SharinginKingdomLife

WE KNOW GOD'S WORD BUT ARE WE APPLYING IT TO OUR LIVES?

Many of us know God's Word but are we truly applying it to our lives?
In praying about this the Lord kept bringing me back to one thing.....applying
the Word to our lives means to put on Christ and walk the love walk. It's not just knowing, meditating, or studying His Word, it's not being able to quote the Word. It's living it, walking it, talking it and acting it out in every facet of our lives. God took me to the following Scripture:

1 Corinthians 13:1} If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging symbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

We can be blessed with every gift of the Spirit and be filled overflowing with the knowledge and understanding of God's Word, but if we don't have love in our walk then we are nothing, we can do nothing and God just plain isn't impressed with us. Our walk is to be one of love, a love lived out and expressed. Not our own fleshy and finicky love, which we always put conditions on, but we're to allow the love of God Himself to flow freely through each one of us. Too often in our walk we've become so religious and legalistic that when a hurting or devastated person comes to us we're so quick to use head knowledge and throw the Word of God at them. They probably know the Word better than we do!Or on the other hand may not be ready or open to hear the Word. We really need to practice crucifying our flesh on a daily basis. Too often we're moved by what we think we should do or think we should say and don't take the time to fine tune our ears to what God expects of us. So how do we crucify the flesh? We do this by giving God permission and asking Him to go to the deepest parts of our inner being and to remove anything that doesn't glorify Him or shine out His true character in any way. God is a gentleman and will not go against our free will. First of all God desires us to be good listeners. Not only to His voice but when others are speaking to us, we really need to listen to what they are saying. We don't need to be thinking about what we're going to say and rudely cut them off when they are in mid sentence. When this is done it's very rude and hurtful. It's like saying " Hey I'm not interested in what you have to say but you better be interested in what I have to say." God's faithful in showing us what we should do or say if we would just slow ourselves down and really pay attention. A lot of times God will have us say nothing and keep our mouths shut and just pray. We'd be amazed as to how much healing this will bring to a person when they feel we are really paying attention to what they're saying. We need to practice learning to be led and guided by the Holy Spirit in all circumstances. I know in my life, whenever I have been led by God to minister to someone, I have not been quick to spit out God's Word at them but instead was led to share some of my own testimony with them. There comes a point in our lives where God tells us to humble ourselves and share our experiences and even some of the darkest moments in our lives. In doing this, people will recognize that we've been through some of the same things they may be now going through and realize we can relate with them. Not to mention it helps bring down a lot of defenses they may have put up. God will use the things we've gone through to help someone else who may go through those very things themselves. But we can't help them if all we do is act so self-righteous and put up masks that say we are so perfect and holy instead of being real and humbled. We can know the Word of God and be able to quote it at a moment's notice, but how many of us really walk the love walk and apply God's Word to our lives and our daily living? God has put a few questions on my heart that He would like me to share with you, kind of a checklist to see if we are walking in love. How many of us have held the dirtiest and smelliest people God may send our way just because they need to be held? Have we held them or have we avoided them? How many of us have fed the poor and given food to someone who was without? Or have we made excuses on why we can't help them? How many of us have visited the shut ins or widows or widowers who may be lonely? Or are we just involved with our own schedules and have no time? How many of us have been quick to find a way to meet the need of someone who is destitute? Have we really found a way to help someone in need or have we looked the other way and ignored them? How many of us have prayed with someone whether it's in our churches or in the public eye, like a grocery store or shopping mall? Or did we allow our pride to come in or fear of what people would think of us? How many of us have given our time and talent for the work of the Lord? How many of us have been quick to obey something God put on our hearts? Or have we procrastinated and just plain not moved out and obeyed? Have we become givers or hoarders? Do we look for opportunities to give or to see what we can get from someone? These are just a few of the things God has laid my heart that we all need to look at. Giving is part of applying God's Word..... we do not need to do these things only out of a sense of obligation, but out of love, to show the world how loving, caring compassionate, forgiving, patient and generous our God is. Tithing isn't just about money. It's about giving of ourselves, our time and the gifts that God has blessed each one of us with. Notice in this Scripture that is says if we don't have love we are nothing but a resounding gong or a clanging symbal. Have we even thought about what that must be like? What is a resounding gong or a clanging symbol? These are percusion instruments, that if not used properly, can and will make a loud noise over and over again until it gets on people's nerves. Something like fingernails running accross a chalkboard. I don't know about you, but I can't stand that sound. Are we that kind of an instrument for God? We may be without realizing it. Are we resounding gongs or clanging symbals when it comes to God's Word when someone comes to us for help or encouragement? God wants us to be real and human, not to become legalistic or religious robots that are of no earthly good or purpose to Him. Throwing God's Word at someone can actually push them away. Especially if they don't see us applying that Word to our own lives! We can really be pushy people at times and we do more damage than good. God is not pushy. He draws people. He doesn't push them away. He woos them by His love. Love will always draw people to God and to us. Love never fails. Especially with someone who has been love deprived all their lives, believe me they pick up real quick to see pretending people and hypocrites. So the bottom line is applying God's Word is laying down our win to His will.

The other Scripture God led me to that I would like to share with you is:

1 Corinthians 13:4} Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeing, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

This Scripture fully describes the character of Jesus Christ. Which, by the way, should be the testimony of our character if we are truly following in His footsteps and obeying His Word. Our love should be one of ''agape" which is a love that is over and beyond our own means. It is a love that only God can place within each one of us. Agape is a love that has selfless concern for the welfare of others, that kind of love will put others ahead of themselves. Agape love will lay down it's very life for others just as Jesus did. Agape love is Christ's love manifested on the cross for each one of us. Are we willing to lay down our lives out of love for others? Agape love has nothing to do with romance. It has nothing to do with friendship. And it doesn't even have anything to do with liking a person. It has nothing to do with feelings or emotions. It has to do with will....determing to obey God's command to love Him and to love one another. The more we humble ourselves to the authority and leading of God, the more we will operate in His love, power and anointing in our lives. It's not what we know, it's our own attitude towards Christ and one another that matters. We need to remember that only God knows the heart and He sees full well what our real intentions and motivations are. It may sound like a tall order to walk in this kind of love, but when we are truly submitted and surrendered to God we can and will do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us. If we have a willing and open heart, if we are truly hungry to apply God's Word to our lives, it will be His good pleasure to fill us with more of Himself and that is when amazing things will happen. Obedience is applying God's Word to our lives.

If we look at 1 John 1 it says: In the beginning (before all time) was the Word (Christ) and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.

When Christ walked the earth He was God manifested in the flesh. When we are born again we are Christ and God Himself manifested in and through us.

When we're born again, the walk doesn't stop with just being saved. We are to put on Christ. What does that mean? It means we are to be a living and breathing testimony, a mirror image of Who Christ really is so that the whole world can experience Him through each one of us. I have talked to so many people who have stopped attending church. Why? They felt that they were being pushed or forced to go to church. Or felt they were put under shame, guilt or condemnation when they do miss church for any reason. We need to stop doing this to God's children. They have a Holy Spirit. We need to stop trying to change them , that's God's job. We are to love them and pray for them. We are to teach them in the ways of the Lord. We are to show them how to walk by our own walk.They too are watching our walk and our attitudes and that is what will draw them to the Body of Christ. We need to stop trying to ''fix'' or to ''change'' people. We need to allow God to do what needs to be done by His Spirit and stop trying to do things by our own ways and our own power. It just won't work and we will keep slamming into walls. We need to concentrate more on drawing people into God's loving arms and His kingdom more than we do trying to get them to come to church with forcefulness or pushiness. That's what drew me to God in the first place. The church I used to belong to was filled with people who were Jesus with skin on. They were a hospital for the hurting and sick. A place of comfort and peace for those going through storms. A place of healing and deliverance where awesome moves of the Spirit of God would take place because they gave God the freedom He needed to move upon His people. The pastors of that church and the people there would go out of their way when someone was in need or sick. Sadly, this church has now closed it's doors. But I experienced things in that church that will affect me the rest of my life. If we learn to operate in the love and freedom of God and truly apply God's Word to our walk in everything we say and do, people will be drawn to our churches, the pews will be filled, and they will be hungry for God as never before. Perfect love casts out all fear. Many people today are actually afraid to come to church because there is a lot of condemnation, guilt, shame, criticism and judging coming from the congregation and the pulpits of some churches. Until, we ourselves, learn the to walk in love and acceptance, we will not see God's power in operation. Love will cause us to be a three fold chord that cannot be broken and it will cause the Body of Christ to truly be of one mind, heart and spirit. Love will cause any divisions trying to come into the Body of Christ to be brought to nothing. It will ruin every plan Satan will try to throw at us. I pray, in Jesus name, that God will help each one of us to develop a true and deep love, compassion, mercy, grace and patience towards one another. We need to remember that this journey we're in is not about us. It's about Him! We need to show the world Who Jesus really is. The world is deprived of love and is hungry for it. They want to see Jesus. Let's allow them to do just that, but take it one step further and allow them to hear, feel,see and touch Jesus through each one of us.

Piczo