#15: Faith Is Meant to Be Lived—Not Just Learned

Faith was never meant to stay in your head.
It was meant to shape your life.

In this episode, April Nova Scipio continues our Core Values series with a truth that grounds how we live and build:

Faith is meant to be lived—not just learned.

It’s easy to gather knowledge, take notes, and feel inspired.
But transformation doesn’t happen in what you hear— it happens in what you practice.

In this episode, she walks through:

•  Why hearing without doing creates frustration 
•  How daily rhythms build real spiritual strength 
•  Why faith is proven in everyday life—not just quiet moments 

This is an invitation to move from knowing to living.
 From inspiration to application.

Because truth only transforms when it becomes your rhythm.

You don’t need more information.
You need integration.

Faith First. Rhythm Always.

✨ Next Step:

If you’re ready to continue this journey with support and community, join the Nova Community—a faith-filled space for women learning to live with clarity, peace, and faith-first rhythms

👉 Learn more at https://thenovacompany.org

✨ Private Mentorship Community:

If you are interested in applying to join my private mentorship community, email me: april@thenovacompany.org

✨ novaRetreat: 3rd Annual Dream with God Retreat

A Spirit-led weekend for women ready to abide deeply, align intentionally, & courageously advance as God reveals what’s next.

👉 Learn more at https://www.thenovacompany.org/novaretreat 

Subscribe to The NovaCo Podcast and share this episode with a friend who’s stepping into a new season.

🎸 Intro music produced by Cory Valjien. https://spotify.link/Ot87eEITRDb

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. It says, whatever we do, whatever we say, man, are we representing Christ? Are we representing the life of faith? Are we representing his glory being revealed through our lives? That is what we want. We want to live a life so full of faith that it is obvious who we serve. That so much glory is being revealed through our lives that people, as they encounter us, they are compelled to learn more about who our God is. We are experiencing God's best for our lives. That is a life that's full of peace, clarity, and in full alignment with Him. I'm so excited that you're joining today. I'm April Nova Scipio. And if you are brand new to the podcast, welcome. Maybe you have been listening in since the start of this particular podcast at the top of the year. Wherever you are in your podcasting journey with me, I want to invite you to join the Nova community. We are a group of women and we are truly living differently. We encourage each other, support each other, and we do this all center around God's word. We are together building intentional rhythm that keeps us in full alignment with God. And we want you to be a part of it. There is space for you. You can join Nova community by clicking on the link in the show notes of this episode or in the description box of this video if you are watching over on YouTube. This month, we are in a series where I am unpacking the core values of Novico. These are values that I live by personally, and these are the truths that shape what we do here at Novico. And so I want you to lean in and see how these core values can be applied in your life. So grab your Bible, grab your journal. You are not limited by anything that I say today, but we are believing for God to speak to each and every one of us. And so if you miss the first two episodes of this month, I want you to go back. The first week we unpacked the core value of hearing God. You have to hear God for yourself. And then last week we talked about identity, how knowing who you are in Christ is a non-negotiable. And so here we are, week three of this month, unpacking the third core value. And it's all about faith. Faith is meant to be lived, not just learned. That's so important. I want you to really lean into that today because faith is not just information, it is application, and the application is what provides the transformation. I'm a firm believer that when you get in God's word and you do what it tells you, you are going to experience life change. So it's not necessarily just what you know, it's how you live. I'm telling you, truth, it totally transforms when it is practice. And so we're going to jump into the word of God today. I'm going to have to like reel myself in because I love the topic of faith. I love the topic about how faith comes from the word of God. And so I don't have to just watch my time today because I can talk about this all day. In fact, we're going to unpack this even more this week in my mentorship community. And so whatever you get out of this today, just know you can go even deeper in my mentorship community. And I'll talk about that a little bit later in the podcast. But for now, there are three thoughts that I want to unpack. The first one is this hearing without doing creates stagnation. I'm going to say that again. Hearing without doing creates stagnation, right? It's like you know what to do, but then you don't take the action, you're going to be frustrated, right? Real faith is a faith that moves. Let's look at James chapter 1, verse 22. It says, but don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. If you think you can actually experience all that God has for you without doing what God has told you to do, you are deceived. The Bible is so clear how we have to live by faith, and faith is action. We have to, yes, know what God says, but then we have to act on it. Faith requires a corresponding action. That's what it means to be a follower of Jesus. You listen to what he says and you do what he says. Let's look at Luke chapter 6, verse 46. Luke 6, 46, it says, So why do you keep calling me Lord Lord when you don't do what I say? Ouch. Man, because we have uh named Jesus the Lord of our lives, that means we are saying, Father, I'm gonna do what you're telling me to do. And maybe you came across this podcast and you haven't fully committed your life to the Lord. Maybe you haven't made him the Lord of your life. Man, you can do that right now. It's so simple. It's just saying, God, I believe in you. I believe you died for me. I believe on the third day you rose, I received the finished work of the cross. Take my life, Lord, do something with it. I trust you and Father, I make you Lord of my life. And if you pray that prayer for the first time, welcome to the family of God. You are in right standing with Jesus. And he has a plan for your life. He's gonna lead you and guide you. And because you have called him Lord, do what he says. And if you pray that prayer, connect with me. I want to put some resources in your hand to help you walk this thing out, to help you live this out. We are called to live by faith. The second thought I want you to think about today is this daily practice builds spiritual strength. I don't know about you, but I want my faith to be strong. And faith is built in rhythms, not just moments. It requires consistency, and that consistency of doing what God has told you to do that creates the transformation. Let's look at Joshua chapter 1, verse 8. It says, study this book of instruction continually, meditate on it day and night, so you will be sure to obey everything in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. Man, if we want spiritual strength and if we want to experience all that God has for us, we have to obey. Study and obey the word. Study and obey the word. First Timothy chapter 4, verses 7 and 8. First Timothy 4, 7 and 8. It says, do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. I love how this verse talks about we have to train. Training requires consistency. So I at the time of recording this podcast, I'm training for my first half marathon, you guys. So cheer me on. But my training, it consists of consistent runs. Like the consistency is creating the transformation because I'm consistently running, I'm getting stronger. My legs are getting stronger. I'm learning how to control my breathing better. I'm setting myself up for success because I'm training. And that's good. But how much more should I be training for godliness? How much more should I be training to build my faith? How much more should I be training by obeying what it is that God has told me to do? And as I train and I build my faith, and as I'm consistent, my faith muscle grows. And why do we want our faith muscle to grow? Because faith is the only way to receive what God has for us. It's all by faith. This is the life that we're called to live. This is the real life. The life of faith is real life. I want to leave you with one more thought. Real life is where faith is proven. Faith is not just reserved for the quiet times that we spend with the Lord, which we need those quiet times. We build our faith, but then we have to allow that faith to be revealed in real life. When I encounter people, I want them to say, Man, that girl, she's full of faith. Let's look at Colossians chapter 3, verse 17. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. It says, Whatever we do, whatever we say, man, are we representing Christ? Are we representing the life of faith? Are we representing his glory being revealed through our lives? That is what we want. We want to live a life so full of faith that it is obvious who we serve, that so much glory is being revealed through our lives that people, as they encounter us, they are compelled to learn more about who our God is. I want to read one last verse. This is Matthew 5, 16. It says, in the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly father. This is why we have to live a life of faith. This is why faith has to be revealed in our lives, because as we live this out, what's going to happen? People are going to see what we're doing. And what does it say? They are going to praise our Heavenly Father. That is amazing that God allows our lives to reveal His glory in such a way that people are compelled to praise Him. Be encouraged today that you are equipped to live this life of faith out. Living by faith is just what we do. Faith that stays in your head will never transform your life. Faith must move. Faith must move. Write that down today. Faith must move. I want to pray for us today. I'm going to lead us in a declaration. I'm going to say some things and you're going to repeat after me. We are we are going to speak God's word over our lives. Again, if you have not joined my mentorship community, we're going to be unpacking this a lot deeper this week in our mentorship session. And so if you want to be a part of that mentorship community, you can definitely DM me on Instagram or send me an email. I'll put that in the show notes of this episode, the description box of this video. But man, I'm excited about what God is doing. He's doing something big, he's helping us to build our faith so we can receive more and more from him. I want you to say this after me. Say this. I live what I believe. My faith is active, consistent, and real. I apply daily truth. My life reflects what I know. I walk in faith, not just knowledge. Let's pray today. Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this reminder that we are called to live a life of faith. Lord, I thank you that because we have faith in you, our actions correspond with that. That when people encounter us, God, it is obvious that our faith is active, that our faith is consistent, that our faith is real. Father, help us every single day to apply the truth of your word to our lives. Father, we want our lives to reflect our knowledge of you and our relationship with you. And today we make the quality decision to walk in faith. And as we do that, Father, we are excited because we are going to receive everything you have for us. We love you, we honor you, and we praise you. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen, guys. I'm so excited about the series. We are just really making sure that we have a clear understanding of the truths that shape Novico, that shape our lives. I hope you're encouraged. Do me a favor, share this episode out on socials, tag me in it at AprilNova Scipio, and subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode. We're going to wrap this series up next week. If you miss any of the episodes, go back. And even if you watch them, go back again because God always has more to say. I'm excited about what He's cultivating in us as a community. And I just truly believe that the best for us is yet to come. Have an amazing rest of your day. This is April Nova Scipio. Remember, this is how we live faith first rhythm. Always. Be blessed.