Faith Requires Action

Faith Requires Action

James 4:7-10 (NIV)

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn, and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.



I love this passage in the book of James. It is full of action words. Submit! Resist! Grieve! Mourn! Wail! Change! Humble! If we want to have a fulfilling rich life in Christ then we must take action. It requires more than sitting in church for 45 minutes on Sunday to listen to the service. It involves more than ABF cookouts, more than polite conversation on Sunday morning, more than carelessly throwing around “I’ll pray for you” responses. But to have faith, the kind of faith that impacts others and ourselves, we must take action. It must be bold, and on purpose. It is the kind of faith that changes you and those around you; the book of James states it clearly. SUBMIT yourselves to God! RESIST the devil

I did a quick search on the Greek definition of the word submit. It certainly doesn’t describe a nonchalant attitude that most of us tend to present to others about our faith. Here’s what it says; A Greek military term meaning "to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader". In non-military use, it was "a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden".

I had to ask myself; am I truly giving God all that I have and actively seeking Him? Am I submitting my everyday ordinary life to Him each and every day?

The word resist in the Thompson Chain Reference concordance has this definition; 1 to set one's self against, to withstand, resist, and oppose 2 to set against Whoa! Am I setting myself against the devil? Or do I tip toe around him trying not to stir anything up? Do I take a stand against him? Or have I called a truce with him, forgetting 1John 4:4 that says; you, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.



Father-I thank you for the support that I have with my church family. I thank you for cook-outs, get- togethers, and fun times, but Lord help me to stretch myself and take me beyond that. I know you have created me for more. Be with me as I strive to serve you whole heartedly and not just when it is convienent. Forgive me Lord for the times I have taken what you did on the cross for me and turned it into a show for others to see instead of being honest and real about my life. Help me Lord to truly resist the devil, and to submit to you in all areas of my life. In your precious name- Amen