Does this define you? Is this how you describe yourself… a believer?
“Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, [as conformity to God’s will and purpose—so it is with you also]. So understand that it is the people who live by faith [with confidence in the power and goodness of God] who are [the true] sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the good news [of the Savior] to Abraham in advance [with this promise], saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then those who are people of faith [whether Jew or Gentile] are blessed and favored by God [and declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and placed in right standing with Him] along with Abraham, the believer.”
(Galatians 3:6-9, AMP)
If you do characterize yourself as a believer… big question… do you act this way? Or at least continue to try to? Some other questions… do you see yourself as righteous? Would the Lord? And if you believe that He does view you as righteous and you don’t – what’s happening for you that causes this difference? Did you see the phrase: it is the people who live by faith [with confidence in the power and goodness of God] who are [the true] sons of Abraham! When you act in faith, then you confirm your sonship. How great is this!
“So understand that it is the people who live by faith … who are [the true] sons of Abraham.” (v. 7) … so rather than looking at your deficiencies, how does knowing that you are a son/daughter impact how you are you in the day? Or is this the problem? Are you judging your own ‘people who live by faith’ and consider yourself not fulfilling this? Do your words and behavior define you as a believer? You do realize that 1- God’s not done with you yet, 2- yesterday was and you can always improve on your yesterdays… today. Read again verse 9.
Let’s shift our focus a bit. Consider the following verse:
“Now many Samaritans from that city believed in Him and trusted Him [as Savior] because of what the woman said when she testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they asked Him to remain with them; and He stayed there two days. Many more believed in Him [with a deep, abiding trust] because of His word [His personal message to them]; and they told the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; for [now] we have heard Him for ourselves and know [with confident assurance] that this One is truly the Savior of [all] the world.” (John 4:39-42, AMP)
See what happened when the woman spoke, testified to those in her community! It had a pronounced affect and the townspeople were able to identify that her words began their understanding but their faith increased because of their experience. This can be your witness when you share the Lord with others. Wouldn’t this be the behavior of a believer – a desire to share with others.? Perhaps our problem is that we think we have to do this on our own. Not. Remember Jesus words that tell us that apart from abiding in Him, we can do nothing (John 15:4-7).
There are 3 steps I would suggest if your problem is not knowing ‘how’. Ask a mature brother or sister in the Lord who you deem as reliable to help you, not tell you, help you find your ‘how’. Seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit who was sent here to help us (John 14:16). And, always ask the Lord to help you be a believer, He really does understand. Besides, He judges us by our hearts. Where’s your heart when it comes to being an effective (fruitful) believer?
