Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you were a listener when you’re anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! James 1:22 (MSG)
When you read the Bible or Christian books or you listen to teaching, you sometimes get “aha” moments. Suddenly it becomes clear that you’ve been handling something the wrong way or neglecting to do something that would make a world of difference in your life.
But when this happens, it’s not the revelation that changes your world. You need to begin to act differently if you want that revelation to do something in your life.
When you learn something new but don’t act on it, James 1:23-24 compares this to seeing yourself in a mirror but immediately forgetting what you look like afterward. God’s Word shows you what you look like—on the inside. It reveals the changes you need to make, but if you don’t begin to make those changes, you’ll forget that you even need to change. As a result, you will end up struggling with the same old issues day after day.
You see, blessing doesn’t follow hearing. Blessing follows doing. But if you make a change—even a small change—verse 25 of James 1 says that you will be blessed. It doesn’t say that you will be blessed in what you hear, what you believe or what to pray. You are blessed in what you do.
Every time you read this devotional, hear great teaching or read the Bible, think about what you can do differently as a result of what you are learning. Make one small change every day and you will be blessed in all you do!
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