‘…like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm.’ James 1:6 CEV

Are you winning or losing most of your spiritual battles? Are you down more than up? Do you feel frustrated? Are you going in circles? Is your experience full of stops and starts, a constant guilt-failure cycle? That’s not God’s plan for you. You can live a stable, consistent life! But it will require life stabilisers such as decisiveness. Israel wanted to have it both ways: God’s blessing, yet the right to disregard His Word; freedom to live like heathen nations, yet be His special people. But Joshua declared it unacceptable. ‘…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…’ (Joshua 24:15 NIV) The church at Laodicea also wanted it both ways, but God said: ‘You are…neither cold nor hot…make up your minds…’ (Revelation 3:16,19 CEV) God requires a direction chosen, a goal set, and a mind made up. Wavering classifies you as double-minded and Scripture says: ‘That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.’ (James 1:7 NIV) To live a stable life, you need faith. You are called a ‘believer’ because faith must characterise not just some, but every area of your life. ‘Without faith it is impossible…’ (Impossible! Not unlikely, improbable or difficult) ‘to please God…’ (Hebrews 11:6 NIV) Faith is not what you study on Sunday morning, it’s what you do all day, every day! The Bible says, ‘My righteous [ones] will live by faith.’ (Hebrews 10:38 NIV) You say, ‘Where do I get faith?’ By meditating on, and living in God’s Word (Romans 10:17). Who possesses faith? The spiritually exceptional? No, ‘…God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.’ (Romans 12:3 NKJV) That includes you! Faith, not feelings or circumstances, is what makes your life stable!

SoulFood: Eze 46–48, Luke 22:54–62, Ps 3, Pro 21:4–8

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©