September 29, 2019 A CURE FOR SPIRITUAL APATHY
Philippians 4:9 “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Matthew 7:24 “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on a rock.”
1 Timothy 4:15 “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.”
We easily get to a place where we think that knowing the gospel, or what the bible says, is sufficient, or is the goal. If we are satisfied with knowledge alone, then we have missed the whole point of the gospel. Knowledge is important, but the reason for, and the point of the gospel of God is that we might be changed. It is critical for us to know that if we do not obey, or put into practice the teachings of the gospel, we become dull of hearing and the result is spiritual apathy. Hebrews 5:11. Obviously, we need to hear what God says and has said. What I say next may sound like a contradiction, but it is possible for us to place too much attention on ‘hearing God;’ in fact, ‘waiting to hear God’ can be an excuse for inaction or procrastination on our part. God has spoken the bible, His word, to us. He has given much revelation in His word, He has given much instruction on living, He has given us wisdom, and He has given us His Holy Spirit to empower us to obey all that He has commanded. When it comes to doing the things God calls us to do, we must not be guided by our emotions, but by the Spirit of God in us; whether we ‘feel’ like it or not, we must choose to be about the things of the Lord. That is the secret-that is the antidote to spiritual apathy, a loss of vision, a loss of energy, and even depression. It never fails; when I do what God puts in my heart to do, even though I do not ‘feel’ like doing it or have other things to do, I am always blessed the minute I do it. It must be our priority-to practice the teachings of scripture! To practice means to put into action-it’s that simple. If you are not sure where to start, read the ‘one another’ commands and start doing them-practice them. Blessings and peace awaits the one who hears AND obeys the words of the Lord.
Luke 11:28 “But He said, ‘On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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