Day 184
James 1:6,7
"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord."
Faith is an absolute necessity to our spiritual health and well-being. James, in talking about how we can obtain wisdom from God, made two things clear. Wisdom is available for the asking, because God does not hesitate when it comes to distributing wisdom. We must approach God in faith to receive that wisdom.
Hebrews Chapter I I reveals that God responds to faith. It
says for us to approach God, we must believe in His existence and His character of rewarding diligent seekers. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. We received faith for salvation through the Word we heard when we were saved. lbat great faith was a starting point. When we accepted the plan of salvation, which is impossible to understand with the natural mind, we were ready to believe ahnost anything. Then, the faith fight began, as Satan came to steal that which would ultimately destroy him. The devil's ungodly system, which exists in this world, began to feed us negative information to challenge our faith. Without the knowledge of God's Word, our fight was difficult. Thus, studying and meditating God's Word became essential to our survival.
Jesus is our source of faith. He uses the Word of God. Just spending time in the Word alone does not accomplish the task, but spending time with Him in the Word makes the difference. It is not just reading black or red ink on white paper that makes the difference. We receive the revelation of God through the words we read, as we are illumined by the Holy Spirit.
Let us come clean and be honest with ourselves. When we were truly in faith based on God's Word and were not wavering, we had no difficulty receiving our answers. God remains faithful to His Word. Sometimes, we are attempting to build faith, but are having difficulty, because we are attempting to get it off the paper the scripture was written on or the tape it was played on. We may even try to get it from the preacher or teacher. We will only get it through these means when we get it from God. Paul said of the Thessalonian Christians, "When you heard the Word of God from us you accepted it, not as a mere human message, but as it really is, God's Word, a power in the lives of you who believe." (I Thessalonians 2:13, J.B. Phillips translation)
Whenever we are operating in unwavering faith, we are receiving. Whenever we are lacking in receiving, we are lacking in unwavering faith. Let us strengthen our faith today, as we spend time with God in His Word. Our praise and worship of Him will help increase our awareness of His presence, which will make it easier for us to receive the Word as His Word to us.
I will praise and worship God today. I will fellowship with Him through His Word. My faith will be strengthened, and I will receive from Him.