Tag Archives: living out your faith

August 27, 2025 · 5:46 AM

Presence Over Performance

We live in a culture that celebrates hustle, visibility and results. I worked for a company that placed a high value on those things as well. It became ingrained in me to say the right things, be seen by the right people and to produce the right results. It became a problem when those values seeped into my spiritual life. It can be easy to get into the habit of being performance driven instead of presence driven. What God values is different than the world. He’s not wowed by us going to the right church, doing the right ”Christian” things or going through the motions of performance if we aren’t truly honoring Him.

Isaiah 58 is a warning to Israel over doing just that. Verse 2 starts out, “They act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me” (NLT). He goes on to say that they fast, but they fight among themselves. They go through the motions of performance but lack humility. In verses 6-8 God says He’s looking for action over performance. He prefers justice, lightening the burdens of others, removing chains, helping the oppresed and helping the needy. When we do that we will receive His blessings.

Micah 6:6 says, “No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Have you fallen into the trap of performance over presence? God wants us to do more than go through the motions of church. He’s wanting us to make a difference in the lives of others for His name’s sake. He wants us to spend time walking with Him, talking with Him and hearing His heart for a world that doesn’t value what He does. It’s not about acting like Christians, it’s being Christians. God doesn’t look on our outward performance the way man does. He looks at our heart instead. If you’re struggling with this, take time to be in His presence and ask Him to change your heart.

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.

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June 17, 2025 · 5:30 AM

No Pressure Planting

When you’re not in full time ministry, you may not think of yourself as a minister. You may not have gone to seminary or work at the church, but that doesn’t change the fact that you carry the presence of God with you. You may not get up and speak from a pulpit on Sunday, but your life preaches a sermon to the people around you each day. Each of us that bear the name “Christian” are minister and have been called to go and preach the Good News to everyone. When you think of what you do and how you treat people as your ministry, things change.

I love the story of Tabitha in Acts 9. I grew up knowing of her by her Greek name Dorcus. Verse 36 says that she was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor. She didn’t have a position in the church, nut recognized her abilities could help her minister to those in need. When she got gravely ill, her friends called for Peter to come pray for her. They showed him clothes and coats that she had made for those who couldn’t afford them. Then Peter knelt down and prayed. He then told her to get up and she did. She was completely well. News of her healing spread and brought more people to faith in God.

1 Corinthians 3:7 says, “It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow” (NLT). God will use whomever is available to plant seeds, to water seeds and to harvest them. It doesn’t matter what title you carry because He is the one who makes them grow. He’s just looking for people who are willing to be used in whatever place they live or work to be His hands and feet. He’s looking for those who will let their lives preach the Gospel to the people around them. He can take whatever seeds you’re scattering through your life dedicated to Him and grow them until they come to know Him. God is looking for anyone who will scatter seeds and live their faith out loud. Use whatever gifts, talents or abilities you have and serve Him with them. To me, that’s no pressure planting because He does the work.

Photo by Jed Owen on Unsplash

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June 10, 2025 · 5:30 AM

God Over Everyone

When the Israelites left Egypt, God was their supreme leader. He used leaders like Moses and Joshua to take them to the land He had prepared. He then used a combination of judges and prophets to lead His people to victory and to call them back to repentance. That lasted about 400 years. In 1 Samuel 8, the people said, “Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.” Samuel was upset and cried out to God. He was reminded that Israel wasn’t rejecting him. They were rejecting God as their leader. They were saying that they preferred to be culturally relevant instead of spiritually distinct. God had set them apart from all the other nations to be holy and devoted, but they decided they would rather blend in culturally than to stand out spiritually.

This isn’t just a story in the Bible. It’s a reflection of who we are as humans and how our desires tempt us to choose cultural conformity over spiritual conviction. The culture we live in is at odds with the teachings of the Bible. Jesus says He is the Truth, yet our world says that each person can have their own truth. When there is no absolute truth, there is no standard of what is right and wrong instead of God. We all face the temptation to look and act like everyone else, but God called us to be separate. 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” How can you show others the goodness of God if you are no different than the culture around you? When there is no difference, we risk losing the very distinction that makes us God’s people.

Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” We are specifically told to not imitate the behavior and customs of the world. The idol of approval tempts us to conform to cultural norms by sacrificing our intimacy with God in order to look like everyone else. God wants us to live transformed lives starting with changing how we think about what we value. When we value what He wants, we live our lives following His lead. We become less concerned with what others think and more concerned with pleasing Him. We then put our relationship with God over all others.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

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May 17, 2023 · 5:34 AM

Faith Lived Out

One of the jobs I’ve had was in a think tank for a large company. They would fly several of us in, present a problem the company was facing and we would go to work to solve. It usually took a week to figure out the cause and how it presented itself. We would then spend the next couple of months creating the solution. We could talk about the solution for days, but until we put it into practice, we didn’t know if it would work. So we flew to where the problem was the worst and implemented the solution. We then watched the results, gathered feedback, refined the solution and retested it over and over until we got the results we were looking for.

In Matthew 7:24 Jesus said, “So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, will be like a wise man [a far-sighted, practical, and sensible man] who built his house on the rock” (AMP). He said that when the storms of life came and beat against this house, it stood firm because their faith had been tested, refined and proven. Then He contrasted it with a person who just heard His words, but didn’t live them or act on them. When the storms came in that person’s life, their faith crumbled because it was only an idea they were holding onto. This person lacked a strong foundation built on faith that had been lived out.

James 1:22 says, “But prove yourselves doers of the word [actively and continually obeying God’s precepts], and not merely listeners [who hear the word but fail to internalize its meaning], deluding yourselves [by unsound reasoning contrary to the truth].” Faith is just a concept you talk about until you put it into practice in your life. It’s what you live out Monday through Saturday when you’re in the world. It’s walking and trusting God when you can’t see the next step, but moving forward anyway. It’s trusting His promises when others say there is no hope. God never intended for Faith to be something we identify with. He intended it to be something we lived, grew and built our lives on. That’s a foundation that can withstand even the strongest storms. I know because I’ve proven it in my life over and over.

Photo by ELIAS VICARIO on Unsplash

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December 2, 2020 · 5:56 AM

Applied Christianity

It’s starting to be that time of year with all the commercials for gyms and exercise equipment. Whether it’s the Bowflex, Mirror, Tonal or something else, they’re great at speaking to something deep within us that wants to improve. They show images of people who are very fit and strong using the equipment. They promise that we can look like that too if only we will commit to a few minutes a day. We identify with the end result of how the person on the screen looks, so we purchase them. We start out with great intentions of using it, but by a month or two in, it becomes a very expensive clothes hanger. We loved the end result, but struggle with the daily application.

One of the scariest Bible verses to me is Matthew 7:22-23. Jesus said, “On the day of judgment many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, don’t you remember us? Didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we cast out demons and do many miracles for the sake of your name?’ But I will have to say to them, ‘Go away from me, you lawless rebels! I’ve never been joined to you!’” (TPT) My immediate thought when I read that is, “Lord, I don’t want that to be me.” He describes someone who acts like a Christian and does things for Jesus, but in the end, they missed something. He then goes on to tell the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders to illustrate this point, and it all comes down to application.

Jesus said in verse 24, “Everyone who hears my teaching and applies it to his life can be compared to a wise man who built his house on an unshakable foundation.” just like the exercise equipment there’s a big difference between the person who identifying with the end result and the person who applies the exercise daily to their life. Those who identify with Christianity (the morals, good living, etc.) but never apply the Word of God to how they live are like the foolish builder and are the ones whom Jesus will tell that He never knew. The ones who don’t just have a form of Christianity, but have the relationship with Christ through prayer and spiritual disciplines will be like the wise builder with an unshakable foundation whom Jesus knows and recognizes. Each of us have the daily chose of identification or application. Choose wisely.

Photo by gina lin on Unsplash

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November 9, 2018 · 5:42 AM

Actions Matter

When you read the New Testament, you find that it talks a lot about how we should live. It describes in detail how your life and actions should be different once you accept Christ into your heart. It’s very clear that we are not saved by those actions, but they should be the fruit of a life that has been changed from the inside out. In other words, our actions should line up with what we profess to believe. The Bible is very clear that there should be a distinction between how we live, act and speak as Christians and those who aren’t.

Just like an apple tree can’t produce oranges, our lives should produce the fruit of the Spirit instead of the fruits of the flesh. You’ve heard the saying that actions speak louder than words. Are your actions confessing Jesus louder than your words? Our faith should be seen through our actions. I love the quote, “Preach at all times. Use words when necessary.” It reminds me that my actions matter because that’s what other people see. Our goal should be that the fruit of our actions points people to Jesus.

Here are some Bible verses on the importance of our actions.

1. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

Matthew 7:20 NLT

2. My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.

1 John 3:18 GNT

3. So now it’s clear that a person is seen as righteous in God’s eyes not merely by faith alone, but by his works.

James (Jacob) 2:24 TPT

4. Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees!

Psalms 119:5 NLT

5. For if you live according to your human nature, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death your sinful actions, you will live.

Romans 8:13 GNT

Photo by Erwan Hesry on Unsplash

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August 5, 2016 · 5:51 AM

Perfect Practice


One of the things I tell people is, “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes permanent. Perfect practice makes perfect.” By practicing perfectly, you can train your mind and body to respond a certain way and create muscle memory,. What we do in practice, is what we do in the game. It’s why professional athletes put in hours of practice for a game that lasts a couple of hours. Coaches draw up plays, but if they’re not practiced over and over again, the execution of those plans will fail in the game.

Our playbook is the Bible. It has God’s plans for us on how to live, how to conquer the enemy, how to defeat temptation, how to live a life of love, how to endure hard times, and so on. If we don’t read it or study it, how will we know how God wants us to live? God wants us to put His word into practice in our lives every day. He wants us to be victorious so He’s given us a way to do it, but we have to learn it first. We have to study our playbook and then put it into practice.

Here are some verses in the Bible to remind us of the importance of knowing God’s Word and of putting it into practice.

1. My friends, what good is it for one of you to say that you have faith if your actions do not prove it? Can that faith save you?So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead.

James 2:14, 17 GNT

2. I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Psalms 119:11 NLT

3. Practice God’s law—get a reputation for wisdom.

Proverbs 28:7a MSG

4. LET LOVE for your fellow believers continue and be a fixed practice with you [never let it fail].

Hebrews 13:1 AMP

5. Now that you know this truth, how happy you will be if you put it into practice!

John 13:17 GNT

6. Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”

Luke 11:28 NLT

7. Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20 MSG

8. Practice and cultivate and meditate upon these duties; throw yourself wholly into them [as your ministry], so that your progress may be evident to everybody.

1 Timothy 4:15 AMP

9. But if you look closely into the perfect law that sets people free, and keep on paying attention to it and do not simply listen and then forget it, but put it into practice—you will be blessed by God in what you do.

James 1:25 GNT

10. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:9 NLT

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