Faith Without Works is Dead!

Good Morning Ladies!!! I have been excited since yesterday to share everything that God put on my heart for today’s post!
 

So, I haven't been able to take my mind off of how quickly God turned my life around. How quickly he opened my eyes to see this world in a different light. I seriously feel like it happened over night! Some of you will understand that and someone will question it, and that's fine, but NOTHING is too hard for God. If you love him and believe in him, just that can help change your life. I've been thinking about how some people may look at this blog or my Facebook and say "Wow, it's like she changed overnight!" and I've been wondering what my response to those people should be, then I heard this song yesterday and it seriously spoke straight to me!! It's so funny because I've heard it a million times, but this is like the first time it's actually applied to me and my situation. Please check it out!! :) "Change Inside of me." Mercy Me! :)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMW4BL07BBo 

Not sure if I’m the only one who is touched sooo much by music, but I hope I’m not alone! If you have spent most of your life just singing along and not really thinking about the lyrics try and listen next time your favorite song comes on! ;)


            I also heard another song yesterday and the only lyric I really paid attention to was the one that said “Faith without works is dead.” I was in the middle of working out and I literally ran to my daily journal just to write that part down. I was like man that’s DEEP! My understanding of that lyric is, you can’t prove that you have faith if you’re never put to the test. You can’t prove that you trust God if you’re never put in a situation where you aren’t sure you can. So I looked up that scripture this morning and it’s James 2:14-26 when I first started reading my bible I understood what most of it was saying, but then I started to get confused. I don’t know about you, but when I’m reading the bible I want to have a clear understanding of what God wants me to know. I want to understand the full picture. So I was praying and basically telling God “I don’t understand this part Lord, or that part.” Then he reminded me that I have this AWESOME new bible that makes the bible easier to read. It’s called ‘The Voice’. (I know a lot of you are thinking of that TV show right now! Lol!) I actually received a free copy of this book (New Testament only) from Mardel’s a couple of weeks ago. I went in to look for a devotional book to study with you ladies when we have our group bible study, and there was a poster at the front of the store talking about this new bible. Long story short, the bible isn’t in stores yet and you have to order it online. As I was looking for another book, one of the clerks came up to me and handed me the free copy and I was like YAY!!! Free stuff is always good stuff! lol! :) I haven’t looked at it since though, but I’m so glad I did this morning. It makes the bible seem so easy to read now, so I suggest everyone look into this if you struggle with understanding the bible like I do at times. Here is how “The Voice” wrote James 2:14-26

“Brothers and sisters, it doesn’t make any sense to say you have faith and act in a way that denies that faith. Mere talk never gets you very far, and a commitment to Jesus only in word will NOT save you. It would be like seeing a brother or sister without any clothes out in the cold and begging for food, and you saying “Shalom, friend, you should get inside where it’s warm and eat something,” but doing nothing about his needs-leaving him cold and alone on the street. What good would your words alone do? The same is true with faith. Without actions, faith is useless. By itself, it’s as good as dead. I know what you’re thinking: “Okay, you have faith. And I have actions. Now let’s see your faith without works, and I’ll show you a faith that works.” Do you think that just believing there’s one God is going to get you anywhere? The demons believe that, too, and it terrifies them! The fact is, faith has to show itself through works performed in faith. If you don’t’ recognize that, then you’re an empty soul. Wasn’t our father Abraham made right with God by laying his son Isaac on the altar? The faith in his heart was made known in his BEHAVIOR. In fact, his commitment was perfected by his obedience. That’s what Scripture means when it says “Abraham entrusted himself to God, and God credited him with righteousness.” And living a faithful life earned Abraham the title of “Gods friend.” Just like our father in the faith, we are made right with God through good works, not simply by what we believe or think. Even Rahab the prostitute was made right with God by hiding the spies and aiding them in their escape. Removing action from faith is like removing breath from a body. All you have left is a corpse.”

I know that’s a lot to read, but when I read that this morning I was like GOD YOU ARE AWESOME!!! I was just saying yesterday that we have to trust God’s plans for our lives and reading this proves to me that we are all doing the same thing…saying we have faith, but not living by faith! None of us want to be tested. We all want to just say we are living by faith and go on about our “happy” lives, but how can you live by faith if your faith is never put to the test?! You can’t! I don’t think anyone ever really truly trusts God until he brings us through something. It makes it easier to trust him and have faith in him once he’s done something for us, and that’s just us being human! We put God to the test almost every day! We ask for something and if we don’t get our prayers answered when WE want them to be answered we say God failed that test, or we lose hope in him. We can’t do that ladies!! Our God is the same today, tomorrow and forever! I’ve heard that unanswered prayers are sometimes the best answer and I honestly believe that.

 How can we put God to the test every day and then we are all ticked off at him when he tests us?! He needs to SEE that we are living by faith. Like I told my friend Jessica yesterday “I don’t know where that money is going to come from, but I’m living on a prayer.” I said it and I meant it! I am living on my prayers because I have FAITH that God will make a way out of no way. He has done it so many times before and I don’t see why he wouldn’t do it this time. Even if it’s not in my time, he will answer it when he is ready. Also, remember what I said yesterday about him being in a battle for us constantly with the devil. He wants to steal our joy! He wants us to question if God is real, question his goodness and his plan for our lives. When he gets the slightest indication that we are questioning anything about God the flood gates open and, for lack of better words, all hell breaks loose. Any and everything that can bring us down happens and it happens all at once. Don’t you know that’s just the devil! He wants you to think that God doesn’t care, but God always cares and he is always present. He sees what’s going on and I bet he’s thinking, Do they trust me to get them through this? Trust and believe that he will pull you through this storm, but also know that when that storm ends you’ll have to face another one. I know this sound strange and it’s hard to think of this when you’re going through a hard time, but try it… It’s an honor that God would allow us to be tested because that means he trusts us to pass that test! He believes in us more than we believe in ourselves. So if you feel like you’re test is too hard to pass, get on your knees and ask for guidance and strength. Like the song “Strong Enough” by Matthew West says, “Lord right now I’m asking you to be strong enough, for the both of us!” He CAN do it ladies, if you trust him, he WILL do it!

I pray that you all take something away from this post today. I know I have. God is so awesome and once people start to realize that, who wouldn’t’ want to live for him? Share his awesomeness, love, strength and hope with someone today ladies!! I'm praying for all of you!

Stay encouraged, inspired and motivated today and help someone else do the same! J

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Raynisia Nagel
AWoman After God’s Own Heart