Active Faith

"O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to me." And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said,"Why could we not cast it out?" So Jesus said to them "Because of your unbelief, for assuredly I say to you, if you have the faith of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. (Matthew 17:17-21

Faith IS action. Thinking and praying are necessary elements, but the true test of our faith is when we actually begin to take the steps it takes to "walk it out." Prayer IS action. It puts us in contact with God. Fasting IS action. It allows us to focus on the will of God rather than our desires. However, EXPECTING is also an action. We simply do not sit and wait, but we act in expectation. We look for God to work and we walk confidently that He will. Even if the people or the situation does not change, we will!

I can recall numerous times when we have seen God work, yet more times when I have failed Him!

In the account above from Matthew, the boy had an issue. However, the disciples also had issues! How do we expect others to believe if we do not? Where is the evidence in our lives? What is holding us back? We will never know the works God can do in and through us until we indeed "walk by faith and not by sight."