As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7)
When things don’t go your way, what are the first words out of your mouth? The words of your mouth determine the direction of your faith. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:35).
It is tempting to complain and gripe about the situations and problems you may encounter. But complaining is one of the worst things you can do during a time of emergency.
Paul said that as the church had received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. In other words, live the faith that you profess.
Living that faith, Paul wrote, first, would be seen through being rooted and developing in your purpose. A tree with a deep root system is immovable and solid, getting its nourishment from somewhere deep underground. God wants us to be people who are only getting our spiritual nutrients from Him.
Second, Paul stated that walking in our faith meant to be established in what you believe. Is your faith solid, or does it get shaky when seemingly contrary things begin to happen?
Finally, we show that we are living our faith by abounding with thanksgiving. This isn’t merely giving thanks when things go right. Powerful thanksgiving goes far beyond what we see or hear. It is not motivated by what we see but by what we know. We must grow up and thank God if we are to mature in the faith.
Practical Application – What are 30 things you can thank God for today? Write them and then speak out your thanksgiving.
Philippians 4:6; Psalm 100:4