Hearers or Doers!

Happy Sabbath brothers and sisters in Christ! I pray that you woke up this morning healthy and blessed! I am going to keep it kind of short today, if the Holy Spirit allows. Today, I started a devotional on the Bible app called "Be Doers of the Word," and it reminded me of the FIRST time I gave my life to God. I remembered how I would go to every church service, bible study, prayer, revivals, women's group, etc. I remember reading the word of God, just to be the one who knew all the answers in Sunday School, to seem like a smarty pants. One day my pastor gave me a word, she prophesized that I would be an evangelist, that I would preach the word of God. After that my EGO and self elevation GREW! I thought I was all that, a PREACHER, a person full of Godly wisdom! I looked down at and judged others, exalted myself beyond what I was at that time, AN IMMATURE LITTLE KID IN CHRIST! You see, I was a HEARER and not a DOER of the word! I would read, not to grow spiritually, but so that I could regurgitate and recite whenever it made me look like I knew what I was talking about. I used the word of God to make me APPEAR like I had it all together! Like I had arrived at some sort of place in Christianity that other new believers hadn't! Once I received that word, I wanted QUICK, FAST manifestation of that life! I hadn't allowed the word to renew my mind, change my heart, or mature  me in any way! I gave the appearance of a saved person, but inside I wasn't changed at all! I was a HEARER and not a DOER! It says in the bible that if you are a hearer and not a doer of Gods word, you are only deceiving yourself! That couldn't be more true! My pastor and those who I was close with wasn't deceived, the Holy Spirit gave them discernment, they knew I wasn't right on the inside! They knew that I was still deeply flawed, and unchanged! I tried to use the word of God as a source of elevation, instead a manual of change, healing, restoration, and DELIVERANCE! I wasn't delivered AT ALL! By not being a DOER of the word, I allowed myself to fall back to the person I used to be, I started indulging in sins I thought were behind me! I had received the word my pastor gave me, but not mature enough to go through the process, to go through the breaking, and the molding that goes along with that calling! When things got REALLY TOUGH in my life (I was served with a 24 hour eviction from my apartment), instead of facing the trial that was before me, I broke under pressure and fell all the way back! I was angry at God for allowing that to happen one week before Christmas, I took NO responsibility for what happened! I was back to square one, abusing weed, cocaine, and anything I could get my hands on, depressed, embarrassed, and cold! It is very important that we be DOERS of the word of God. Gods word is alive and active, if we allow it to do its job, it will transform our very lives, change the way we think and behave, restore what was lost during our time in sin! It will renew our minds, change the way we respond to situations, and give us the strength to endure! Don't just read the bible verse of the day, but sit and meditate on it! I don't mean sit and cross your legs, and hum, I mean think about what that verse is saying to you. Think about how you can put it into action. Being a doer of the word is being OBEDIENT! Obedience is better than sacrifice! I know we have all heard that before! So start doing what is said in the word, I PROMISE you will see a big change in your life! You will witness God move like never before! Allow the word to change and transform you! Don't just go to church to say that you went, listen to what is being said, HEAR the word, but also APPLY it to your life! Think about it, the devil is the ONLY one here to steal, kill, and destroy! If you follow the word of God, only the best will happen to you and for you! God bless you, and I love you very much!! GOD LOVES YOU MORE THAN YOU CAN EVER IMAGINE!!!

Song(s) suggestion for today: "Deliver Me" by Donald Lawrence ft. LeAndria Johnson. "Friend in You" by Jon Gibson. "Greater" by Tasha Cobb Leonard

James 1:22-24 NLT (New Living Translation)

"But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in the mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like."

John 10:10 KJV

"The thief (devil) cometh not, but for to steal, kill, and to destroy: I (God) am come that they might have life, and they might have it more abundantly."