Listening and Doing

Today I want to talk about doing what you listen to.  Putting the Word of God into action, is very important, it seems like many believers fail at this.  The Word in Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

All true believers have been made into new creatures that have been washed, cleansed and purified through the blood of Jesus and have become children of the most high God, praise the Lord!!  From that day on we should strive to renew our minds, which will take a conscious decision on our part.  We have been conformed to this world, in many cases for years, depending on how old you were when you had that life changing moment of rebirth.  When we are born-again we do not become perfect people, we still have that sin nature, and as long as that exists we will have a struggle with temptation and sin.  

We have a free choice to choose either to conform to the world, or to be transformed.  This world’s customs, values and behaviors should be avoided so a transformation can take place in our minds.  How do we transform our minds?  We transform our minds by the things we allow into our minds, by what we look at, by what we do, by where we go, by controlling our thought life and by what we listen to.  Many times when you walk through this life you can’t always control what you see and hear, but when you are in your own home, you have a choice, but even then sometimes you cannot control these things, it may depend on your circumstances and who you live with, but, when you have a choice you can choose to make the right choices.

Reading and studying the Word of God is essential to having a transformed life.  Getting into the Word and getting the Word in you through studying, meditation and memorization and bathing it all in prayer and asking the Holy Spirit to teach you, also seeking God for wisdom and finding a church where the pastors teach truth no matter what the consequence, then putting all the things you learn into practice, I think these things are the key to a transformed life.  But keep this in mind, you can study and learn many things but if it doesn’t come through your actions and the way you live, then you are not being transformed, all it is, is head knowledge.  If your mind is being transformed you will know it and so will the people that know you.

Jesus said this about the Pharisees and scribes who knew the Word, and also taught it, in Mark 7:6-7, “He answered and said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”  It seems like these men were good at lip service, not living the truth, and not teaching the truth at that time either.

James had this to say about listening and doing in the book of James 1:22-25, “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.”

I think it takes all the things I mentioned above to transform a life.  Studying and listening is not enough, it takes putting what you learn in God’s Word into practice, and then you will know what the will of God is for your life.  People will see the transformation in your life and the Lord will be pleased and you will be blessed; now it is up to you.  Something to think about and may you have a blessed day!!