How did you lose all that weight? How did you get that promotion? How did you start that business? These are the questions we have all asked people who have achieved a goal that we’d like to achieve. We all want the “how to” on making our dreams come true. (Click here to listen to this message.)

There are thousands of books and videos with this “how to” theme. People have become millionaires selling their “how to” methodologies. Yet, what each one fails to tell their followers is that no “how to” will work for anyone unless they actually do it.

The Nike slogan – “Just Do It” is spot on here. If we do nothing, nothing happens.

• You won’t lose those pesky ten pounds if you eat bon bons and sit on the couch.
• You won’t get that promotion unless you prove yourself in your current position.
• You won’t start that business unless you test your product or service on a few people.

I suspect the people of Jesus’ time were full of “how did you do that?” questions. Think about it. How did you heal that blind man? How did you cure that woman of her twelve-year bleeding affliction? How did you raise a dead man?

The answer is so simple.

Jesus said He came to do the will of His Father (John 6:38). Jesus said that He only did and said what He saw and heard His Father say and do (John 5:19).

Reading this must beg the question: What did Jesus’ Father, God the Father, say and do? How did Jesus know?  Jesus spent time with His Father every single day. He walked with Him. He talked with Him. He watched and He learned.

Isn’t this the exact same thing that we do when we are learning a new skill or want to develop a new habit? We learn from experts. We spend time with them to find out their methods. But if it stops there, then we will not accomplish our goals.

We have to put these methods into practice and hit the repeat button every day…all day if necessary.

• We have to toss all of the foods that are not good for us and replace them with healthy choices.
• We have to sign up for that extra project or overtime when the boss requests.
• We have to take a small business class to learn about how to be an entrepreneur.

You see, we can read all the books ever written. We can attend every lecture of our respective “experts.” We can watch the videos and podcasts. Yet, if we don’t put it into practice, all we’ve done is filled our heads with knowledge of “how to’s.”

Spiritually speaking, we can read the Bible through year after year. We can sit in church every Sunday and hear a great message. We can attend conference after conference. But if we are only hearers of the Word and not doers of it (James 1:22), then the same thing happens.

We’ve filled our heads with knowledge of the “how to’s” but because we haven’t acted on them, we see no results.

The Bible (God’s Word) is so simple. His direction to us is so simple. Jesus left us with one “how to” – love.  Love God. Love one another as I have loved you (John 13:34-35). When we love other people, all the other “how to’s” are accomplished.

When we love others, we won’t lie or steal from them. When we love others, we will forgive them when they hurt us. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).

This week, I’d like to encourage you to do one “how to” toward your goals. Just one. Do it every day until it’s mastered. Then do the next one. Rinse and repeat until you see your God-given dreams come to pass.

Who knows – maybe one day, someone will be asking you: “How did you do that?”