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N E I L   A N D E R S O N   D A I L Y   D E V O T I O N A L
             from Freedom in Christ Ministries

November 19

HOW FAITH AFFECTS OUR LIVES

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that
no one should boast (Ephesians 2:8, 9).

After Jesus claimed to be sent by God, some were seeking to seize
Him, having come to the conclusion that He was not a good man.
But others did believe in Him, "and they were saying, 'When the
Christ shall come, He will not perform more signs than those
which this man has, will He?'" (John 7:31). All the evidence was
there. Some chose to believe; others chose not to. People do the
same today. Faith is a choice. We choose to believe or not
believe.

Faith is the operating principle of life. It is the means by
which we relate to God and live our lives in freedom. Notice the
variety of ways stated in Scripture by which faith affects our
lives.

First, we are saved by faith (Ephesians 2:8, 9).

Second, we "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Third, being found faithful is a prerequisite for ministry: "I
thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He
considered me faithful, putting me into service" (1 Timothy
1:12). Paul then adds, "And the things which you have heard from
me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful
men, who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2). This
is more than being reliable, since a person could be counted on
to follow through on an assignment and not be a believer. The
added ingredient in faithful people is that they know the truth
and can be counted on to be reliable.

Fourth, the quality of any relationship is determined by faith or
trust: "Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but who can find a
trustworthy man?" (Proverbs 20:6). The words faith, trust and
believe are all the same word (pistis) in the original language.
The man who has faith believes in something. The one who believes
also trusts, or he doesn't truly believe. There is no concept
that looms larger in life than faith because what we believe
determines how we live.

Lord, I affirm that I cannot please You without faith. I choose
today to believe in You and trust in Your name.


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This daily devotional is published and distributed by
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