daily devotional

How did you wake up this morning? I mean other than extra sleepy because of the time change. Did you wake up believing that today is going to hold something good, or did you wake up dreading what this day may hold? Faith is believing in a positive outcome. Fear is believing in a negative outcome. So which one was it for you this morning, faith or fear? Faith is a choice and it’s always an option. I’m encouraging you to choose faith today. Believe that God has already gone before you – he has made a way and because of that you can look forward to today.

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is being confident in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

For some of us faith comes easily and natural because we’ve been taught that it’s safe to have faith. For others, faith is a real struggle because of our experiences. For some our personalities are more the questioning type and faith isn’t easily proven. I believe God is calling each one of us into a deeper faith in him. And God is refining us now into either an active faith, or a be still and know that I am God faith.

What do I mean by that? An active faith. An active faith doesn’t sit on the couch begging God to show up, but an active faith brings its work boots and it’s ready to do everything it possibly can. You see, in my life I find that God shows up and does what only he can after I show up and do what I can.

So ask yourself today, is there a relationship or a situation where you have been begging for God to show up, you have been begging for God to move mountains, but nothing’s been changing? You’re at a dead stand still. Well could it be because there’s still work that you could do? Stop expecting God to do work that you can do. He has equipped you to do some things and he’s expecting you to do them. You’re a grown woman! Get in there and do everything that you can with an active faith! Is God calling you into an active faith today and saying, “Put on your work boots sister!”

But sometimes, God will give you clear instructions to be still. You may want to take crazy immediate action. You want to take this thing into your own hands, but God is speaking in your spirit saying, “Be still.” Is God calling you into a “Be still and know that I am God” faith today? I’ll admit, God has been calling me into that “Be still and know that I am God” faith lately and I don’t like it. I don’t. I want to take action, but instead it’s been a “Be still Pamela. Just be still. Keep your mouth closed. Resist the urge to take action, and be still.” It’s a reminder that I don’t have it all together and I can’t do it all on my own. I’m not supposed to do it all on my own.

So today, where’s your faith in God needing a bit of refining? Do you need more active faith? Do you need to stop waiting for God to do it for you? Here’s a clue, how many times do you ask others to pray for you, or for a situation, that you haven’t prayed for yourself? Why is that so easy for us? We will run to anybody and everybody, but we haven’t even prayed. We haven’t been on our own knees. If you’re not willing to get on your knees, God has a unique way of bringing you there and you’re not going to like it. God has brought me to my knees many times because I refused to get there on my own.

Today, do you need to improve your work ethic? Get your hands dirty? Do you need to remember to do all you can, then trust God to do all you can’t do?

Or do you need refining in the “Be Still and know that I am God” way? Have you been doing, going, pushing, pulling and God is saying, “Girl! Be still! Trust me with this one, I’ve got it.”

A simple way to know where your faith needs refining today is to examine what is natural to you. Are you naturally a doer, are you a go go go, push push push kind of person? Or are you a thinker? A planner that a ten-step plan in writing person. Which one are you more naturally like? The doers likely need to be still in their faith. The thinkers likely need to put on their work boots.

Today, ask God which faith he is trying to refine in you. The active faith? Girl, work it today! Or is it the “Be still and know that I am God” faith? Girl, be still today and listen, watch, and wait.