OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-FRIDAY-06/05/2016-PRACTICALITY OF FAITH-BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
PRACTICALITY OF FAITH
Memorize
Now
faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
Read
James 2:14-23,
14 What
doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not
works? Can faith save him?
15 If a
brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And
one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled;
notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body;
what doth it profit?
17 Even
so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea,
a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy
works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou
believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and
tremble.
20 But
wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was
not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son
upon the altar?
22 Seest
thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And
the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was
imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
KJV
MESSAGE
Our memory verse for today provides the best
explanation on the subject of faith. Practically, faith consists of making God
at His word and acting accordingly. The idea of being sure provides a
conviction that what we hope for will happen, not because we can make it
happen, but because God has said it will happen.
In John 6:57-58, our
Lord Jesus Christ assures us that His flesh and blood releases divine life. As
you drink the wine representing His blood, the spirit will quicken your body
because the wine is equivalent to the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 compares the wine
with the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:11 says:
“But if the spirit of
him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ
from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells
in you.”
This means that if curses are warring
against your body, when you partake of the bread and wine, physical victory
will be delivered to your body. Are you sick? Has your body been afflicted with
terminal aliments? Seek the face of the Lord concerning that sickness, go in
faith for the next Holy Communion and you will be healed. There is a user of
this Devotional with a terminal ailment, as you release your faith and partake
of the next Holy Communion, you will be delivered from that ailment in the name
of Jesus.
Furthermore, in Luke 24:49, the Lord told
His disciples to wait until the power came. That is faith. Waiting on God is an
act of faith.
While waiting, there would be several
distractions and discouraging moments. The devil will being people to mock you
just like they mocked Noah while he was building the ark for a supposed
rainfall that had never before been experienced. For as long as it takes God to
fulfil His promises in your life, WAIT. Don’t get tired! Time spent in waiting
on God to fulfil His Word is not wasted at all; it is counted to you as an act
of righteousness. You are simply obeying God. Besides this, where to wait could
also be very important. The Early Church was asked to wait in the city of
Jerusalem. They did not know why, but God knew He had planned to send the Holy
Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
Faith also provides a conviction of
certainty for what we do not see. Just as physical eyesight provides evidence
about visible things, faith provides evidence about the invisible. God has
promised future blessings and eternal rewards. No one has seen these yet.
Still, believers are certain that God will deliver on His promises, and we will
one day see and experience these blessings and rewards. Faith proves the
reality of what we cannot see. Faith enables Christians to live obediently in
the light of what we know will come. “Faith provides a platform for hope and a
perception into the reality of what would otherwise remain unseen” (Donald
Guthrie).
Prayer Point
Father, please rekindle the
fire of apostolic faith in me in the Name of Jesus.
Bible in one year
2nd Kings 1-2,
Proverbs 20:18-30
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