17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James 2:17
“Faith” can be defined as acting on what you believe. It has also been described as your positive response to what God has already done. Faith is not just passive wishful thinking; faith acts according to the laid down prescription of the Word of God.
Whatever the Word of God tells faith to do, that is what faith does. Be careful who you listen to and what you believe. Be sure that your pastor or undershepherd is truly of God. If faith acts according to what it believes and you are fed the wrong things, and you believe the wrong things, when it’s time for you to act, you will act on the wrong things, believing you are in faith. So it is not just about “acting,” you need to act based on what you believe and what you believe should be according to the undiluted truth in God’s Word.
Another translation says, …”faith without corresponding action is dead.” In other words, it is your actions that bring life to your faith. Without actions, your faith is as productive as a corpse! Have you ever seen a corpse achieve anything? It just lies there in one place and it gives the place a foul smell.
The Devil has sold to the church something called “mental assent.” Mental assent is when you say you believe something but you never act according to what you say you believe. Someone asks you, “Do you believe that by the stripes of Jesus you are healed?” You say, “Yes.” However, two days later, when your body is mildly attacked, you begin to scream that you are sick and dying! You have not even tried to stand on the Word and made an attempt to exercise your faith. By your actions (or really your lack of faith actions), you have effectively nullified what you said you believed two days earlier.
Faith acts according to the prescription of the Word of God and that action gives life to your faith.
Confession:
My faith is alive and doing well. I am led by the Spirit and by the Word to give corresponding actions to what I profess to believe. My confidence is that God will always back my actions of faith.
