DEVOTIONAL INSIGHTS & REFLECTIONS

Have Faith "In God" and Glorify God - November 17

The following scripture has helped me immensely in learning to walk "with God." The specific part that impacted me is "whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God." If I let this scripture, these words guide me, I am able to keep on God's path. When I stray from it and begin doing things that benefit me... or even to benefit others, then my works are in vain.

…If I partake in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. Do not become a stumbling block, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God,… ~1 Corinthians 1:30-32 (Berean Study Bible)

Sometimes we do things to impress men, get their approval, this is a flagrant abomination to God. He is the only one we need to please. If we live a life pleasing to Him, we will impact the world. In the world it is easy to get into the trap of being "man pleasers." In fact, our parents and teachers teach us this very thing. They did the best they could with little understanding. But God has some hard words about that behavior:

…And you will, even of yourself, let go of your inheritance That I gave you; And I will make you serve your enemies In the land which you do not know; For you have kindled a fire in My anger Which will burn forever. Thus says the LORD, "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD. For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant.…" ~Jermiah 17:4-6

And He doesn't just tell us this once, but again and again. Read Psalm 108:12; 118:8; 146:3;

A few years after I was born again, I finally "absorbed" the clear meaning of following scripture and other scriptures like it:

…Peter remembered it and said, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree You cursed has withered.” “Have faith in God," Jesus said to them. “Truly I tell you that if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and has no doubt in his heart but believes that it will happen, it will be done for him.…" ~Mark 11:21-23

Up until that point, I kept hearing "have faith," "just have faith." "Have faith in God" was implied. But one day when I read the above verse, which I had read many times in the past, I finally got it: "Have faith in God." It was an awakening.

You may know that there is a "logos" word and then there is a "rhema" word----as we read and study the word of God. The "logos" part refers to knowledge, but the "rhema" part is when God's word becomes alive to you, an impartation, an awakening that gets deep into your spirit and alters the way you think and shows you how to put something into practice, and changes you forever.

Scripture says:

…Afterward the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” (as to driving our demons) “Because you have so little faith. He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” … ~Mark 17:19-20

Many times we try to drum up faith about or regarding any given situation, but it is only when we have faith "in God" about the thing that we begin to see results. We may speak the word, declare the word----but when faith "in God" is lacking----we are speaking into the wind.

At times, acting on our faith must be proceeded by prayer and fasting:

In Matthew 17:21, also regarding casting out demons... Jesus tells His disciples when they ask, "Why couldn't we cast them out?" He says, "…this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."

May God be glorified in us today!