Not sure if I posted this before but it bears repeating as I believe it is essential to all believers. The best definition of faith is, of course, found in scriptures; Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. Trusting God at His word is the substance for He is not a man that He should lie. We, believers, trust God that all things are possible through Christ who strengthens us, that all God's promises are Yes and Amen, and again that no weapon formed against me shall prosper, and, yes, even for the hope of our salvation. Now then, obedience is the visible evidence of that unseen trust. So, the formula for faith is Faith= Trust + Obey, trust and obedience must both be present. For if we believe only, we do well but even the demons believe and tremble. They tremble because they are acutely aware of their disobedience and have no desire or intention to repent of their disobedience. In 1Samuel 15:22 we are instructed that "to obey is better than sacrifice." And again, in James 1:22 we are to be doers of the word and not just hearers only, thus deceiving ourselves. Because faith without works (obedience) is dead. The rewards of obeying is found in Deuteronomy 28 followed by the consequences of disobedience. God has given us the free will to choose or else we would just be robots programmed to serve Him. I thank God that he chooses to call us sons and daughters by adoption through Christ Jesus. And He treats us as His children, training us up in His ways through love, encouragement, knowledge and correction. Glory be to our Father in heaven, now and forever. Amen.
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I See the Lord by Winds of Worship