²²But 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

One of the hardest things for people to do in life is actually apply what they are learning. That’s what we’ve been talking about in this series. Isn’t it overwhelming sometimes? Applying what you’ve learned? Actually doing it?

You’ve been there, you start learning principle after principle, and before you know it you feel like your drowning in a sea of things you’re not doing.You try implementing everything all at once, and fall flat on your face. Before you know it, you want to throw in the towel. I’ve been there, I’m there now, and I’m sure I’ll be there in the future. However, I’ve learned one thing that has enabled me to keep pressing on and striving to get better every minute of every day.

It is the realization that becoming a Doer of the Word is a journey, not a destination.

You’ll never arrive, no one applies everything they’ve learned or does everything perfectly. Neither will you, just do your best everyday and you’ll find yourself doing more than you could ever imagine. Realize that you’ll be learning and applying principles for the rest of your life.

As I wrap up this series, I just want to encourage you to strive to be someone who actually acts on the things they’ve learned.

If you do get discouraged or frustrated, get around people who will encourage you. If we’re going to be all that God has called us to be, we’re going to have to act on His Word and surround ourselves with mighty men and women of God who will stick with us through the times we want to throw in the towel because we’re overwhelmed. They’ll make all the difference!

I hope this helped you… Thoughts?

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?

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?