TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT GOD HAS SAID (PART 3).
TEXT
"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews chapter 13 verse 5, King James Version)
The Bible is copious or replete with beautiful thoughts and expressions of God's mind towards us. But believing what "He hath said", like we have pointed out earlier, is extremely crucial to seeing God's Word performed in our lives. Two verses of Scriptures readily come to mind in this regard. First is Romans chapter 1 verse 16 and the second is the Gospel of Saint John chapter 11 verse 40.
In Romans chapter 1 verse 16, the Holy Spirit, through Apostle Paul let us to understand that the Gospel of Christ "... is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; ... ". The point here is that you have to believe before you can experience the salvation offered through the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The second Scripture is alike in substance as the first. In response to Martha's charge that her brother Lazarus wouldn't have died had the Lord not delayed, "Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? (John chapter 11 verse 40). Again, we have it clearly stated by the Lord Himself that to see God's glory in our lives, believing is a "sine qua non".
Now, what does it mean to believe? To believe God's Word is to have a firm or wholehearted conviction or persuasion of its truth. Never forget that it's with the heart that we believe (see Romans chapter 10 verse 10). To believe therefore, is different from having a mere mental assent to a fact. To believe has more meaning in the Scriptures than acknowledging existence of or just mentally assenting to a fact. In the Scriptures, to believe is synonymous with obedience (see 1st Peter chapter 2 verses 6 to 8 where the words "believe" and "disobedience" are represented or juxtaposed as opposites).To "believe" carries along with it some demonstrative action that is in consonance with that acknowledgement or mental assent that's given to a certain fact. It is like faith which without works is dead (see James chapter 2 verse 17). In other words, if you believe, then you must demonstrate it by the act of obedience.
This brings to mind the issue of "faith" as it relates to "believing". Emphatically stated, "faith" and "believing" are related. While "faith" is a noun, "believing" on the other hand is a verb, that is, a doing word. To "believe" is to demonstrate your “faith”. It is doing your faith. In other words, it is acting your faith. When a man says that he has faith in Jesus, it means that he's accepted His message. On the other hand, when you say that you believe in Jesus, invariably, you are to demonstrate your faith in Him. This is because believing carries along with it the notion of doing your faith, which is most times depicted in obedience.
Believing therefore, is shown or demonstrated by obedience. You cannot say that you believe in Jesus and at the same time you walk or live in disobedience to His Word. May God help us in Jesus' name.
PRAYER:
Dear Heavenly Father, all the days of my life, I'm committed to doing what You have said to me, in Jesus name.