Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Belief & Faith Alone Are Useless

I may be the only one who felt this way but for a long time I believed that faith and belief were interchangeable. I have come to learn that believing and faith are not the same thing.

Belief is just the beginning, you can believe something but if you do not act on it through faith the belief is useless. On the contrary, you can have faith in something but if you do not believe your faith is useless.

Believing is not enough. This kind of reminds me of the famous quote knowledge is power. Knowledge in and of itself is not power, the application of the knowledge is power.

Here are a few examples:

1. A man believed if he ate the food before him he wouldn't die. So everyday he would say if I eat this food I will not die. However, he never ate the food. He didn't act on his belief therefore his faith was not activated and he died!

2. A person buys a treadmill with the belief that if they walk on it daily for 30 minutes they will become healthier and potentially lose weight. However, they never actually use the treadmill and do not get healthier or lose weight.

Now from a biblical standpoint I will demonstrate how faith and belief are intertwined and needed:

1. The woman with the issue of the blood, she believed that if she simply touched the hem of Jesus' garment she would be healed. She believed and she acted on her belief through faith by showing up where Jesus was, pressing her way through and actually touching his garment. (Mark 5:25-32)

2. A man brought his son to the disciples for his son was possessed by an evil spirit. The disciples were unable to heal the boy. Jesus' 1st response "O unbelieving generation." The man then asked Jesus if you can do anything, take pity on us. Jesus responded If you can? Everything is possible for him who believes. The father responded I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief! (Mark 9:14-24)

Jesus Heals the Blind and the Mute
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you
believe that I am able to do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied.

29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you; 30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” 31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.

Jesus 1st asked them did they believe and then they were each healed according to their faith.

When Peter walked on water, that took belief and faith. He intially believed and called out to Jesus and then he stepped out of the boat and walked on the water by faith. However, when he saw the wind Peter became afraid and began to sink. Jesus replied You of little faith, why did you doubt!

18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”[d] 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 this is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:18-22)

Faith requires action, after you hear a word from God you must act on it and do not doubt. Don't be like Peter and begin to doubt when you see the wind, rain, storm, tornado, hurricane, flood, whatever! Trust, believe, and know that if God said it, it shall be done according to His Word for his word when it goes forth does not return void but accomplishes just what it said (Isaiah 55:11)! Like Abraham, he believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)

Be a blessing and be blessed,
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