Sabbath School Lesson for Wednesday October 8, 2014 The Flip Side of Faith Read James 1:6–8. What is he saying to us here? The word for “doubt” refers to one being inwardly divided; this helps us to understand its connection to double-mindedness. We see a clear example of this at Kadesh-Barnea. Israel faced a choice there: move forward in faith or rebel against the Lord. Amazingly, they chose rebellion and wanted to return to the bondage of Egypt. When God intervened and announced through Moses that they would die in the wilderness, suddenly the people “believed”! They said, “ ‘We will go up to the place which the Lord has promised, for we have sinned’ ” (Num. 14:40, NKJV).“Now they seemed sincerely to repent of their sinful conduct; but they sorrowed because of the result of their evil course rather than from a sense of their ingratitude and disobedience. When they found that the Lord did not relent in His decree, their self-will again arose, and they declared that they would not return into the wilderness. In com- manding them to retire from the land of their enemies, God tested their apparent submission and proved that it was not real.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 391. Read Luke 17:5, 6. What is Jesus telling us here about faith? When the disciples asked for more faith, Jesus said mustard seed- sized faith was plenty. What counts is whether our faith is alive and growing, and this can and will happen only as we continue to exercise that faith by reaching out and trusting in God in all situations.But doubt sometimes gets in the way. Our world bombards us with doubt and skepticism; no one is immune. All we can do is pray our way through it, remembering God’s faithfulness in the past and trusting Him for our future. What are all the reasons you have for trusting in God and His promises and living by faith? Think through them, dwell on them, and your faith will only increase.
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 09:43:21 +0000
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