Day 5: The Just Shall Live By Faith

Welcome to Day 5 of 21 Days to Strengthen Your Faith! Today, we are talking about how the just shall live by faith–and how that impacts everything about your life!

In this series, we will examine one short Scripture passage each day.

Then, we will pray through it with a brief series of bullet-point prayers. Each day, our goal is to strengthen our faith by gaining greater revelation about the importance of faith in our lives, and how faith WORKS.

As you strengthen your faith each day, your confidence in God will grow–and you will also begin feeling more brave and willing to go on the great adventures God has for you!

Click here for the series table of contents, in which you can find all the articles in 21 Days to Strengthen Your Faith.

We have also recorded a short video devotional to go with each day’s Scripture verse. Please be sure to watch these videos for extra encouragement and inspiration in your faith journey!

Our key Scripture today is Galatians 3:11, which says:

“But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ‘the just shall live by faith’” (Galatians 3:11 NKJV).

Friend, in this trying and tumultuous world, the just shall live by faith.

But to understand that, we first have to ask, “Who is ‘the just’?” And the answer would be YOU ARE, if you have given your life to Jesus.

When you gave your life to Jesus, you immediately became righteous in His sight. He ascribed His own righteousness to you, making you the righteousness of God in Christ:

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV).

And in God’s record book, Christ’s righteousness on you makes it just as if you’d never sinned.

The “just as if you’d never sinned” part is also called, in Biblical terms, “being justified” or “made right with God.” It can only happen as a gift through Christ’s blood, by faith. So YOU are a “just” person.

And the just shall live by faith.

Here’s what this means to you:

• You stay alive, in the best of times and in the worst of times, by your faith in God.
• You don’t exist, survive, or thrive because of your works–good or bad. So, spend your energy on believing God and then obeying Him by faith. Don’t spend your energy trying to conjure things up by the strength of your own body or fleshly ideas.
• Also, your DREAMS “live” (come into existence) by faith–by your faith in God who is the Dream Giver.
• It is your faith in God that shelters you from the storms that assail you daily.

Friend, the just shall live by faith. That is good news today, because it means you don’t have to wear yourself out driving and striving in the strength of your own flesh. You can depend on God, rest in Him every day, and simply obey His voice.

When you obey His voice, doing everything He tells you to do, “all the things” will get done since He will lead you through them–but you won’t wear yourself out with driving and striving.

Look at this encouraging passage from Psalm 127:1-2:

“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:1-2 NKJV).

“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.”

Friend, this means you can rest! You can just seek first the Kingdom of God, and your life and everything about it will be sustained and prospered because God does the sustaining and prospering while you just believe Him and obey Him!

If you’re a person like I am who actually enjoys working hard, then these Scriptures should minister to you today. I know they encourage me, both today and every day.

Why? Because even though we can and should work diligently, as unto the Lord, we can all take “work” too far sometimes. We have to learn to rest at all times, and to do our work from a place of resting in Jesus, following only His voice.

Because the just shall live by faith, not by works.

We live by looking at Jesus, not by driving and striving in the strength of our own flesh …

Which is futile and nonexistent anyway, because without Jesus we can do nothing. We can only do all things THROUGH CHRIST:

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NKJV).

And also:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV).

So the just shall live by faith. In every part of life, we live, survive, and thrive by faith alone.

That’s why Jesus told us this:

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV).

Let’s pray over this concept today:

• Tell the Father that you come to Him in Jesus’ name.
• Thank Him for saving you by faith. Thank Him for making you the righteousness of God in Christ.
• Thank Him for sustaining you and your very existence by faith.
• Thank Him for being all-sufficient for you, for without Him you can do nothing.
• Ask Him to help you release to Him any unholy driving or striving that is in your heart.
• Ask Him to help you REST in Him today.
• Tell Him that, according to His Word, you are coming to Him, for you are weary and heavy laden. Ask Him to give you rest. Tell Him that you choose to take HIS yoke upon yourself and learn from Him, for He is gentle in heart and you will find rest for your soul.
• Thank Him that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
• Talk to the Lord about your dreams in life, and about the vision for your life, family, ministry, finances, job, children, et cetera that He has given you.
• Confess to Him that you are totally dependent on Him in all of these areas.
• Admit to Him that He is the only One who can build your house.
• Ask Him to build the house of your life for you, while you simply believe in Him and follow Him.
• Ask Him to help you obey Him in everything He tells you to do: to hear His instructions clearly and to be bold enough to step out each time He gives you your marching orders.
• Thank Him that the just shall live by faith.
• Thank Him for building your house for you, and give Him praise for His faithfulness and mercy toward you!

Friend, everything about your life can only come about by faith.

All you need, want, and desire will come to you only through the highway of faith in Jesus Christ. So whatever those desires are, confess them to the Lord today. Ask Him to totally revamp your life to make all your dreams come true, and thank Him that it is by faith that He has made you live.

Are you encouraged by knowing that the just shall live by faith today? If so, leave a comment below!