Today’s Bible Verse

I have fought an excellent fight. I have finished my full course with all my might and I’ve kept my heart full of faith.

2 Timothy 4:7 (TPT)

Faithful Vs Full of Faith

A while back God challenged me that I was being faithful but not necessarily faith-filled or full of faith.  I was giving faithfully; I was serving my local church faithfully; I was reading my Bible faithfully; I was praying faithfully, but He let me know I was not doing those things full of faith.  He challenged me to stop doing things for Him by rote or routine, out of duty or obligation, and to move into doing things for Him by my faith.  God is not pleased with our religious performances (Isaiah 29:13), and the only way we can please God is by putting our faith in Him (Hebrews 11:6).

The Apostle Paul wrote two letters to his son in the faith, Timothy.  In his first letter, he is describing his born-again experience and says in 1 Timothy 1:13-14 (TPT):

Mercy kissed me, even though I used to be a blasphemer, a persecutor of believers, and a scorner of what turned out to be true. I was ignorant and didn’t know what I was doing. I was flooded with such incredible grace, like a river overflowing its banks, until I was full of faith and love for Jesus, the Anointed One! 

Then in his second letter to Timothy, Paul is talking from a place of finishing his walk with the Lord, and he says this in 2 Timothy 4:7 TPT, “I have fought an excellent fight. I have finished my full course with all my might and I’ve kept my heart full of faith.”  From his beginning to his end, Paul is saying he lived his Christian life full of faith, and that is the same way we ought to live our Christian lives. (Rick Abordo)

Change My Story

Well, you might be asking, “What does it mean to live my life full of faith?”  And I am glad you asked that.  Hebrews 11:1 says that “…faith is the substance of things hoped for…”  Living full of faith means living with a hope and an expectation that the things I do for God, 1. Pleases him and 2. Makes a difference in my life and in the lives of others.  

So when you serve others, don’t just serve faithfully out of a sense of duty, serve with a hope and an expectation that when you greet a guest at church, you are helping them feel more comfortable to come into the House of God and hear His Word!  When you read your Bible and do your devotions, don’t just think this is something I have to do every day.  Have a hope and an expectation that God is speaking to you through His Word and is going to reveal something to you that will light a spark in you causing you to live radically different!  And when you give, don’t just give out of obligation, give with a hope and an expectation that by being obedient to God’s Word, He will open up the windows of Heaven and pour out such a blessing that you will not have room enough to contain it!    

Today’s Declaration

Lord Jesus, I repent for the times that I did not live full of faith. I repent for the times that I did not please You because of my lack of faith. I declare that everything that I do for You will be faith-filled. I will have a hope and an expectation that what I am doing pleases You and is making a difference in my life or the lives of others. I will keep my heart full of faith!

Today’s Bible Reading

• Old Testament: 2 Kings 10-11; Psalms 119:137-144
• New Testament: Luke 5:27-32; Philippians 2:12-18