“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:22-25
One of the greatest character traits about my mom is her willingness to put what she learns into action. She is the first person to admit that she doesn’t know all the answers and that she has made mistakes in the past because of it. Though she understands that change is difficult she also understands that the positive effects of change make life more fulfilling!
Last year she attended my 4 week seminar for women on assertiveness. Week after week she would leave the seminar and recap the things she learned, which most people do. But the difference I saw in my mom was that she really put the information she learned into action. Over the course of several months I watched her become a changed person! Her attitude, words, and actions were different.
Recently she read the devotional where I challenged people to look up Scriptures about who God says you are. I said to write them down and read them daily. We got a call two days ago asking us about a verse she had read while doing this exercise. Once again she is putting what she is learning into action. This is exactly what James is telling us we need to do in this passage in order to walk in the blessing of what we do.
Just hearing a word of wisdom, encouragement, direction, or truth, doesn’t have any effect on us until it is put into action. It is important to understand that the information you hear does not become a directive to your brain until that word is acted upon. Once the information is acted upon the brain begins to adopt that information as a belief and it begins to take root in your brain. The person who continues to take action when they hear a word is the person who begins to make changes in their life, and they begin to experience blessings in that area!
The difference between one who takes action and one who doesn’t is obvious to everyone around them. The one who takes action becomes a changed person, and their change has a ripple effect on each person who they associate with. The person who doesn’t take action is the one who nobody wants to listen to because their words are shallow and can’t be trusted.
In order to be the person who becomes a doer and not a hearer only, you must first admit that you need to change. Then you need to figure out what changes you need to make. When those two things have been accomplished, you need to begin taking action and to continue that action until it becomes a habit. Once that habit has been acted on for an extended period of time, it will become a belief, and then it will become a character trait.
This is exactly what my mom has done in many areas of her life and she would tell you it has been one of the most rewarding decisions she has ever made. The same rewards (blessings) are available to you if you are willing to take the action steps to achieve them.
Begin to make a list of the areas in your life where you want or need change. Then spend time asking God to reveal what His desire for you is in that area. Look up Scriptures that portray the character traits of Christ that match the character traits you want to portray in your life. Meditate on those Scriptures day and night. Then look for training materials that deal with those specific topics and start to implement the action steps necessary to make the changes you desire.
Prayer: I believe by faith that I can become a doer of the word and not just a hearer. I believe by faith that as I take the action steps for change I will experience blessings in my life. I praise you for the wisdom you have made available for me from your Word, your Spirit, and your people. I choose today to concentrate on becoming a person whose words can be trusted, by putting your words into action in my life! Amen
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