“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone…” (James 2:17).
According to the Bible, God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. That means you have faith on the inside of you. However, there must be an act that corresponds with what you believe in order for your faith to be released. Hence, acting on what you hear and what you believe completes your faith.
This is illustrated quite well in the Book of Acts 14:3-10. We see Paul preaching at Iconium, and people are getting saved, signs and wonders are happening, but then in verse 8, we read “…and there sat a certain man…crippled from birth….”
Now this man had faith to be healed. We know this because verse 9 tells us Paul perceived that the man had faith. But yet he is still in his crippled state. Of course, this seems like a contradictory of terms.
How can a man have faith to be healed and at the same time sit there crippled? Well, it’s because his faith has not been completed yet. You see faith without action that corresponds with it will not work (see James 2:17).
You need to understand that faith can be dormant in you. Inactive faith will not produce. Yes, you have it on the inside of you, but it will not do you any good until you release it.
This is what the crippled man had to do. He had to complete his faith. So when Paul told him to “stand on his feet,” the Bible said he leaped to his feet and walked. He completed his faith by acting on what he heard about healing.
Do you know what this means? It means you can have faith in your heart, but still have no physical evidence yet.
This can be true in many areas of your life: financial matters, family matters, healing, employment, or whatever. You can have the Word and have faith in your heart, but your faith has not been completed yet because you haven’t acted on what you believed to release it.
This should help you understand that you have to release your faith in order to walk in victory. So begin now to put action behind what you believe. God is always ready to do His part, He’s just waiting on you – so act now.
Scripture References: Acts 14:8-10; James 2:17-26
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Keith Butler has been an ordained minister since 1974. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and holds diplomas from Canada Christian College and Rhema Bible Training Center.
He serves in ministry with the support of his lovely wife, Pastor Deborah L. Butler, and their children: Pastor Andre Butler (granddaughters Alexis, Angela, and April), Pastor MiChelle Ferguson and husband Pastor Lee (grandson Lucas), and Minister Kristina Jenkins and husband Pastor Joel (grandsons Andrew and Austin, and granddaughter Alyssa).