Day 12
Galatians 3:3 amplified version
"Are you so foolish and so silly? Having begun [your new life spiritually] with the (Holy) Spirit, are you now reaching perfection [by dependence] on the flesh?"
Man's attempt to reach God is religion. God's reaching down to bring man up is what Jesus came for - to restore relationship between God and man. It is "relationship" we must pursue, not "reli gion." With religion, we work hard to be good and please God, depending on our innate abilities. When we respond out of our relationship with God, we cooperate with what He has done and is doing. We put confidence in His righteousness and the strength He gives us. To do this, we must walk by faith, because we are using power not tangible to our physical senses.
Paul said in II Corinthians 4:13 NIV, "It is written: 'I believed; therefore I have spoken.' With the same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak." We speak, or confess, because we believe, not because we see it or have contact with something through our natural senses.
In our attempt to please God, we must commit all our concerns to Him and, believing He is perfecting those things that concern us, confess our faith. If we need help with our mouths, for example, after committing this area to God in faith, we make declarations such as, "My speech is always with grace and I always answer appropriately." This confession is based on Colossians 4:6. All our confessions should be based on God's Word.
I will depend on the Holy Spirit to help me live a life that is pleasing to God. After committing my concerns to God, I will make confessions of faith in line with God's Word. I have a spirit of faith.