5 Ways You Must Test Your Faith

Paul urges Christians to see if they are standing in the faith. The New Testament outlines some simple ways to get internal awareness of where we stand.

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down. 2 Corinthians 13:5-10

Why test your faith?

How do you know the strength of your faith? You test your faith. The King James Version says to “prove” yourself. When you test or prove something you are evaluating its quality and durability. Is it good and will it last? Car manufacturers test cars to see how they resist failing in harsh conditions or through extended use and the ability to protect the passengers in an accident.

Base Jumping In ShanghaiIn ancient times, armorers would test the weapons they made in order to verify their strength and durability before the soldier took it into battle. The sword would be tested under stress during peacetime so the soldier would have confidence in the strength of the sword during battle. They tested the sword so they would know it would be strong enough, not guess or hope that it will be strong.

Schools perform fire and hazardous weather drills when there is no danger so that everyone knows what to do when disaster strikes. It reminds me of a football players shirt that read, “Championships are won when the stands are empty.” On the practice field players discover how strong or weak they are, what they need to fix before the game, and run plays until they are executed by habit. The legendary Alabama football coach, Bear Bryant, organized some very strong practices for his teams because, as he said, “If a man is a quitter, I’d rather find out in practice than in a game. I ask for all a player has so I’ll know later what I can expect.” He tested his players to see what they were made of and to make them stronger.

Far more important for our life is the strength of our faith. It needs to strengthen us daily throughout our life, help us keep focused on what is important during times of prosperity and trial, and preserve us to the end of our life. As with the sword, we need to test our faith when things are peaceful and strengthen it as necessary so it will be strong in adversity and endure until the end.

Test 1: Are you obedient to the faith?

The first question is simple: are you obeying God? Have you come to the Father through Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and submitted your life to the rule of the King of Kings by believing the message of the gospel, turning from unholy living and thinking,  acknowledging Jesus as Lord, and being adopted as His child and enjoying the cleansing of sin through baptism (Romans 10:6-15;  Galatians 3:26-27)? If you are not God’s child, that is the first step.

Once you are a child of God, are you daily obeying God’s word? Are you living a changed life? Does your life conform to the standard of teaching to which you committed yourself so that you are a slave to righteousness, Romans 6:17-19? Have you set your mind on what is above and put to death what is “earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry”, Colossians 3:1-5? Have you clothed yourself with holiness and are you demonstrating love and compassion towards others, being filled with the word of God so that it comes out in your words, life, and worship, Colossians 3:12-17?

Test 2: Are you living in faith?

When my children learned to swim, I would have the stand on the end of a dock or on the side of a pool and jump into the water near me. I gave them the assurance that I would be there when they entered the water and could pull them to me. I know they loved me and obeyed me but I needed them to trust me. They had to trust that I would take care of them and protect them and that I had their best interests at heart. We can love God and obey Him, but we must also trust Him with our lives.

We have to live courageous lives knowing that if we step from life into death that He will be there to receive us, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10. Every day we must live with complete trust in God, casting all of our cares into His hands or accept a weak existence where we do not trust God completely with our life.  Consider Paul’s promise in Philippians 4:4-7:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Notice the extremes in the trust we must have. If we want to be able to rejoice in dark times as Paul did and enjoy the peace that surpasses all understanding we must, give everything to God and trust that He hears and will act according to His will and wisdom. I see Christians with weak faith because they will not turn everything over to God. They pray then continue to worry if things will turn out alright. They pray and have no peace because, down deep, they either do not trust that God is there or that He will do anything about their request.  Are you trusting God with everything in your life? If you do not have joy or peace, you are still holding on.

Test 3: Is your faith growing?

With anything that once excites us there is the threat that it will become routine. Our new birth should result in continual growth but if we do not tend to our spiritual life, it can stagnate. The Hebrew writer warned of those who over time should have been teachers needing to be taught the basic principles of the faith again. Later he warns those who endured great hardship for their faith to endure and not shrink back towards destruction. In graphic terms, Jesus told the lukewarm church of Laodicea that He would spit them out of His mouth because they became stagnant. One reason the faith of many grows cold is that they quit growing in knowledge and living their faith. They found a comfortable place and quit growing. When it comes to faith, if you are not growing you are dying.

Paul told the Corinthians to be transformed so that they looked more like Jesus each day:

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV)

This  lifelong transformation being in the mind (Romans 12:1-2) and should grow day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). God’s children should be able to notice their stronger faith, deeper love for God and man, and zeal for His work improving every year. How is your prayer life and Bible study compared to this time last year? How is your service for God improved? Do you still struggle with the same challenges or have you experienced many victories and improved self-control? How does your faith compare over longer periods of time?

Test 4: Is your faith evident to others?

Your faith should not be the best kept secret in your life. It should be obvious to others that you are a disciple of Christ. Paul told the young preacher Timothy that his faith should be evident to everyone, 1 Timothy 4:11-16. By practicing and “immersing himself” in what Paul taught him, he would be a good example in his speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity so that his discipleship would be obvious to all. The Thessalonians imitated the Lord such that their faith and example was known in regions beyond their city. Peter urged Christians to live like Jesus so that even their enemies would notice and glorify God.

Do you live as a Christian with boldness and joy? Would your neighbors, co-workers, classmates, and others be able to say, without hesitation, that you are a child of God? Even your enemies should grudgingly admit that you live consistent with your profession of faith even if they hate your faith and think you are fool for following Jesus. Could you be found guilty if put on trial for being a Christian?

Test 5: Do you share your faith with others?

If you know that the gospel is true and that your faith is transforming, you should not hesitate to share it with others. Paul told Timothy to teach others what he learned. They gospel is meant to be taught to others to bring them to Christ. Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10) and that should be the Christian’s mission. The Lord does not wish anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9) and neither should we. If you do not share your faith it may indicate that your faith is not as valuable as you claim. Perhaps being a Christian is a lifestyle choice and not discipleship. If you fear persecution, remember that you become a companion of our Lord, the apostles, and prophets who also suffered for proclaiming God’s word, Matthew 5:11-12. If you believe the gospel is the only way to salvation and that others will be lost eternally if they do not obey it, it should urge you to teach others about Jesus.

There are many other tests one might use to see where they stand in the faith but these five tests will give you a good indication of where you are and where you need to grow.

The Christian Sports Fan

Friends have divided over it. Marriages have been strained by it. Fights have been started over it. Some have even been killed by it. The “it” is a fanatical dedication to a sports team. It is often said that college football in the South is more like religion than sport. Yet worldwide you will find passionate  fans of many sports teams who cheer their name, wear the colors, and sing the fight song. The sports field is a great place to find camaraderie and entertainment. Individuals, teams, and games are a wonderful source of inspirational stories, quotes, and illustrations. Even the apostle Paul used boxing and running to illustrate Christian principles.
But sports fanaticism has a dark side and one that Christians should consider. Fanatic, from which “fan” derives, can be defined as “marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion” (Merriam-Webster Online, “fanatic”). A true fan sees little or no wrong in their team but highlights every real or perceived fault in other teams, especially rivals. Whether the fanaticism is directed towards a sports team, political party, or politician, the person is either unwilling or incapable of seeing things in perspective. Their view is clouded by their obsession. They cannot see why everyone does not share their view and believe everyone is ignorant or evil who disagrees with them.
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Allegiance or Idolatry?

To have an affinity for a sports team or hobby is not wrong. To love a team, enthusiastically support them, and follow them is not wrong of itself. Fanaticism is hard to separate from idolatry. There are people whose year will be considered good or bad not by their relationship with family and friends, success in endeavors, the growth of the Lord, or any virtuous thing but by how their team did against a rival or in a championship game. Some will have their year ruined because a rival did better than their team. So a few hours out of a year will determine whether it was a good or bad year? Whether I am happy or sad?
Sometimes our relationship with our sports teams and God can flesh out where our heart really stands.
  • When attending a football game, some can sit in the cold and rain during overtime and double overtime but complain when they feel the preacher went “over” when proclaiming God’s word.
  • Some can endure rain delays or watch a baseball game on a hot day with no complaint if the game goes into extra innings but gripe when the song leader chose some extra songs or the service ended later than usual.
  • Some can recite team rosters, history, and key points in past games but have trouble identifying Bible characters, telling Bible stories from memory, and discussing key teaching of scripture.
  • Some can read blogs, magazines, and listen to sports radio for hours about their team, recruiting, predictions, and game recaps but are bored at the thought of reading the Bible, doing their lessons, or listening to sermon audio on subjects they need.

It’s not that keeping up with one’s team or sport is wrong, it is not. The issue is when we give inordinate attention to what is passing away and less attention to what is eternal. We can enjoy the eternal and the temporal but never let what is passing eclipse what is really important.

Hateful Speech
Christians must also guard their tongue when discussing sports. I have some good friends at a rival school that love their team. I love them more than I love my team. There is friendly poking back and forth at work and with these friends. it is friendly give and take but in the end we value our relationship with one another more than any team and will not insult or demean one another.
But some turn nasty and vindictive and that is where the fun stops. I block some Christian friends on Facebook  during football season because they speak with such venom about their rivals and perceived injustices against their team. Some cannot love their team without hating on someone else’s team. Sadly, I used to fall into that category and I repent of my folly and shortsightedness. Can you let your light shine and glorify God when your words are hateful and launched with an intent to hurt? Can you enjoy your team without hating on another team? Can you walk the high road when someone hates on your team?

Keeping First Things First

I love the Fall. I love football. I love my team. I love its history and I love watching the games. I love a loud stadium. I love it when we win. I love championships. I love everything about it and feel like a kid at Christmas when Fall arrives.

But I love God, His children, and His work more. In this area of my life it must clearly be evident to all. If I’m proud to wear my team colors I must be more zealous to show the glory of the Lord in my word, my priorities, and my life.

O’ Worship the Team

Sung to the tune “O, Worship the King”

O’ worship the team,
You make me so proud.
I faithfully sing,
The fight song so loud.
With venom I’ll speak of our rivals to all,
For grace seasoned speech isn’t used in the Fall.

I tell of your fame,
Your history I know.
I yell out your name,
And cheers proudly crow.
I don’t know much Bible after all of these years,
And don’t speak of Jesus for fear of the jeers.

O’ where is my love?
And what do I serve?
Do I look above,
And feed on His word?

Let all loves in life fade when I seek Your face,
And let my example reflect Your good grace.

My Facebook and Twitter Break

I joked with my wife that I was on a Facebook fast. Although I have not been off completely, I probably have been on 10 minutes TOTAL in the last 10 days. I went on to post a notice about our teen class and change of worship service times. I also went on to get a news update on two friends who were having medical emergencies. I quickly scanned some posts, responded to friend requests, then logged out. My Twitter break has been shorter but consisted of a few times in to respond to a message about Bible study material recommendations, check news by my friends, and retweet some good posts. I have been on Twitter slightly longer, about 30 minutes total over the last 10 days since I do have some work related accounts I follow. I have pretty much abandoned Google Plus.

I have taken breaks from social media in the past for various reasons. During elections I don’t access as much. On football game days and sports finals I have started to stay off (keeps me from getting into dumb debates about teams or thinking less of some friends who have little tact or take sports too seriously and personally). And, as now, the occasional unannounced fast.

Social Media and the Smartphone

It seems that more people are taking a break or re-evaluating how they access social media. There is an excellent article by Wes McAdams on “Why I Deleted Facebook and Twitter From My Phone”  that I recommend you read. It describes his regained focus on  family relationships by limiting his access on his phone.  I conducted my social media phone experiment differently. I originally moved my Bible program to the slot occupied by the Facebook app so when I reflexively went to Facebook my thumb would be hovering over the Bible app instead. I made a commitment to click and read the Bible if I was going to click and read Facebook. While fasting, my social media apps are in a folder that are not accessible as quickly.

Social Media Fatigue?

I don’t know if it is “social media fatigue” but I’m just not on much at all anymore and in and out of Twitter quickly. I bought a Chromebook to do more writing and haven’t added Facebook or Twitter to the launch bar so I have to access from another device.  I haven’t completely dropped Facebook . I probably won’t drop Facebook and Twitter because I use them to link to some business applications and I do want to have a way to reach out to certain friends that I see sporadically. But I transformed the way I used social media before and am changing the way I use it again.

What Have I Gained?

I have generally banned devices from mealtimes so nothing has really changed there.rocks

I feel like I’ve gained more focus when working and writing since I can’t access social media on my Chromebook and have greatly limited it elsewhere. I feel more focused generally since I’m not distracted by so much noise of everyone’s lives. I do get nuggets of important information such as births, deaths, and major life events or profound items of interest mixed in with the static from mundane life events, sports and political drivel, and cat pictures.

I’ve quit chasing “likes”. Being off of Facebook/Twitter has forced me to refrain from posting things that I know will garner likes. I have received invitations to do some cool things, have had some great experiences, and enjoyed some personal achievements and have not shared them on social media.  I have shared some of them with my family and friends but have refrained from posting them. This is a challenge as I have had to personally wrestle with. I have found that I post to my blog in order to help people but often my Facebook and Twitter posts were more self-centered. That is not a problem of the social networks, it is my problem, but like an alcoholic who avoids bars my avoidance of social media is teaching me to be more humble.

I do see value in some religious discussions on social media and there is virtue in that. I generally have not had as much success. Certain friends post some valuable Bible study info so I list them on my close friends list so I can see their updates. Since I work full-time in a business job I don’t have the time that some full-time preachers and others without work constraints have to engage in such discussions.  In fact, I have refrained from posting at times because I knew I could not commit the time to address objections or clarifications. Instead, I write here where I can fully explain the subject I wish to discuss without restrictive comment spaces.  Instead of reading posts I am spending more time reading the Bible, books, and blog posts. Don’t misunderstand: I am not devaluing religious discussions via social media but simply stating that it is not the optimal medium for me.

What’s Next?

I do not know where this will lead. I am enjoying the focus and contentment and attention to study and writing. I am enjoying avoiding needless and foolish arguments over politics and sports teams (though I personally love football). I enjoy not reading complaints about the things in life that most people in the world would feel lucky to have. I do miss some information on my friends but I have found the important information always makes it back to me though a little delayed.

As noted above, I will probably not close the accounts so you can still connect to me via Twitter and the Godly Youth Facebook page. I’ll be around occasionally so don’t be surprised if you see me there.

Lucky for Us!

Guest post by Joshua Sanders. He is a sophomore at Plant City High School in Plant City, Florida. He worships with the brethren at University church of Christ in Tampa, FL.

If any of you are in public school like me, you are bound to face the concept of the origin of the world. My current unit in Biology is evolution. For those who don’t know, evolution is  the process by which all species develop from earlier forms of life (according to scientists). It can be hard to stand strong in your faith while facing all the adversities that come from this theory. How do we overcome this as young Christians?

In Biology class the other day, my teacher decided to show us a video. It was the History of the World in 2 Hours. In this video scientists explained their theory from the Big Bang to now. It was an interesting video, but obviously false. First off, a Big Bang did not create our universe, an awesome God did (Genesis 1:1). Secondly, we did not evolve from animals, God created man. He even created us in His own image (Genesis 1:27).

A common phrase in the video was “lucky for us.” “Lucky for us” the Earth is placed in the perfect position to sustain life; “lucky for us” we developed  opposable thumbs to grab objects, and the list goes on. This did not happen by chance! We have an amazing Creator who loved us so much that He sent His son to die on the cross (John 3:16). That to me is the only explanation for the “history of the world.” But even though some are too stubborn to believe this truth, I do not fret. As it says in Philippians 2:10-11 “… so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

“Lucky” for us!

What Should I Pray For?

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul taught the people to “pray without ceasing.” What does this mean? To pray without ceasing is to pray every day and many times a day. If you have a best friend, you want to talk with them many times during the day. God wants us to talk with Him many times during the day as well.

These prayers do not have to be long. We may pause to pray for a minute or two but it is precious time spent with God. We can share with God the good and bad things that are happening that day and ask for His help. He always listens to His children.

Make prayer your daily habit. You can find many things to talk with Him about if you just take the time. But you may ask, “What should I pray for?” The Bible gives us that answer.

Good Health for You and Others

When you pray, it is good to pray that you, your loved ones, and other faithful people will be in good health. In 3 John 2, John said that he prayed that Gaius would be in good health. We certainly do not want the people we love to suffer because of illness; however, there are other reasons to pray for someone’s health.

If a person is healthy they can do some things in service to Christ much better. When I am sick it is hard to prepare lessons and a sore throat makes it almost impossible to preach. We pray for the good health of those who work in the church so that they can continue in their service to God.

Pray also for your own good health and, whether you are sick or healthy, do the best you can do in service to God.

Elders

When God established the church he also gave the elders the responsibility to oversee, or rule, over the church. The elders are like shepherds who take care of sheep; the elders help feed us spiritually by making sure the teachers and preachers are teaching the truth. They make sure that your Bible classes are planned well and that the teachers are presenting lessons that will help you grow in your Bible knowledge.

They also help people in the church who are having problems by talking with them and giving them advice from the Bible. They must be wise about how to handle problems and using the Bible to help people know what they are supposed to do.

Does your church have elders? Do you know who they are? If not, ask your parents to tell you who they are. Pray for them and their important work in the church. Thank them for their important work as well.

Preachers and Teachers

As a preacher, I am so glad to hear when people pray for me as I am ready to preach. I want to make sure that I do not teach false things and that I teach the good things well. When people pray for me, I know that they want God to help me do what is right.

When you pray, be sure to pray for your Bible class teachers and your preacher. Both spend a lot of time during the week preparing classes and sermons to help you grow because they love the Lord and they love you and want you to go to heaven.

God warned teachers that they would be judged even harder by God because they might lead people away from Him if they teach false things, James 3:1 Pray that they may always speak the truth. Pray that they may be able to teach their lessons in a way that others can easily understand the important message of God.

Thank God for such men and women who are willing to spend time preparing lessons to teach you what is right. (Don’t forget to thank your teachers personally!)

How I was taught to remember others when praying.
How I was taught to remember others when praying.

When you pray, be sure to pray for your parents. They will appreciate you asking God to help them. As a parent I want my children to pray for me to be in good health. I want them to pray for me to do well in my work and that we will have the things that we need, such as food and clothes.

I also want my children to pray for me to be a good father and for my wife to be a good mother. We have never been parents before so we want God’s help. We want our children to pray that we will be wise in our decisions and to forgive us when we make wrong decisions. I want my children to pray that I will be a good example to them.

I also want my children to pray that I will give them my attention and love; that when I punish them I will be fair and understanding. Be sure to pray for your parents. Do not forget to pray for them every day.

Government Leaders

If you listen to the news or study current events in school, you know that there is trouble with different nations in the world. The government has to protect us from terrorists as well as protect many of our rights. Government leaders have many great responsibilities and the Bible tells us to pray for them, 1 Timothy 2:2.

We should pray that they make decisions that allow us to live as Christians without persecution from the government or any other person. We should also pray for the leaders of the world governments that they would allow their people to worship God freely; not all people enjoy our freedom to worship God as He commanded.

We should also pray that God will give them wisdom in their many difficult decisions. We should pray that they will decide the things that will bring peace, not war. If we have to go to war, we pray that the war will end quickly with few deaths. We should pray for them to make decisions that will benefit all people and allow them to live right.

Spiritual Wisdom

James 1:5 encourages his readers to pray to God for wisdom: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. Godly wisdom is one of the most important things that we can have. Godly wisdom helps us make good decisions and avoid things that we should not do.

We get knowledge by studying God’s word. Wisdom is the ability to use what we have learned from God’s word. Study for knowledge; pray and learn from godly people to receive wisdom.

Pay attention to what your teachers, the preacher, and your parents try to teach you from God’s word. Use what you have learned to make good decisions and avoid things that displease God and will do you harm. Pray for wisdom and trust God’s promise to give it to you.

Wisdom When Making Decisions

Every day each of us has to make good choices. Friends at school, in our neighborhoods, and even friends from church ask us to do things and to go places. We must make good decisions about what is right to do and what we should avoid. We should also pray for the courage to explain to others why they should not do things that are wrong. You can teach them this way.

You become stronger when you make good choices. In Hebrews 5:14, the writer compares it to exercising. When you exercise your muscles you become stronger. When you exercise good decision making, it is easier to choose the good in the future.

Even your parents have to make good choices. Pray for them to make good choices as they try to raise you. They are probably praying to God for the same thing. You will pray for good choices all of your life.

Help During Temptation

In the model prayer of Matthew 6:13, Jesus told His followers to pray that they would not be led into temptation and that, when tempted, they would be delivered.

Through bad choices, some people find themselves tempted when, if they had made better decisions, would not have been tempted. If you hang around people who do things that you know are not right, you will likely find yourself in a situation that you could have avoided. We should pray to God for wise judgment to avoid temptation.

It is not always possible to avoid temptation so we should also pray that God would help us in temptation. In 1 Corinthians 10:13, God promised that with each temptation He will provide a way to escape evil. We must pray to God for the wisdom to see the way of escape and the courage to take it. Since Satan is our enemy, we need to pray for God’s help.

Opportunities to Teach Others

In John 8, Jesus used the example of harvesters in a field to tell His apostles to pray for teachers to lead people to Him. The lost need to hear the gospel. You may not feel like you could teach someone but you can lead that person to a teacher or invite them to Bible class or worship services where they can hear God’s word taught.

Pray for chances and the courage to invite friends to Bible classes, gospel meetings, Vacation Bible School, and worship services. By leading someone to Jesus you can change their lives for the good and they can have eternal life with God.

Which of your friends or family members needs to hear the gospel? Pray for them and try to find opportunities to teach them or lead them to a teacher.

Food

We should develop a habit of thanking God for our food. Paul taught that we should give thanks to God for the food we eat, 1 Timothy 4:3-5. Jesus taught His disciples to thank God for their daily bread, Matthew 6:11.

One day, a father, who did not serve God, was fed up with his wife and children giving thanks to God for the food. He told them, “I worked to earn the money to pay for that food. God did not give it to you, I did. You should be praying to me for the food.”

The wise wife quietly reminded her husband that it was by God’s hand that he had his job and the health to do it. God also gave the rain, the sunshine, the seed, and allowed the plants to grow and bear fruit. God provided the nourishment for the animals and the lives of the animals themselves. Last of all, He provided the rain that, in a pure form, filled their water glasses.

The father saw her wisdom and humbly thanked God for the food He had given.

Give Thanks to God

Consider some of the the different things for which we should pray already discussed. When we pray, we must also give God thanks for the prayers He has answered and that He listens to us. Though some adults may ignore you when they are busy or at other times, God always has time for us. He wants us to visit Him in prayer and open our hearts to Him. However, we should not just spend our time asking things from Him. We would not like it if people only talked to us when they wanted something we had.

Luke 17:11-19 records the story of ten men with a terrible, incurable disease called leprosy. These people had to stay away from all healthy people. They cried to Jesus, asking Him to heal them. He told them to go to the priest who could determine if they were healthy. As they went, they were healed, but only one returned to thank Jesus for what He did.

Let us remember to give thanks for all that God does for us and the care that we enjoy. Let us not be unthankful.

Pray Through The Name of Jesus

“…giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ ” Ephesians 5:20

Do you ever wonder why we often say, “in Jesus’ name” at the ending of prayers (or something similar)? This verse helps us understand why. We approach our Father through Jesus. He is an intercessor (pronounced: enter-says-her). An intercessor is one who asks something on behalf of another person. When we pray to the Father, Jesus is on our side.

We must give thanks for all things because all things come from God. Every blessing comes from God (James 1:17).

If you spent a lot of money or a lot of time on a gift for someone and they acted as if they did not care you would feel hurt, perhaps even angry. We are ungrateful if we do not give thanks for all things that God has given.

We give thanks for the good things we enjoy for we are very blessed. We should even give thanks for some bad things. If we are tempted but we do not sin, we become stronger. When we are sick, we appreciate our health. When we have bad days, we appreciate the good days. In all things, we must give thanks to God.

We can only approach the Father through Jesus; therefore, we must do all things in His name.