What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? — James 2:14 (NKIV)
The “you know for sure” kind of faith is that mental attitude which allows you to clear your mind of all fears and doubts and direct it toward actually getting and having whatever you desire in life. You’re not just writing down and talking about faith that one day you will get whatever it is you want. No, this means that you are actually putting forth the effort required. Scripture reminds us, “Faith without works is dead.”
The majority of people talk about goals, but they don’t really believe they deserve such a thing. Therefore, their faith is voided out by their own lack of belief, that one quality one must develop before making use of the master key to success.
Scripture reminds us in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
The place to start believing is by trusting in the Lord, and to believe in yourself. Recognize the fact that you were born with the privilege of complete control over your own mind. Don’t let the world take that away from you. Never wonder, always know!
You can make your mind yield for you whatever you demand —not beg for — in life, when you apply faith and take the necessary steps required to get that thing.
Know what you want and believe that you can and will get it. Keep your hand in the Lord’s hand. Like that old Negro spiritual says, “It is no secret, what God can do. What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you!”
Begin to thank the Lord many times a daily for having already received whatever it is you want. Be sure to say thanks in the present tense. Say, “Lord, I thank you for my new home,” “Lord, I thank you for my new car,” “Lord, I thank you for my children making a success out of their lives!” Whatever it is you desire, thank the Lord for already having received it. And it will become true in the future.
Let’s look at my own example: The day that I opened the doors to a small family business on Georgia Avenue. I was receiving my unemployment, had no money in the bank, and my one investor gave me $500 to pay the first month’s rent. But it worked, and we kept the doors open nine years until I was called to come work for the D.C. Council and to serve as project director of what has now become a national monument.
Keep your mind open for hunches, and when you are inspired to action, move at once. And when defeat comes, accept it as nothing more than a challenge to keep on trying.
A burning desire is the starting point of faith. If you are not definite about what it is you desire, and if you don’t believe, act, and keep on acting on this desire, it will never happen.
Whenever doubt creeps in, remember that “Whatsoever a man believes, that shall he also receive.” You already have faith — use it positively. Remember, I wrote in this column that fear is faith going backwards. Faith looks to the future; fear makes you afraid of something that has happened in the past.
Your life is exactly what you make it. Apply your faith in the Lord and you can have what you ask for, just like others have done and continue to do.
Lyndia Grant is a speaker/writer living in the D.C. area. Her radio show, “Think on These Things,” airs Fridays at 6 p.m. on 1340 AM (WYCB), a Radio One station. To reach Grant, visit her website, www.lyndiagrantshow.com, email lyndiagrantshowdc@gmail.com or call 202-602-6295. Follow her on Twitter @LyndiaGrant and on Facebook.