Have you ever noticed how God sometimes works in themes when He is speaking to us about something?
I have!
One time, He decided to teach me about His Holiness … about how pure and perfect He is, about how loving and tender He is toward me, about how honorable His works are, and how endless His resources are. When I finally ‘got it’, I was humbled to my knees. Why? Because He is HOLY, and we have never known the likes of Him … not even close!
Another time, He addressed an area of disobedience in my life. It seemed to me that every sermon, every book, every song on the radio had something to say about it …
Have you ever experienced anything like that?
Lately, the theme has been about faith-in-action … about how ‘real’ faith is belief that leads to action. In particular, it leads to doing things ‘differently.’ What unsaved person ever lived a life that honored God? Faith makes our life different, or it isn’t faith at all. Where will this difference show up? We will listen to different music, read different books, spend time with different people, react with a different attitude, aim for a different goal in life, raise our children to be different, invest our money in a different way … I could go on, but I’m sure you get the point.
Somehow we’ve gotten the idea that the essence of faith is entirely a mental and inward thing.
~Dallas Ward
I’m not familiar with Dallas Ward, but when I read this statement, I realized that it is the essence of what God has been teaching me, lately. Faith cannot be hidden away in our mind or heart. It is obvious in our life, or it is obviously not in our life … and that is a scary place to be because Scripture tells us it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God without faith.
Keeping it real,
Tammy, I can so relate to this. Right now I’m learning to “let go” of judgments that do not serve me. So naturally all kinds of situations arise that test my ability to say, Yes, that is foolishness, but I do not have give it strength or room in my mind by dwelling on it.”
Katy’s last blog post..Inch By Inch
Well said, Tammie, and so timely a message for today’s church!
[...] “Faith cannot be hidden away in our mind or heart. It is obvious in our life, or it is obviously not in our life … and that is a scary place to be because Scripture tells us it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God without faith.” ~ Tammie, When God Speaks In Themes at Are You for Real? [...]
When I was going through a horrible time in my life, I kept being hit with Romans 8:28. So much so that I was really wrestling with that verse. I was angry with itand was in such a deep pit I had a difficult time believing it included me. Well, it did, and now I know for sure.