Someone else’s testimony can inspire your faith, but your own actions must be based on your faith in God’s Word. The Bible says in John 11:40, “Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’” Your actions must be based on your faith in God’s Word. What keeps us from despair is not what we see but what we believe.
Our faith is often based on the experience of man—what man has done, the science that guides him, the works of his hands, and how he has organized society. The Bible says we must never make the tragic mistake of believing in an experience or in the testimony of an experience.
You can only meet God by obeying what He tells you to do. Today, we imitate others. The fact that something strange happened to you does not mean God has visited you—it is just an experience. We do not know what to call a miracle of God, and we are not consistent in our actions. Our relationships are unstable because we base our faith on experience. However, we must stop basing our faith on experience, which comes mostly from our inconsistent feelings. For faith to be consistent, it must be based on something with more stability than our feelings—and that thing is God’s Word.
Faith relates to the invisible, and many times, if not at all times, God leads us in different ways. He may lead me one way, and He may ask others to take another way, but the results will be the same. What you may encounter on your journey, I may not encounter. This is why we should not imitate one another. All we need is the knowledge of the Word of Truth. The Spirit teaches us that believing is possessing. The instant you believe, you have. Therefore, to base faith on experience is a tragic mistake.
I repeat: God deals with people in different ways, so stop imitating others and act in faith. Faith is what has kept many of us where we are today; it is what has sustained our lives, success, and progress. It is imitation that limits success. Stop imitating others—just act in faith. Allow God’s Word to direct your path.
We want to be at our best before serving God. But what if that time never comes? We always want to be at our best before we can pray and fast. When you are not at your best, you do not want to pray. And even when you pray, your mind tends to be elsewhere. Waiting for your “best time” may mean never getting the chance to truly serve God.
When you cannot serve God with all your heart whenever there is no money in your pocket, you definitely will not be able to serve Him when there is money in your pocket. Many times, we deal with God as if He does not know our state or condition. People of God, when you are aware of Christ’s presence, you will honor Him by believing whatever He says, and you will stop imitating others as you manifest faith in God’s Word.
I leave you in faith and hope to meet you there, in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.
Prayer: O Holy Spirit, help me to believe whatever You say and strengthen my faith in You alone, in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.