belief?

I have this scripture on my desk: "For nothing will be impossible with God." (Luke 1:37)

Do I believe it?

"...faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." (James 2:17)

I'm not sure the Luke passage - although I've read it, thought about it, contemplated it, examined it - has quite sunk in. If it had, I would be living every moment of every day under the conviction that anything is possible and doing all I could to prove it.

I think I need to begin a study of scripture wherein I REALLY test what's there. What better way to build my faith than to act on what I'm reading in scripture? I think my tendency is to think, "Yeah, that's good stuff," and pray that the Lord would help me live it out. Not that it's a bad thing to do, I just don't think it's always making a immediate, tangible difference in my behavior. If it is, it's slow, minute movement. I'm talking about reading it and immediately putting it into effect.

I think I'll call it my "Believe-What-You-Read-And-Test-It-In-Faith" study.

Anybody want to join me?

(I must clarify here that I'm not meaning to promote any theology that puts "us" in control. God is the author of all things and I strive to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit in all things. God is not my co-pilot. No, indeed, He is in the driver's seat - when I let Him - ideally.)