What do we need to know and do?

[ciy]

I agree with you Marie.  I see this as what Ray is saying that it has to be from the inside out at some point time.  I guess if you act in a certain way long enough you begin naturally acting in that way.  That is how we work to fight the good fight of faith, but I think we should always be fixed on that mark set before us when we are walking completely by faith, a belief from the inside out, whenever that may be.

Example, the other day I saw an elderly man walking down the street with a boom up to his head and he was dancing as he walked.   You could tell he was completely immersed in doing this that there was no work to do it, he felt very comfortable doing this.  Now if I tried to do this I would have to be talking to myself and forcing myself to not pay attention to other people, do not worry how goofy I look and so on, but to him it was completely in faith.  I do not know how long it would take me to be comfortable doing it by trying to distract myself from others, but if I could focus on believing this is the right thing to do instead of working to ignore others then I could start doing it "naturally" a lot sooner.

This may not make any sense at all, but basically what I am trying to say is focus on believing in the spirit rather than trying to work to fight against the flesh. 
This is all in love.
CIY

[snorky]

Marie we live in similar situations but out here in the W. Tx mountains there are fewer people (and probably no one is homeless...heck, I don't see how anyone homeless would survive out here what with the mountain lions). I, too, stay home with the kids (to homeschool, among others). The pastor out here brings up that question a lot, about how to serve others thereby serving God. Up until a couple of months ago I had no transportation (my husband uses our 1 vehicle to work) except my feet (and, at 53, they'll only take me so far) on these dirt roads. There have been numerous occasions where I wanted to bring food to sick people, but being 3, 4, 5, or more miles away (on foot, and then the return trip), I simply couldn't do it. But when my mother-in-law got a new vehicle she gave me her old one. Now if folks are sick I can bring them food or whatever. tyhe thing is God knew I felt bad about not being able to help, knew what was in my heart to help, and eventually He provided.

This business about faith and works always reminds me of the "chicken and the egg" argument. Faith without works is dead, but so is works without faith. Know that God knows what's in your heart (He put it there!) and in love He will enable you to pursue your choices in His will.--snorky

[ned]

This may not make any sense at all, but basically what I am trying to say is focus on believing in the spirit rather than trying to work to fight against the flesh. This is all in love.CIY

Amen to that CIY!
May God bless us both in our journeys to Him.
Marie

the thing is God knew I felt bad about not being able to help, knew what was in my heart to help, and eventually He provided.

Hi Snorky:
Always in God's timing. No wonder patience is a virtue 
Thanks.
Marie

(P.S. Thought I should clarify....I actually do work out of the house in a larger city, the kids go to "school", so I'm not really always stuck out in the middle of nowhere....but because of my lifestyle, I do seem to be always at home with just my kids.)