BE A DOER!

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

^1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

James 1:22 ESV

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Many of you know I grew up in church. In fact I was sharing with a new brother just yesterday over lunch that I was in the choir at North Side Christian Church before I was born. There are photo’s to prove it. Photos of my mom pregnant with me in tow on the front row of the choir singing.

So it is safe to say I was a “hearer” before my ears had even had the chance to affix to the side of my head.

And I would wager that over the 48+ years of my life I have heard well over 10000 sermons and talks. So there is little doubt I have “heard” a good share of the Word.

Yet it has been just recently, since my recovery began in ’08 that I have discovered the truth of that little passage from James. It was then I began “doing” the Word. In other words, it was then that I began applying what I was hearing to what I was doing. I had to. If something didn't change, I wasn't going to be around much longer. So I began to do my best to "do" what the WORD said to do.

For example, I have heard countless times I am to be a kind; a forgiver.

Ephesians 4:32 ESV

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Yet it was until I really exercised forgiveness that I began to experience forgiveness.

I have heard hundreds of talks about renewing my mind in the Spirit.

Romans 12:2

… be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

But it was until I began to embrace that process by ingesting the Word of GOD, applying the Word of GOD, sharing the Word of GOD and doing my best to live out the Word of GOD before I began to experience REAL transformation in my life.

The truth is we get lazy. I know I do.

We get lulled into thinking that if we are filling a pew on a Sunday, mixing in a devotion or two a week; have K-Love on in the car and our FISH on the bumper that we are good to go.

But GOD has made it clear. We must APPLY what we are hearing to our actions, our choices and our reactions to life. It is only then that we begin to experience the organic and TRUE power of the WORD!

2 Timothy 2:15-17

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

You see the crux of that passage? We are to "rightly handle" the WORD of GOD. That infers ACTION!

It is clear that GOD has given us HIS WORD for more than just reading. HIS WORD is here to EQUIP us!

And for what? GOOD WORK!

In other words the WORD is not there to merely be heard and then banked into the vault of our minds. It is to be exercised, shared, applied, incorporated and demonstrated in all facets of our days and lives!

So let's get to it!

Let's stop being content to just passively HEARING what GOD has to say and instead go and DO what GOD said to DO!

Let's be DOERS!

I love you all!

Freedom Church

Pastor GDelaney