“…his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.” James 2:20 NLT
There might be an occasion where we think the right thing to do is to wait on God to move, but in actuality, sometimes God is waiting on us to make a move. In the second chapter of James, we see that our faith, by itself, is ineffective. The effectiveness of faith is in the action we put to our trust in God. if we truly believe, our faith will act on what it knows. If we are truly relying on God and His promises to us, it will spark obedience. It will ignite action. Faith without action is ineffective.
If we were to compare our faith to the game of basketball, there might be a time when we pass the ball to God and expect Him to shoot the ball, but instead, God passes the ball back to us and expects us to be the one to make the shot. If God doesn’t make the shot, it doesn’t mean that God isn’t being faithful. God has just put the ball in our court. It’s our move.
All through the Bible, God asked people to put action to their faith before He performed the miracle He promised. God wants our dependency to be more than an idea; He wants our reliance upon Him to be the way we live and move. God asked Joshua to march the people around the city of Jericho and then to give out a shout. What was the purpose for marching and shouting? The only purpose for God’s request was to give them an opportunity to put their faith into action. When they moved, then God moved, and He moved miraculously. Take into consideration the disciples putting their net into the sea on the other side of the boat. Consider Naaman dipping in the Jordan river seven times. Consider When Jesus told the lepers to go show themselves to the priest. Our obedience often precedes the glory of God. Let’s not make excuses and miss out on our miracle (Luke 9:59-62).
If we don’t take a step forward in obedience, we are left in a rut, spinning our wheels. If we don’t make our move in active reliance, we’ll be like the Israelites, traveling in circles in the desert. Instead, take a step forward in obedience and see God meet you there!
Application: If you feel stuck, consider the last thing that God asked you to do. Did you do it? If that opportunity has passed, repent and ask God for a new one. Obey and see God show His faithfulness!