How To Use Your Faith Series

How to Use Your Faith- Its Practice

Pastor Jamie Wright * Maranatha Fellowship Church * 5-23-04

Hebrews 11:1“What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot see. (NLT) vs. 6 …without faith it is impossible to please God.”

WE found out last week that faith has a place. Where there is faith we

…See the invisible, Believe the Incomprehensible, Hear the inaudible, Feel the intangible, Expect the impossible, Hope the imperishable.

God wants us to possess faith. We need to build our faith and strengthen it through practice. A lot of us say I’ve got faith. I’ve got faith in this. I’ve got faith in that. I’ve got faith in Jesus. Well where is the practice of it? You’ve been granted a measure of faith and when a circumstance or situation arises or a storm is on your horizon what do you do? You practice that faith, and if you don’t practice that faith you won’t be able to stand on that firm foundation because your faith will be weak. We’ve got to practice it. We need to build our faith and strengthen it through practicing our faith and by getting in a place where faith is preached, where faith is. How do you use (practice) your faith?

Do you use it like a spare tire- used only in case of emergency!

Do you use your faith like a wheel barrow- must be PUSHED! Or

Do you use it like a greyhound bus- Ridden only when it goes your way! Or perhaps you use your faith like BREAL CREAM- a little dab will do you!

Whatever, kind of faith you have, it is of no VALUE unless you are using it to PLEASE God. Because, Faith without works is DEAD!

Today we are going to learn how to use (practice) our faith.

James 2:26 (GN)

26 So then, as the body without the spirit is dead, also faith without actions is dead.

26 (NCV) Just as a person’s body that does not have a spirit is dead, so faith that does nothing is dead!

INTRO: Our faith should be a practicing faith. It involves doing something on our part.

Luke 6:46 the Lord speaks saying, why call me, Lord, Lord, and Do not the things I say?

You have to practice your faith. A doctor practices medicine, an attorney practices law, a Christian must practice faith.

The word practice means: to live out, to perform, to apply and rehearse and to act upon. Those are all action words. My favorite is to live out.

So, how do we use our faith; practice it; live out our faith?

We must use or practice our faith as:

1. A WORSHIPPING FAITH Heb. 11:4 (Gen.4)

vs. 4 “it was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God…God accepted Abel’s offering to show that he was a righteous man. And although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us because of his FAITH.”

It wasn’t enough for Abel to say he believed in God. He heard the voice of God and he used the faith that he had in God. He practiced his faith. He put into action what he believed.

Worship! That is what the Father is seeking. Abel made a sacrifice that was acceptable or pleasing unto God. Hebrews 11:6 says it is impossible to please God without FAITH. Therefore, we can conclude that Abel had faith that he was living out what God wanted him to do in his worship…to give a blood sacrifice. That was his worship.

The father is still seeking for worshippers. 86% of Americans call themselves Christians. How many are putting their faith in God into action and worshipping, truly worshipping God? Remember, faith without ACTION is DEAD. Does that describe the church world today? All over America at this very moment denominations are holding services and millions of people are attending these services that are called WORSHIP services. Yet, the majority of them are dead. WHY? Because faith without action (a worshipping faith) is dead. I am not calling them dead. It is God’s word in James 2:26.

We worship through our sacrifice. It is easy to come in here and lift your hands, run, and dance and shout when everything is going great with you and yours. However, it is a little more difficult to give God your best when the bank account is low, the kids are sick ,your fighting with your wife and lost your job this week, isn’t it? But Abel gave his best lamb. The one without spot or blemish. IT didn’t matter to him what he had left. He put into action the faith he had in God and it pleased God. Do you have a faith in a God that is worthy of your praise? Is it all you do is talk about that faith? Well, how about start today by living out that faith you have in an all powerful, mighty God by WORSHIPPING HIM. Practice your faith everyday by worshipping God.