James asks, ‘What good is it…if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds…Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says…“Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing…what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds’ (vv.14-18 NIV). A veritable ocean of faith without the appropriate action to follow it up is nothing more than an ocean of dead, useless faith. On the other hand, an ounce of faith that’s acted upon can produce an ocean of results (see Matthew 13:31-32). Action breathes life and power into your faith. The biblical prescription for faith is simple but potent. 1) You decide to believe in God’s promise and His power to make it happen – leaving the ‘how and when’ up to Him. 2) You choose to act in keeping with what you believe before you see any evidence of the results. 3) God responds to your faith by keeping His unbreakable promise. ‘Hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ (Numbers 23:19 KJV). God goes to work exercising His unlimited capacity to perform His Word. Jesus said, ‘Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours’ (Mark 11:24 NIV). Now – it’s up to you to claim and act on His promise.
