*DOMINION MANDATE DAILY DEVOTIONAL*

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2020

*FAITH WITHOUT WORKS*

*BIBLE READING: JAMES 2:14-26*

*"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James‬ ‭2:26‬ ‭(NKJV‬‬)*

The Bible tells us that Abraham was called righteous because of his faith. He is called till this day, ‘the father of faith’. Apart from Abraham, we have a veritable list of people who have been called the heroes of faith, in the book of Hebrews chapter 11. What was it that singled out these people? Was it that they were the only ones who ever believed God in the scriptures? Why did they become heroes who have become examples for us today in our own walk of faith?

Looking at Abraham, we see that his introduction in scripture was God giving him an instruction. “Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.” Genesis‬ ‭12:1‬(‭NKJV‬‬). Abraham had built for himself a life, and everything he owned and knew was in Haran. But God told him to move to an uncertain place and Abraham packed up and moved. He obeyed and took action. Every other thing that happened after that was as a result of that one act of obedience that resulted in action. He became the ancestor of the nation of Israel, was blessed beyond measure and through his lineage, Jesus was sent into the world, to save humanity.

Let us look at other heroes of faith: Noah was a man who lived in a world that was corrupt and without God. When God decided He was going to destroy it, he told Noah to build an ark. "And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.” Genesis‬ ‭6:13-14‬ (‭NKJV‬‬).

God asked Noah to do something. Noah trusted that God would save him, but to get that salvation, Noah had to take an action. He built the ark in spite of all the ridicule and insults of the people around him.‬‬ Bearing in mind that they had never seen a flood, they did not believe him when he said water was going to come from the sky and it would flood the earth unless they repented; but Noah took the action that God required and he and the members of his family were saved.

The widow of Zarephath took an action and gave the cake to Elijah and thereby saved herself and her son throughout the famine (1 Kings 17:8-16). The wife of the son of the prophet who died, took an action when Elisha spoke prophetically (2 Kings 4:1-7). The woman with an issue of blood, took an action and secured her healing (Mark 5: 25-34). No matter how much faith you have, no matter how much prayer you have done concerning that job, or that business or that situation in your life, until you take an action and move in the direction of your prayers, you will never get the answers to your prayers. For faith to produce results, it must be matched with commensurate action. Or else, as our key scripture says, your faith without any works or action, will stay dead.

*ACTION POINT
Is there anything you have believed God for, and you don’t seem to be getting a result, begin to find out what actions you can take in line with your prayers and your faith, to get your breakthrough across to you.