Faith And Action, Two Sides Of The Same Coin

Faith and Action: two sides of the same coin

James 2:14

Subject: Faith and Action: two sides of the same coin

There’s this story about a patient that was in the hospital with a potentially deadly virus. The doctors had given up hope because they couldn’t isolate the virus and prescribe treatment. Finally someone suggested Dr. Good. Dr. Good was world-renowned. If you were his patient you were as “good” as cured. When the Dr. arrived the patient perked up. She perked up because she had faith in the Dr.’s skills and ability (and because of all that she had heard about him). The cure was simple and the good doctor. recommended medication. The patient was so overwhelmed by the Dr.’s reputation that she forgot to take the medication and soon passed into a downward spiral..

The point is, faith without action is meaningless. The patient had sufficient faith in the Dr.’s ability but she failed to follow up with the needed action (that of taking the medication). Again, the cure was relatively simple (but it required a follow-up action).

When we give our life to Jesus we are expected to become “new creatures”. There must be a noticeable difference in our “walk”. Things we use to do we don’t do anymore. Things we use to say we don’t say anymore. Places we use to go we don’t go anymore. Faith in Jesus without a change in our lives (without a repenting heart) gets us nowhere.

JAMES 2:14: “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?”

Just like the patient we sometimes boast of having great faith. We say, I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He came down to earth to be an example to us of how we should love one another. He came to pay the price for our salvation. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for us. He was buried and rose again on the third day as he said he would. I have faith (that mustard seed faith). Nothing, nor anyone, can shake my faith. Jesus, He’s my doctor when I need healing. He’s my lawyer when I need defending. He’s my provider when I need providing. He’s my deliverer when I need delivering. Jesus, He’s my everything. Jesus, He’s never failed me. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadows of death I will fear no evil because He is with me

But sometimes trouble comes our way. Sometimes sickness knocks us down. Sometimes the bills get us down. Sometimes death come our way. Instead praising God anyway and claiming the victory we loose all that mustard seed faith. We start asking, why me? Why me Lord? I praised you all the time. I went to church every Sunday. I went to bible class. I sang in the choir. I worked on the usher board. Why did you let this happen to me Lord?

If we truly believe in the Lord, if we truly had that mustard seed faith, when trouble comes our way we’ll keep on stepping for the Lord. We would continue to stand. We would stand because we know He is a deliverer. We would stand because we know that He would not allow the enemy to put more on us than we can stand. We would step out on faith. We’ll take that old sickness and throw it to the ground. We would sing that old song: “I got the victory, helejuia.”

The Bible tells me that there was a conspiracy to get Daniel. The conspirators got King Darius to sign a decree. It said if anybody prayed for the next thirty days to anyone but the king they would go to the lion’s den. Daniel was a man of God. He had faith and he stepped out on it. Daniel prayed to his God. When threatened with the lion’s den Daniel continued to pray. They threw him in the lion’s den and sealed the den. Daniel had faith and he kept on praying. God sent His angel to bind the lion’s mouth. Daniel had some friends Meshach, Shadrach & Abed-nego. Like Daniel, they held high positions in the king’s court but they loved Jehovah God. King Nebuchadnezzar gave them a chance to turn their back on God. He told them when you hear the music bow down to the image that I made. Meshach, Shadrach & Abed-nego refused to bow. They were threatened with the fiery furnace. They said Our God, whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning furnace. But if He don’t. Let it be know to you that we will not bow or worship your image. They stepped out and acted on their faith. They were put in the furnace, all three of them. Nebuchadnezzar saw four men walking around in the flames and no one was harmed. Our God is a deliverer. He will stand with you to the very end.