Anything done without faith is sin. Sin is rebellion against God. Faith is persuasion of what God has said and that the outcome He has promised will take place. Anything you do in your life without a whole-hearted persuasion of what God has said is rebellion against Him. (Romans 14:23 – whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.)
Taken from Proverbs 12, we find 7 actions we can use to always live with confidence in God. It is imperative we implement these activities in our day-to-day lives. We do not want to be found in rebellion against God. No one is without excuse. (Romans 1:20)
ACTION ONE – Love Instruction
Love the state of being “in the know”. Love learning, being taught, being warned, having restraint, being corrected, and having discipline imposed on you. Jesus loved instruction. He listened to counsel and restrained himself to be under the authority of His mother and father. He studied the scriptures and often did things so “the scripture would be fulfilled“. (Luke 2:51-52)
ACTION TWO – Be Pleasant/Agreeable with God and others
Don’t resist God. Do not fight against Him. Do not oppose others even when they are fighting against you. Speak pleasantly to others and agreeably with yourself. (James 4:6, Colossians 4:6, Matthew 5:11)
ACTION THREE – Be Wise – Have Wisdom
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is to hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and twisted speech. To be wise means you act informed, from a place of health, in whole stability, and power. Be thoroughly equipped unto every good work. (Proverbs 9:10, Proverbs 8:13, 2 Timothy 3:17)
ACTION FOUR – Promote Life and Health in Others
Be controlled by virtue. Ensure you are in right standing with God and others are in right standing with God. Encourage others on to love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:24, Galatians 6:10
ACTION FIVE – Work What You’ve Been Given
Do not follow empty pursuits and waterless clouds. Instead ensure that you are using the resources you’ve been given. Exchange, expand, and expose the value of God’s provision in your life. (Ecclesiastes 9:10, Jude 1:12, Matthew 25:14–30)
ACTION SIX – Always Tell the Truth
Tell what is actually so. Speak the truth in love. Tell Jesus. Jesus said He is “the way, the truth, and the life.” Do not lie to one another. Do not be deceived, you’ll reap whatever you sow. (1 Corinthians 6:10, John 14:6, Colossians 3:9, Galatians 6:7, Ephesians 4:15)
ACTION SEVEN – Be Decisive
Be confident in the decision you make. Just as a sharp knife makes divisions easier than a dull knife, be sharp in your decision making processes. Seek to always please God. Be firm in your choices, emphasis, firmness, values, and decisions. Make up your mind. Set your face with certainty toward knowing, understanding and moving in all God’s ways. (2 Timothy 2:15, 1 Kings 18:21, Joshua 24:14-15, Isaiah 50:17)
God wants us to be thoroughly persuaded! He wants us to be rooted deep. He doesn’t want us to miss the mark, rebelling against Him. He is warning us not to perish because of being uninformed. (Hosea 4:6)
Let us make up our mind today and do these 7 actions. This will enable us to live fully persuaded the actions of our life are in line with Him.
Written By: Anne Gurley
