The Power of Prayer and Action: Combining Faith & Works to get Results
After reading some of the responses to my last article, I see that there are many who deal with impulsiveness in some area of life - from trying to refrain from shopping for expensive labels, to struggling to overcome dependency upon prescription drugs. I even found out that I am not alone in battling Mr. Sweet Tooth.
The one thing I learned that we all have in common, no matter how small or great we perceive our struggle to be, is the desire to overcome. So how do we do that?
I am an advocate for prayer. I believe in it. I practice it. I recommend it for any and every thing you face in life. However, though I believe there is much power in prayer, and it should be our first response, I also know that faith without works is dead. (James 2:17)
I remember some years ago, I’d pray and pray for God to help me overcome my struggle with fornication, yet find myself continuing in my mess. Was God not hearing my prayers? Of course He was. But because I wasn’t helping myself by at least trying to stay out of compromising situations, I remained a victim to my flesh. I mean, if I knew I was too weak to be alone with Joe without getting into trouble, yet I made no effort to stay away, then how could I expect my prayers to work for me. Because God gives us free-will, clearly He wasn’t going to come down from heaven, take me by the hand, and make me walk away.
However, He would provide me the strength to redirect my thoughts, and rebuke my flesh. All I needed to go was grab hold to that strength and put it into action. I had to work, day by day, to overcome. I had to trade the time I spent with Joe for time spent with God, or even with girlfriends. It’s harmful to continue to surround ourselves with things or people that serve as triggers to what we’re weak to. I believe it’s wise to take a step back until we get to the point where we’re strong enough to not be sucked in to its temptation. Think about it: If you have an addiction to shopping, and you’re trying to overcome it, then why hang out at the mall? You’re setting yourself up to fall. Our actions must change. We simply cannot do what we’ve always done, and expect things to be different. Amen? I’ve been there, so I know.
Since our actions are a result of our thoughts, or lack thereof, it is imperative that we bring our thoughts to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5) I like The Message Bible’s version of Philippians 4:8, a scripture that helped me with my thoughts: “Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”
As I continued to pray, and work towards overcoming, in my mind and actions, I began to feel the strong hold of fornication becoming lighter and lighter. The more I made efforts in helping myself, the more God helped me.
Don’t get me wrong, our God is merciful and compassionate towards His children. His strength is made perfect in our weakness, and He definitely helps us when we can’t help ourselves. I don’t think that this excuses us from doing what we can to make our situations better, especially when we have His strength to rely upon.
So ask yourself, what changes can I make to help me along the path to overcoming my struggles? How can I put my faith into action?
When the road gets hard, and you’re trying all you know to breakthrough, remember Romans 8:37, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
You have the power to overcome.
LaKeisha Rainey-Collins is a wife, mother of two beautiful boys and inspirational blogger. She believes that God has purposed her to use her gift of writing to share her experiences as a Christian woman, wife, and mother, in order to touch the hearts of other women just like her.
Email LaKeisha:
kcollins@eewmagazine.com
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13 Comments
Reader Comments (13)
I can totally relate to this!
Fornication. The million dollar subject. My struggle is not with sex, but I think the principles you share here are important.
Sister girl! You are connecting with me today in a serious and real way. As a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of an uncle, I have had a very distorted view of love and sex most of my life. I felt like I was unworthy of love and that I was just an object or sex toy, so I would give myself to men because I didn't value myself. At the same time, in some twisted way, having sex was the only way I felt "love" and God has been helping me through it lately. I got connected with a wonderful Christian counselor through my church who is helping me with my issues. Thank you for this article! It is a wonderful word for me and realy on time.
It wasn't until I realized that I am loved by God, truly loved, that I could demand true love and respect from a man. Great article!
I am not gonna lie. I'm not perfect and I am growing in this area of saving myself, but I find that not getting myself into compromising situations helps me the most. I don't go to his house after a certain time and things like that. When you have two people who have chemistry and are not married, playing with fire gets you burned!
Fornication is a hurdle for me. I'm not gonna lie, but I want to know did you ever stop having sex before getting married? or did you fornicate all the way up until you said I do?
Hi, ladies! Thank you so much for reading, and sharing your thoughts with me. Though our struggles vary, I'm thankful that through Christ, we can all obtain the strength to overcome.
Zena, we share a very similar story. Glad that God is helping you to break free from your past. Aside from prayer and faith, the Lord also makes other resources available to us when needed. I'm thankful that He led you to a Christian counselor, and you are able to work through your issues. Prayers and blessings to you.
Denise, I applaud you for making a real effort to uphold God's principles. Just because you've "been there" doesn't mean you have to continue to go there. And it's never to late to start fresh. May God's strength and your will to be pleasing to Him continue to be your motivation. You can do it.
The Whole Truth, Yes I did practice abstinence for a while before getting married. It was not easy, but I was determined to "present my body as a living sacrifice." It was especially a challenge because my husband and I were already living together and had a son. But some time before we married, he moved out and we "started over." So thankful that God gives us a chance to start over.
I really enjoyed this article! God bless.
God bless you too, Shannon!
How inspirational that you and your husband started over after doing things the wrong way. WOW! I'd love to read a full article about that. You're such an inspiration. God bless ya!
Bernadette, thank you. Maybe someday I'll share the whole story. ;)
I'm working on my thought life and that is where my biggest struggle lies. When I try to stay on the right path I'll hear a song, see a movie, or something else that reminds me of an old fling or something I used to do. I didn't have the benefit of growing up with the guidance of a saved mentor or someone to help me. Jesus is my Lord now, so I am constantly wrestling with the place I came from. Lord help me!
Zora, love and prayers to you as you continue to grow in Christ, and become the woman He's destined you to be.