Engaged with God

James 1:21-25, "21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror  24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do." (NIV)

The celebration of Holy Week will provide us with a refreshing of our knowledge concerning the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We must remember that the Word of God is always powerful, active and alive and that it is always being revealed to us in some form, shape or manner. BUT, we may need to consider the bigger question; "What am I doing with the Word of God that I am hearing and what am I doing with the Biblical principles that I am being taught?" 

The Apostle James shares with us a very startling challenge. He reminds us of the difference between just hearing and the decision to put into practice those principles that we just heard. I would dare say that each of us have heard the Word of God speak to us and then chose to walk away and ignore the call to add action to our hearing. I am not writing this blog to criticize anyone as much as I feel led to "stir up" your thinking concerning the Word of God and the process of application to which James is making reference.

During prayer this morning the Spirit reminded me that I needed to "engage God" concerning His Word. I needed to be connected to God and engaging Him on a daily basis or I could fall prey to the power of deception that James references in this epistle. The spirit of deception is running rampant in our culture today. What is my defense against deception? The "belt of truth" will provide me with the ample weaponry that I need to resist and defeat the tactics of the enemy.

Take a moment and revisit this passage of scripture and allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate your heart. Each of us need to draw closer in our fellowship with our Heavenly Father but we also need to strengthen our desire to obey the principles that He reveals to us. There is a small chasm that separates truth from deception and I do not want to make a mis-step and fall into that chasm.