Jen’s Gem: It’s time to do!
In the decades that I spent in corporate America, I attended a lot of workshops. A LOT! Seminars on teamwork, project management, process change, and even a few motivational ones. The list goes on and on.
With nearly each one, I received some type of workbook or a pile of handouts. Upon completion of the event, I was pumped up to “change the world,” whether it was with some newfangled system or simply a behavioral change. As my pal Craig would say – -“Let’s go!!”
However, without fail, every single workbook landed in the same place – on the shelf in my office. Then, after I left each job, they landed in my house somewhere, and eventually were tossed. I had the best of intentions and believed that all the new learnings would remain in my head. As a young whippersnapper, it’s likely much did.
Today?? Hmmm…it’s crowded in there!
Here’s the reality. There was likely great information in those workbooks but none of it could be implemented as they remained tucked away. Life took over and I got back to the business at hand – my everyday job. There was no time to execute any of the learnings.
The “shiny apple” lost its shine.
As humans, we crave new things. We like shiny objects that grab our attention. Yet the key to true success in anything is doing. Wishing and hoping results in…well, dust bunnies.
Knowledge may be power but it’s purposeful action done consistently over time that transforms our lives.
In every one of the Elevate the Day podcast episodes, you can count on either Karen or I telling you to “Read your Bible! Read your Bible!” And this is a good thing. But it’s only half of the equation. We must do more than read it if we want to see change. We must DO what it says, otherwise it becomes another ‘workbook’ that sits on the shelf.
I recently heard Pastor Rick Warren say in one of his podcasts:
“You don’t get blessed by the parts of the Bible you KNOW. You get blessed by the parts of the Bible you DO.”
This is a powerful statement! It’s one thing to know what God has done, it’s another thing altogether to take hold of it, claim it, and live it out. Being a walking encyclopedia of the Bible doesn’t change my life. However, walking in its promises does!
For example, we know that Jesus healed many people during His ministry on earth and the Bible tells us that we are also healed because of the finished work of the Cross. So…why are we walking around asking, sometimes begging God to heal or provide for us? It’s already done!
Through our faith in Jesus, we have been healed and provided for “exceedingly, abundantly above anything we could ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20) It’s time to move from information to revelation about who God is and what He has done for His beloved children.
This week, I want to encourage you to take your Bible off the shelf, read it so that you can learn more about who God is and discover His promises for you as a believer in His Son. But don’t stop there!
Declare these promises over your life. Create a list of affirmations rooted in this Truth and speak them every day. Don’t just stare at post-it notes or fancy plaques. Speak what’s on them – all day, every day!
Your words create your life. Stop staring and start declaring!
God bless you!
Jennifer
PS… In my book, Finding God. Finding Me., I share more about how I took deliberate action to deepen my faith and become a doer of the Word, not just a reader (James 1:22-25). Click here to get your copy today!