Your life means more than you know. Our family, neighbors, friends, and coworkers need to witness faith in action. Now, more than ever, people need to see and hear the power of God demonstrated in your life. They need the hope that is in the Gospel message of salvation.

When you are an imitator of the Lord, you become a model of how a person of faith should act and live. We need to walk the walk, and talk the talk.

Let us not focus on the suffering that is going on around us, but rather focus on Jesus and living our lives out loud for Jesus and for all to see, that they would know true joy, healing, and forgiveness.

People need to be encouraged and know others are praying for them, that they are loved and not forgotten, that they are loved by God and that He desires them to experience the grace, love and peace of God.

Demonstrate the Power of God in Your Life

Evidence of Faith

In this series, we have looked at some evidences of faith noted by the Apostle Paul that the believers in Thessalonica displayed. They are:

1. Work produced by faith.

2. Labor prompted by love.

3. Endurance inspired by hope in the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:3, NIV).

Paul looked deeper and into the motives and actions that drive us to live the way we do.

Additional evidences of faith are seen when you:

1. Receive the gospel with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction (1 Thessalonians 1:5).

2. Become an imitator of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 1:6).

3. Develop joy in your heart, even in the midst of suffering (1 Thessalonians 1:6).

4. Are viewed differently by others (1 Thessalonians 1:7).

5. Live your faith out loud, speaking and living the message of Christ for all to see (1 Thessalonians 1:8).

6. Turn to God from anything that takes your attention away from God (1 Thessalonians 1:9).

7. Look forward to Jesus’ return (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk

The Thessalonian believers displayed these evidences in the way they lived. Not only were others both near and far hearing of the gospel, the believers were living examples of their faith for all the world to see and know. The gospel that the believers professed as being true, was backed up by their actions. In other words, the believers walked the walk and talked the talk.

We need to let people see Jesus in our lives. Even in times of suffering, the Thessalonian believers let the light of the Gospel shine through them for all to see. The believers trusted God and their Faith in Jesus proved to be real by their lifestyle and their testimony.

People everywhere need to see and hear the hope that is in Christ. They need to see the power of God demonstrated in your life having been changed:

• Through deliverance from bondage;

• Change from past lifestyles;

• Through physical, emotional, and relational healing;

• By not taking advantage of others;

• And by refusing to act in a way that causes others pain.

People need to hear how the power of God has changed your life:

• By sharing your testimony;

• By declaring your faith;

• By refusing to use God’s name in vain;

• And by speaking with positivity and in truth.

Your actions and what you do under pressure speak volumes. Your words, followed by your actions will become an example to other believers in one of two ways, either:

• As a positive role model of how a person of faith is to live. Or,

• As a negative or bad example of how a person of faith should not act.

As followers of Christ, we should try to live our lives above reproach. As followers of Christ, we should never allow our actions to compromise what we believe in our hearts. We must allow God to be first place in our lives, and that means that every decision we make should first be viewed from God’s perspective:

• What would God have me do?

• Does this action honor and glorify God or honor me?

• Do my words or actions distract from God or give others hope in God?

• If I act in a way that is contrary to my faith, what should my response be when I become aware of my sin? Should I excuse it? Or should I humbly confess it and seek do what is right?

In the book of Samuel, we encounter David thinking through his actions and trying to decipher what is right.

David Honors Saul (Even Though Saul Doesn’t Deserve it)

David had been running to avoid King Saul, who wanted to kill David. Saul’s desire to see David killed became all-consuming to Saul, because he understood that if David remained alive, David would become king. The people of Israel loved David. Saul’s army commanders trusted David and this bothered Saul so much that he wanted David dead.

‘After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” 2 So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats. 3 He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. 4 The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 5 Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” 7 With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way. 8 Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. 9 He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’? 10 This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’ 11 See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. See that there is nothing in my hand to indicate that I am guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. 12 May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. 13 As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you”’ (1 Samuel 24:1-13, NIV).

Notice that David refused to listen to the worldly advice of his men who were with him in the cave. Did David’s men mean well? Sure, they did. But their advice didn’t come from hearts of faith. They were thinking of David, and probably their own, well-being.

David rebuked the words of his men. Instead David acted by cutting off a piece of Saul’s robe, and even in doing that act, David was convicted in his heart. Scripture tells us that David was conscience-stricken for simply cutting a piece of Saul’s robe. David must have felt the act of cutting a piece of Saul’s robe was like an act of injury, of disrespect against Saul. David told his men that the Lord forbid that I should do any harm or anything against the Lord’s anointed (verse 6). David was spiritually sensitive regarding the things of God.

It’s recorded earlier in 1 Samuel that the anointing of God was removed from Saul, however Saul was still king of Israel. David respected that position of authority. Sometime after God removed his anointing from Saul, The LORD had Samuel anoint David, a simple shepherd boy. Yet David remained humble in spirit. God’s anointing was upon David, but Saul would still be king for some time before David would become king. It was not David’s time to be king. Remember, God’s timing is not man’s timing.

Saul’s sinful heart was beginning to reveal itself and David still had much more to learn:

• David needed to trust God in difficult times.

• David’s men needed to witness David’s humility, integrity, and loyalty.

• David’s leadership skills were being refined.

David had done nothing against Saul and he was in the right, justified in running from Saul. David still chose to honor Saul even as he was being hunted down for no good reason. Notice the respect and reverence that David showed Saul calling him “master, the Lord’s anointed” (verse 6) and “my lord the king” (verse 8) and even “father” (verse 11).

David refused to take things into his own hands:

• David illustrated his own personal honor by not killing Saul when he had a chance to kill him.

• David respected Saul’s position as king, and as being God’s anointed, even if Saul was not acting in a just or humble manner.

• David refused to respond to Saul’s evil actions with evil actions of his own.

• David proved his innocence and demonstrated his heart for God by his words and actions.

David let God deal with the wrong that Saul was doing to David. David refused to act like Saul; instead David acted in faith. David acted in a manner that was honorable and righteous. He trusted God and refused to take things into his own hands.

David was not perfect. David sinned at times when he was king, and yet when confronted with his sin, David humbled himself, accepted rebuke, acknowledged his sin, and repented and trusted God. And then David accepted the consequences of his sin. Saul did none of these. Saul only made excuses and tried to blame others. There are many examples in scripture as to how a person of faith should live. David is only one of those examples.

Do People See the Power and Presence of God in Your Life?

The world needs to witness more people like David who put God before their personal gain. People need to witness the power and presence of God in your life:

• The love of God.

• The power of God.

• The peace of God.

• The grace of God.

• The mercy of God.

• The presence of God.

The world needs to see and hear the gospel message. The world needs to see believers—you—act like children of God. We are to imitate Christ. Some will respond to the gospel and they will place their faith in Christ; and yet some like Saul will see or hear the truth of the Gospel, possibly feel convicted but remain unchanged in spirit.

As believers we must always demonstrate our faith by how we live each day. We must put God first. We need not listen to man’s ways, and instead trust God in all things.

The enemy of your soul will try to tell you things like:

• You deserve it.

• It’s OK, just do it.

• It’s OK to get angry or get even with someone who attacked you.

• What you do in the privacy of your own home is OK. That is a lie if the act or words are ungodly, unrighteous, unloving and do not glorify God.

Stop. Let God be your advocate. Let God be the judge. Let the evidences of your faith in Jesus shine bright for all to see. Let it ring out loud and clear.

Live each day with the understanding that He will return at any moment.

As I look at the world today, there is a lot of turmoil:

• There is anger, fear, hatred in different cities and across the news channels.

• People are hurting.

• People are never perfect. We all make mistakes.

As believers, we need to show the evidences of our faith in grace and love of God for all to see.

• We need to be imitators of Christ and let the joy of the Lord be our strength.

• We are to model faith, hope, and love to all those around us.

• We are to put Christ first.

• We must be people of integrity.

• We must walk the walk and talk the talk regarding our faith in Christ for all to see.

If we will do this, God will receive the Glory. People will be without excuse regarding the gospel of Christ. Live humbly before the Lord. Live expectantly of His return, knowing faith in Christ is the victory. You will be blessed, and you will glorify God. Look up for your redeemer is coming.

Suggested Praise and Worship

This and other sermons brought to you by Faith Chapel, an Assemblies of God church in Pleasanton, CA.