Get Real November 16 Devotional
November 16, 2024
JAMES 1:7-8 | 7, 8 For the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
These sentences have confused many readers! They seem to imply faith and doubt are opposites that can never coexist and that unless we banish all doubts, God can’t or won’t give us anything. Some even teach that the strength of our faith determines and guarantees our successfulness. Health and wealth flow from a pristine faith untroubled by doubt. This perspective leads to great pressure and inevitable disappointment for the one who tries it. Everything asked for and not received is a sign of inadequate faith!
But faithful asking is asking in line with God’s will and purpose which we do not control. James is not teaching a prosperity gospel formula for success. He knows his audience is experiencing temptations and trials and encouraging them to trust even when their lives are different than they want them to be. We ask with a confidence not founded on the quality of our own faith, which is sometimes paltry and mixed with uncertainty, but is based on a trust that God can use the imperfections of our lives to grow our hearts and shape our souls. If we have the tiny faith of a mustard seed, and act on it, Jesus tells us God will act to help and save us.
Do you have mustard seed faith?
