What Are you Doing? (Part 3) Truths

²²
But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says.
Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.                           
                                                       -James 1:22

“People do not know the Word until
they begin to practice it and let it live in them. They may have sat
under one of the finest teachers or preachers in the country for years,
yet it has never become a part of their lives.”

~E.W. Kenyan

In Part 2 I discussed some myths people believe about being doers of the Word – today I want to challenge those myths and help you see what it truly means to be a “doer of the Word”.

If you’re living it, you won’t be worried, depressed, down, etc.  – Galatians 5:22 tells us that the fruit of the spirit is joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness. While these things
already belong to us, if we’re not acting on the Word – they won’t be prevalent in our lives. I always like  using the “Peace and Joy Gauges” in my life – if I don’t have peace and joy in my life – I’m missing it somewhere. 

If You’re Living it, You’ll see Results - John 15:7,8 tells us that if we’re doing the Word, we’ll bear fruit (see results in our lives – success, increase, influence, seeing lives changed through us, etc.) and God will get the glory. Is your life getting better and better? If so, that is an indicator that you’re living the Word.

If you’re Living it, You’ll do Everything God asks You to do, not Just the Parts You Find Convenient – People that only act on parts of the Word that they find are convenient do not believe God is a good God, loves them, and is looking out for their best interest. Everything God asks us to do is for our benefit including tithing, not having pre-marital sex, etc.

If You’re Living it, You’ll have a Peace in your Life no Matter what Circumstances Come Your Way – Jesus said, that if we build our lives on His Word  (become doers of the Word) that no storm in life will be able to destroy us. The Word says that He’ll give us a peace that we won’t even be able to comprehend in the midst of even the hardest times in our lives. I found this to be true when I lost my mom in high school…

It Pays to Be a Doer of the Word!

What are some other truths about being doers of the Word?

What are you doing? (Part 2) – Myths People Believe

²² But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.                                                                                   -James 1:22

“People do not know the Word until they begin to practice it and let it live in them. They may have sat under one of the finest teachers or preachers in the country for years, yet it has never become a part of their lives.”

~E.W. Kenyan

Myths People Buy into About Being Doers of The Word

I know the Word, so obviously I’m doing it - That’s a lie! You can know the Word inside out and not do one thing about it. That is equivalent to saying, “I believe in God, so that means I’m a Christian and Jesus is Lord of my life”. In James 2:19 it says that even demons believe in God, and they tremble at his name. Satan believes in God and even knows the Word of God, but that doesn’t make him a Christian anymore than you knowing the Word makes you a doer of the Word.I remember when I came to the realization that I know a ton of scriptures and leadership principles, but I’m not doing them… huge wake up call!

I’ve been a Christian for years, obviously I’m living it – Wrong again! You can be a christian for 50 years and still be a spiritual baby. That’s why Paul told the Corinthians that he wished he could give them meat of the Word, but they weren’t mature enough to receive it. In Hebrews (I believe Paul is the author) he tells them that by the time they should be teachers, they are still in need of learning the Word. In both cases – he was able to tell they weren’t spiritually mature because they weren’t living the lives they should be (doing) with what they knew about the Word.

I’ll do the things I want to do, and Ignore the Things I don’t want to do – This is where you hear people say things like I’m cool with cutting out things out of my life like swearing, porn, drinking, (etc.) . . . but Tithing? Are you kidding me? I’m not doing that! They live the parts they think will be beneficial to them and the things that seem like they’ll be an inconvienience for them to do, they just ignore.

These are just a few of the myths I see people buying into in their Christian walk – tomorrow I want to talk about the truths concerning these areas.

Can you think of any myths people believe that I didn’t mention?

What are you doing? (Part 1)

²² But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. -James 1:22

I’ve been growing up spiritually for over 6 years now and I really enjoy reflecting on the journey. Zack Blair and I were just talking the other day about how far we’ve come in our journeys and how far we’ve seen others come in theirs. I believe that if a believer will seriously go after God with all of their hearts that they can become spiritually mature in about 4 years. Don’t get me wrong, we’ll always be maturing, I just mean that they’ll have a solid foundation built to build their lives on.

One of the things I’ve come to recognize about mature believers is that they are doers of the Word of God. In other words, they actually live their lives according to how the Bible tells them to live it.

How do you know someone is a doer of the word? – They’ll bear fruit (John 15:7-8). The Bible says you’ll know people by their fruit (Matthew 7:20). You’ll be able to tell by peoples lives whether or not they are a doer.

I really believe that so many people are missing out on God’s best for their lives because they’re not living out the Word of God. They listen to all the right sermons, know scripture, and know the right things to say, yet have nothing to show for it in their lives.I believe that’s why James said that people who are not doers of the Word are only fooling themselves.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not interested in people who can talk a big game, I’m interested in people who are actually living it and seeing the fruit of living for God. Those are the people I want to surround myself with. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not walking in this to the level I should be by any means, but I strive to be a doer every day and my hope is that as you read these posts, you will to!

So over the next few days I want to talk about the difference between being hearers of the Word versus being doers of the Word. The difference between the two could literally be the difference between life or death, being successful or failing, receiving healing versus staying sick, keeping your marriage verse losing it, being rich verse being poor, the list goes on and on. Have I got your attention yet?

We’ll dive into this tomorrow….

Thoughts?

Play Review: Fiddler on the Roof

Last night I got to see the Fiddler on the Roof put on by PNC Broadway Across America. It was fantastic! I have never heard of Topol until yesterday – He is 74 years old and he also was the original man who played the part of the main character way back in the day! He was absolutely amazing! He definitely made the play. I’ve been told there is a movie version of the play with him in it – you should check that out, I know I’m going to!

I really enjoyed the play overall – the story was good, had some catchy tunes, and I even picked up a new dance as a result of the choreography! I’d highly recommend it as long as Broadway is putting it on. I haven’t been impressed with Pittsburgh’s options such as CLO and the like.

Although it did not come close to comparing with Wicked or The Lion King… it’s in my top 5 right now… I’d recommend it!

Overall Grade: A

Did I mention I was in great company? That made it even better! I love these guys!

Try, Fail, Learn, Adjust by Craig Groeschel

This is a great message on Failure in Leadership – Definitely worth watching…. Check out Craig’s Church Here

Sunday Night Reflections 2.22.09

So I took a week off of blogging – it was awesome! I never want anything to take God’s place in my life and I can very easily get caught up in my online social “stats” i.e. Twitter, Facebook, this blog, etc… it was a very refreshing week and I got to re-prioritize some things in my life… Good Stuff!

Must Listen to Messages: Listen to “Power to Reap“in this series and “Don’t leave your place” in this series by Keith Moore. (Both series are worth listening to, but those are my favorites in the series.

Here is a sneak peak of something coming up that will be a little side project for Revolution … Very Excited… What is it? Only time will tell…. for now… wet your appetite:

Recycled Tuna Sneak Peek! from I am Revolution on Vimeo.
That’s all I got…. tired…. night world

Lessons Learned from Moving Out (Part 1)

²³“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’                     -Matthew 25:23

It’s been 3 months since I’ve moved out on my own. It’s going so fast! I just want to share a few things I’ve been learning since I’ve been “On my own. I don’t know how often I’ll blog about this, but here is part 1.

You don’t find a great life, You build One – When I heard Joe Mcgee say this years ago it changed my life. I think the best part of being on my own is that whatever I become in life now is entirely up to me. “With great power (freedom) comes great responsibility” sums it up pretty well. I’m free to come and go as I choose, have people over as often as I want, I’m free to do anything I want. The best part about this – my values and beliefs are based on God’s Word. I’m building my life on the Word of God and the principles God’s given us to live by – because of this – the life I’m building is going to be unbelievable!

Food is Expensive and Goes Really Fast! – I look at food in such a different light now that I can’t just open my fridge and cupboard and see the endless amounts of food my dad provided for me for free. It makes me appreciate what my dad did to provide for me so much more. When I go to peoples houses and they make dinner for me – I’m more grateful than I’ve ever been. I’m really looking forward to when I’m  able to have a ton of people over and provide feasts for them!

I was not wise in spending my money - I remember when I told my dad I was moving out and I’d be renting. He said, “I think you’re dumb – you could be saving all that money renting by staying at home.” That is a true statement – I could be saving money by living at home, but the question is – Would I be saving money? Nope! Before I moved out I had all the money I wanted to get Starbucks everyday, go everywhere, eat out whenever I wanted, etc..  Since I moved out and actually have to budget my money! In tracking my expenses for the past year and a half I was able to see where I was not being wise in spending money and cut it out of my life (i.e. $60/month at Starbucks). I’m learning to deal with finances wisely, and while I’m paying $X a month in rent, I view that as tuition in the school of handling money wisely. It’s worth it!

God is My Source - It’s easy to believe God is your source when you don’t need money, don’t need healing, don’t need salvation, it’s a lot harder to believe He is your source when you do need those things. That is where faith kicks into gear. Do you really believe God’s Word is true or don’t you? I’ve come to learn that my job isn’t my source, my parents, or anyone or anything else. God is my source and He always provides everything I need and even more so I can be a blessing to others. Being on my own has stretched and grown my faith big time and this is only the beginning!
Those are the big 4 things I’ve learned thus far . . . thoughts?

Opportunities (Part 3)

What He opens, no one can close; and what He closes, no one can open. I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close.                               -Revelation 3:7-8

One thing led to another and….

Isn’t that a pretty common saying when someone is telling the story of their success? Maybe in a relationship, getting a promotion, or becoming the CEO of a company. “We met in the library at school, started talking, one thing led to another and now we’re married!” “I looked for ways to go above and beyond my job description, one thing led to another, and I got a promotion!” I think you get the point…

My question to you is – where will the opportunities you take advantage of take you? Here are some possibilities:

Your Opportunities will lead you to new relationships – I love new opportunities because it always provides a way to build new relationships with people I’d never normally have a relationship with.

Your Opportunities will lead you to new responsibilities – We’ve been talking about this all along – be faithful with little and you’ll eventually be in charge of a lot!

Your Opportunities will bring you in front of Important People – Proverbs 22:29 says that competent workers will serve Kings rather than working for ordinary people. When you’re diligent in what you put your hand to now, people will notice, and before you know it, you’ll be in front of people you never thought even noticed you exist.

Your Opportunities will lead you to new places - I always think of Abraham – his opportunity to obey God led him to the land of milk and honey. He seized the opportunity in front of him and didn’t look back. I’m going to guess that he doesn’t ever look back and regret the choice to take a risk. Neither will you – step out!

Your Opportunities will lead you to achieve all of your dreams - Again, nobody just arrives at the top. Nobody “just” achieves all of their dreams. It’s the result of taking advantage of the hundred little opportunities in life that often lead to the one big opportunity.

Thoughts?

Activists of Choice – Sean Moore – Coffee

News with the Nuzz

News With The Nuzz from I am Revolution on Vimeo.

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