only way we can ever please God. And since our purpose is to please God, faith is the key to an exciting walk in our Christian life.
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Unless otherwise specified, all scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE,
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Randy & Aaron
