“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” James 1:22 (NKJV)

The issue of staying in the Word is more than just reading the Word everyday; it is applying the Word for the circumstances of life we face. If you so easily and without conviction fill your soul with anxiety over every little uncomfortable situation you face in life, then your reading and studying of God’s Word is doing very little for you.  That is not because the Word is not powerful, but because you chose to go as far as just listening. Without the application of God’s Word you are just entertaining your intellect with knowledge for the sake of knowledge, but without any intention of changing your thinking.

            On the other hand, the issue of not denying Jesus must be explored also. Many will never say, “I deny Jesus”, however, with their actions, they constantly do. When we openly and publicly engage in words, activities and behaviors that are contrary to God’s Word we are indeed denying Jesus. In Mathew 10:32-33 Jesus tells us,

32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. (NKJV)

            How can we effectively confess Christ, but openly deny His Word? Impossible; Jesus is the Word. Confessing is more than just what is coming out of our mouth, it is our heart, it is our thinking and it is our behavior.

            The Word of God is true, it’s all truth and it was written for us to follow. The Word represents the Way of the Lord. His way is better, indescribably better, than ours. The word challenges us to go beyond just listening; we must do. The Word also challenges us to go beyond just speaking the Word. The greatest accusation against we Christians is that we are a bunch of hypocrites. That is because they see a contradiction between our confession and our behavior.

            It is time for us, as God’s people, to realize that there is more of God that we need to get a hold of, and that there is more of us that must change.  I invite you to stretch your thinking and go beyond the walls of what you know, and go into the unlimited possibilities of a life sold-out to God’s will.