Saving faith; not in my strength but by your spirit

James 2:15-19
If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “ Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “ You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe — and shudder!

Paraphrase it method:
To tell someone to go in peace and be filled without taking action to actually accomplish that is not only a lack of true compassion but it is obvious the person is not a doer of the word and is deceived. So faith that does not put my feet to action, faith that does not change my life, faith that does not manifest itself daily in me is not saving faith...it is nothing more than an acknowledgement of truth (like even the demons offer).  A faith that stops at acknowledging the truth about God without responding in obedience to it's call is dead and is not a faith that saves.

Knowing that we are not justified by works this idea of saving faith comes full circle to the works being simply an evidence that the faith is more than a spoken word (go and be warm) but it is a manifested reality (today I will give you my coat).  So likewise, let the statement of my faith and belief in the Lord manifest itself "daily" rather than only in some statement about what my "life" is about.  Let my faith in the Lordship of Jesus Christ in my life not be a confession of my lips (Lord Lord) but a reality plainly event by my choices every day.

Application:
I must be to be sure that I am putting action to my faith and meeting with God each morning to hear His voice is one step to that end.  I further need to walk through my day with open eyes and a listening ear for the guidance of the Holy Spirit so I might do His will rather than simply state that I desire His will in my life.

Prayer:
Lord please search me and know me, reveal to me the ways that I am not living my faith and the ways that I am still denying you in favor of myself.  Please produce this saving faith in me that I may glorify you.

Lord, yesterday you put on my heart that every one I ran into needs to surrender to you and be filled with your joy.  You brought me just short of tears singing "I've got peace like a river, I've got love like an ocean, I've got joy like a fountain in my soul" at Anna's preschool.  Please continue to grant me this joy that can only come from you and may you give me the active faith that will allow me to share that potential with others so they too can be fully surrendered, and freed.

Lord please help me continue to figure out how to best commune with you in the morning that I may not be discouraged by my performance, but rather be transformed by your grace.  I am already too conscience of the blog thing and I sincerely do not want to be distracted like that in my time with you.  Please show me how best to deal with what I felt was your call but that is seeming to be a challenge...these words are making sense as I speak. So you give me a call to action now I am discouraged because it is not easy and I fail at my first effort.  Lord God you are amazing and gracious.  Thank you for opening my eyes each day!  Please grant me the strength, by your Holy Spirit, to walk in the calling you have given me to spread your message of surrender.  Please teach me not to lean on my ability to answer that call but on your ability to accomplish your will through me.  It is you who acts Lord, not me.  Let me be an empty vessel Lord that I do not try to serve from myself but from the power of your indwelling spirit.

Zechariah 4:6
Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts."

Lord let me not attempt to walk in surrender by my own power or will but in every moment, even this moment, may I yield to you and may it not be I who lives but Christ who lives in me.  In Jesus name I pray, amen.