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Putting It Into Practice

Our Example is Christ

John 5:19 (ESV)
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

Christ's Instruction to Us

Luke 8:21 (ESV)
But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

 

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Philippians 4:9 (ESV)
What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

1 Timothy 4:15 (ESV)
Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.

Hebrews 5:14 (ESV)
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

2 Peter 1:10 (ESV)
Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

1 John 1:6 (ESV)
If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

1 John 2:29 (ESV)
If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

1 John 3:7 (ESV)
Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.

1 John 3:9 (ESV)
No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.

Romans 2:13 (ESV)
For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

Matthew 5:19 (ESV)
Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 7:21 (ESV)
“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.

Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV)
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Matthew 12:50 (ESV)
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Mark 3:35 (ESV)
For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

Luke 6:47 (ESV)
Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:

John 3:21 (ESV)
But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

John 13:17 (ESV)
If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

1 John 2:4 (ESV)
Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,

1 John 2:17 (ESV)
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

3 John 1:11 (ESV)
Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.

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

James 1:23 (ESV)
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.

James 1:25 (ESV)
But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

A DOER is someone who can continually and consistently put God's word - His commandments and instructions to us - into practice.

James 2:14-20 ESV
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?

Some Things Scripture Calls Us to Do

How am I able to do these things?  By the Spirit of Christ that lives in me!

2 Peter 1:3 (NIV)
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us

1 Corinthians 2:16 (NIV)
...“Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Some is God's Part and Some is Our Part

  • Giving Thanks to God and Praying for His Help
  • Commitment to grow in Christ
  • Commitment to completely surrendering to Christ - Dying to self
  • Living a disciplined life
  • Self-Control as fruit of the Holy Spirit
  • Encouragement of Scripture
  • Encouragement of other Christians
  • Christian accountability partners
  • Setting Priorities (also see: Priorities by Pastor Robert Morris)
  • Setting goals by praying about them with God (Making Plans Scriptures)
  • Creating Schedules
    • 1. Spend quality time with Heavenly Father
    • 2. Spend quality time in God's Word
    • 3. Spend quality time being with and praying with spouse
    • 4. Spend family devotional time
    • 5. Spend time ministering to others
  • Take every thought captive to Christ
  • Break bad habits and lies believed

One step at a time

Sometimes the number or size of things we perceive that need changing in our lives seems overwhelming and perhaps impossible. God is love. He is not like the devil who wants to break the bruised reed. He will not require of us more than we can handle. His burden is light and His yoke is easy. He deeply desires to have an intimate relationship with His children. We need to pray and ask our Heavenly Father what He wants us to work on next in our life. He may give us one high level issue to work on and/or a few lower level issues to stay on top of.

An Example

Below you will find the 2 Peter 1 Character Qualities scripture verses. In summary these verses tell us to

Make every effort to supplement your
faith
with virtue, and
virtue with knowledge, and
knowledge with self-control, and
self-control with steadfastness, and
steadfastness with godliness, and
godliness with brotherly affection, and
brotherly affection with love.
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

How do we put this emphatic encouragement (command) into practice? We can regularly pray and ask our Heavenly Father which character quality the He wants us to concentrate on today or for a period of time in order to adequately "increase" it in our lives. God is faithful and since He wants us to have the character of Christ he will gladly answer such a prayer. He may already be directing us into circumstances that address our need to exercise a particular character quality. So, in answer to the prayer He will continue to place us into circumstances which require the application of a particular character quality and then prompt us to remember the quality when we need to practice it most. You and I just need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's voice when the reply comes and then act upon it by putting the character quality into practice by actually doing it.

The good news is that by putting God's word into practice regularly and consistently we develop good patterns of "doing" which means they will become habits and habits become our normal and natural way of living. We just want our habits to be ones that have a foundation in God's word. If we bear up under discipline and do the hard work up front it "yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness" (Heb 12:11). Click Here for more info on breaking old bad habits and developing good godly habits.

James 1:25 (ESV)
But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres [continues in it], being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Titus 1:8 (ESV)
but [be] hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (ESV)
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline [by hardships] my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

If we find it difficult putting God's word into practice we might be trapped by the following spiritual maladies...

James 1:23 (ESV)
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

Matthew 7:26-27 (ESV)
And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

But with our confession and repentance God will do this...

1 John 1:9 (ESV)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Lord, I confess that I have been a foolish person by not putting your words into practice. I have been one who forgets to be a doer of your precious words. Today I repent of my rebellion of not consistently putting your words into practice. Please heal my foolish and forgetful heart as I make the right choice to be a doer of all Your word. In Jesus Christ's name. Amen.

Some form of the word "Forgive" is mentioned 58 times in the New Testament and twice we are told that we must forgive.

Philippians 4:4-9 (NIV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

2 Peter 1:3-11 (ESV)
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

James 5:12 (ESV)
But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

1 Peter 4:8 (ESV)
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Colossians 3:12-15 (ESV)
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

Matthew 6:25-34 (ESV)
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Luke 17:4 (ESV)
if your brother sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, "I repent," you must forgive him.

John 12:26 (ESV)
If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

Acts 5:29 (ESV)
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men."

Romans 6:11 (ESV)
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 10:8 (ESV)
We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.

1 Corinthians 10:9 (ESV)
We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents

2 Corinthians 1:11 (ESV)
You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

2 Corinthians 9:7 (ESV)
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Ephesians 4:17 (ESV)
Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.

Ephesians 5:3 (ESV)
But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness [idolatry] must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.

Colossians 3:8 (ESV)
But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

Colossians 3:13 (ESV)
bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

2 Timothy 2:23-25 (ESV)
Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth

Hebrews 2:1 (ESV)
...we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

1 John 4:21 (ESV)
And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother

1 Peter 3:10 (ESV)
Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit

Acts 24:16 (ESV)
So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.

1 Cor 1:4 (ESV)
I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,

2 Cor 5:6 (ESV)
So we are always of good courage...

2 Cor 6:10 (ESV)
as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

Eph 5:20 (ESV)
giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ

Phil 4:4 (ESV)
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Col 1:3 (ESV)
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you

Col 4:6 (ESV)
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

1 Thes 1:2 (ESV)
We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers

1 Thes 5:15 (ESV)
See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

1 Thes 5:16 (ESV)
Rejoice always

2 Thes 2:13 (ESV)
...we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)
...in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect

1 Thes 5:22
Abstain from every form of evil.

1 Tim 2:2
for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

1 Tim 4:8
for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

James 1:19
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Romans 12:16
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

Romans 12:19
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

 

 

Heavenly Father, there are clearly important scriptures, your precious words, on this page which I have not put into practice or do not regularly and consistently put into practice. Please forgive me for not being a doer of all your words given to me. I pray for your help to know which of your holy scriptures I should pay particular attention to right now and in the days to come. I also pray for the fruit of the Spirit - self-control and for the character quality of perseverance to help me through the process of putting your words into practice until they become a strong godly habit in my life. In Jesus Christ's name. Amen.

 

And thank you Father that He who is in me, the Spirit of Christ, is greater than he who is in the world, the devil. For this reason I can always make the right decision if I choose to.