“Constantly bearing in mind your work of faith…” (1 Thessalonians 1:3).

In John 6:28-29 Jesus was asked “What shall we do to work the works of God?” He answered “This is the work of God, that you believe …” My initial reaction to hearing that was “Sweet. No hard work.  All I gotta do is just believe … easy.”

Lately I’ve been realizing just how not-easy this really is.  It’s easy, but it’s not.  It’s kinda like Jesus’ yoke … yeah it’s easy, but it’s still a dad-gum yoke.  Yokes are all about work and initiative.  Yokes are not about coasting.  I heard someone recently say “if you coast … you’ll coast right on into the flesh.”  Rick Sizemore would probably say “if you coast … you’ll get your butt killed.”

We are, dear brothers and sisters, in a fierce fight – the fight of faith.  Isaiah 7:9 puts it plainly “… If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.”

Since faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God, I’m learning to stir up my faith by quoting scriptures.  Like most folks, I roll out of bed into a dry and weary land, until I begin remembering and vocalizing who God is.  I begin remembering and vocalizing who I am in Christ.  I begin remembering and vocalizing specific promises He has for me.  No more coasting here.  I’m putting my foot on the gas and starting to drive this mind in the direction it ought to go!

Don’t feel it or see it?  Still, believe it and therefore speak it!  His grace and power will be released into your life.  Keep up the good work.

Response:

–Identify some areas in your faith walk where you’ve been coasting; maybe it’s remembering who God is, who you are in Christ, or the promises of God.  Dig into the scripture and see what the Word has to say about it. Just remember that it’s not about working your way towards anything, just hearing the Word and letting it work in you.

–For the next week, begin your day remembering and confessing who you are in Christ.  Start with these verses and see where the Lord takes you:

2 Corinthians 6:18

Ephesians 1:16-23

Galatians 4:7

Ephesians 1:3

Hebrews 10:14

After helping found Eagles Nest Campus Ministries as a student at Virginia Tech, Daniel Latshaw moved to Atlanta, GA where he is currently a commercial real estate broker and lover of Jesus.  He and his lovely wife from England, Anna, and his four sweet girls have had a strong connection with the Sizemores ever since, and are praying about establishing a Dwelling Place church in Atlanta.