The passage I read
was James 5:13-18
You can find that passage here:
The verse that most
stood out to me:
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them
pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
As I reflect:
As I read over this
passage something is very clear to me.
If you for a second believe that speaking into the air will solve all
the troubles in your life, then you are mad.
If you believe singing to the air is pleasing in some way to the
atmosphere, you are crazy. If are under
the influence that oil causes sickness to flee, then you need to seek
professional help. James is talking
about having faith. I don’t pray to the
air, but I have faith that in my time of need as well as in time of blessing I
can come to the Father and the Father hears my prayer. I have faith that in time of need or in time
of blessing when I sing praise, The Father hears me and is pleased as I lift up
His name. If I am diseases or stricken
with some life altering sickness and go to the elders of the church for prayer
and anointing in oil in the name of the Lord, then it is not my faith in the
oil or in the elders, but my faith in the Lord that has brought me there. When I confess my sins to a brother, it is
not because I think he is a counselor or can absolve me of my sins; it is
instead because I have faith in what God has taught me. I believe that confessing removes a weight
that comes from sin. It also strengthens
brotherly bonds. It also, allows my
brother to offer me assistance in struggling against the sin. I have faith that God designed and works
through this process. Otherwise I would
not do it.
When we pray, listen to a
message, offer up a word of encouragement, do a good deed, lift our hands in
praise, or do anything that a Christian ought, let us be sure it is because we
believe in and have faith in the purpose of that action. Let us do nothing in idle worship or in an effort
to simply complete another item on the checklist of Christianity. Everything will become quite meaningless if
your words and actions are just that.
Let us remember that what we do and say has meaning and the through
faith the Lord is working all things together for our good.
My response to the
Lord:
Lord, I am guilty at times of checklist Christianity. I have often become deeds focused instead of
doing deeds because of being focused on you.
Forgive me. Father in Heaven, I
pray knowing you hear me, asking of you that throughout my day, week, month,
year, or however long you intend to allow me to do your work here on earth, you
would mold me and use me for your will to be done. May I be reminded always by your Holy Spirit
here with me that all I am and all I say and do is for you. I am your vessel.
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