The Gift Of Amnesia.
James 1:22-25AMP
Amnesia could be a gift to those who would like to forget the last 5 or 10 years, maybe even the last day or two. Only bad thing about that is, you might just do it all again. Lol.
For every believer, Amnesia isn’t a gift at all.
It’s so easy to placate ourselves, justify ourselves, while judging others.
According to the Bible, many times we do just that when we only— hear…we play church.
“O Father God I don’t want to play church. Go through the motions 1 or 2 hours a week. I want to be the church. I want to be the church that the gates of hell shall not (can not) prevail.” P.H
God’s word is eternal; therefore, it’s been trusted by men and women throughout history.
Moreover, those in whom trusted, has never been shamed.
The devil hates God’s word, primarily because God’s eternal word has already passed judgement on him. The devil is condemned. His fate is secure. P.H
God’s word shows us the worse of humanity, but it also shows us His redeemed. It gives us a picture of Eden. It also shows us a picture of hell. And then, after the fall of Adam. God’s word shows us the—Abraham’s, Noah’s, Moses’, Esther’s, Ruth’s, Daniel’s, Elijah’s, Etc.
The Bible pulls no punches. It speaks plainly about favor, faith, redemption, testings, suffering, blessings, rewards, but also it speaks of sin, and its penalty. But most of all, God’s word points us to the Savior Jesus!
Mark Batterson asked himself this question a while back, wrote it down: “What makes us think we can become like Jesus without being betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, scarfed at by Pharisees, mocked by Roman soldiers, or tempted by the enemy himself?” —Mark Batterson
James 1:22-25AMP But prove yourselves doers of the word [actively and continually obeying God’s precepts], and not merely listeners [who hear the word but fail to internalize its meaning], deluding yourselves [by unsound reasoning contrary to the truth]. 23 For if anyone only listens to the word without obeying it, he is like a man who looks very carefully at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he immediately forgets what he looked like. 25 But he who looks carefully into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and faithfully abides by it, not having become a [careless] listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he will be blessed and favored by God in what he does [in his life of obedience].
James is calling believers to be doers of the word. Do the word.
It’s simple, Do the word—at home, at work, wherever you are, do the word.
For us to examine these verses farther, lets read 3 verses backwards:
James 1:19-21NKJV So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Again, Be swift to hear…Slow to speak…Slow to wrath….According to James 1:20, these traits produce the righteousness of God.
What happens? The fruit of the Holy Spirit becomes evident. The gifts of the Holy Spirit become a necessity. Why? Because you’ve become a doer of God’s word!
James 1:21, commands believers to lay aside all garbage, and the overflow of wickedness.
The next sentence is the key. James 1:21b… Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your soul.
How do you approach God’s word?History? A good book, Take it or leave it? My pages are dusty? Don’t have time?
God’s word on your best day or your worse day—is God’s written and inspired breathed upon word. It’s sharp and quick, alive and active! You have to receive… by faith…receive.
Paul commands Timothy in, 2 Timothy 3:16-17NLT All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
When we try, we only make an attempt—when we train, we take action. P.H
Before going back to the text, I want you to hear, James 1:19-21TM Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.
Q&A—Are you willing to allow God to landscape you with His word?
Chuck Swindoll writes, “The flesh dies a slow, bitter, bloody-death kicking and struggling all the way down. Lasting change takes place in first gear, not overdrive. So expect occasional setbacks, and don't let them derail you. When you feel like throwing in the towel, get down on your knees and ask God to help you get back on track. He will do it.
Paul writes in, Romans 13:14AMP But clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for [nor even think about gratifying] the flesh in regard to its improper desires.
Apostle Paul beseeching—Wear God’s word, soak in God’s word, Allowing God’s word to go internally. To the core. Hold nothing back.
James 1:22TPT Don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception.
Self deception is hearing without doing. Here’s truth—God’s word has been commissioned to fulfillment in your life.
Deception is akin to satan, but speaks here of deceiving oneself, hearing only merely soothes their conscious temporarily.
Hear this—Hearing and not doing, is the difference in reading a menu and eating a meal.
Hearing and not doing, is the difference in holding a prescription and taking the medicine.
Hearing and not doing, is the difference in reading the Bible and growing in Grace.
James 1:23TM Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.
According to James 1:23, anyone who listens without obeying…Forgets what he looks like, or it could read, he forgets what is inside…of him.
This is the person who walks with the gift of— amnesia. Sad. They never discover who, or whose they are, because they refuse to do the Word. Heed the word. Live by the Word.
Again, Not living out of God’s eternal word is like walking with amnesia. Not knowing who you are. An ID crises.
James 1:24TPT You perceive how God sees you in the mirror of the Word, but then you go out and forget your divine origin.
You live out of the natural, but the natural is wicked. The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.
You are called to behold. To behold is not a casual glance. An examination is to look deeply, and that can make it—unforgettable.
God’s word wants to take you into the— unforgettable.
James 1:25TPT But those who set their gaze deeply into the perfecting law of liberty are fascinated by and respond to the truth they hear and are strengthened by it—they experience God’s blessing in all that they do!
The true believer is told to look carefully into the perfect law of liberty, and faithfully abide by it.
For every NT believer, “What is the perfect law of liberty?”
Romans 3:27NKJV Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.
The law of faith is the perfect law of liberty.
Verse 25b, records, …an active doer [who obeys], he will be blessed and favored by God in what he does [in his life of obedience].
As Chuck Swindoll observes: The number one enemy of change is the hard-core, self satisfied sin nature within you. Like a spoiled child, it has been gratified and indulged for years, so it will not give up without a violent temper tantrum…
I say it again, to defeat sin, wrong thinking, and bad habits, you have to obtain a vision and purpose that’s bigger than sin. Saints, it’s not stopping sin, it’s have a vision and dream bigger and better than sin. P.H
Around 20 years ago a Romanian pastor came to visit American churches. He had gotten to know a pastor by the name of John Vawter, who has been involved in Bible-smuggling ministry when the iron curtain was still up. John asked him what he thought of our country, and of the church in this country. His friend was first hesitant to speak, for fear of giving offense, but finally said that in his opinion the American church was rich in material things but poor in spiritual things. American Christians by and large had a flabby faith because it was rarely even exercised, much less tested.
Don’t fool yourself. Don’t be just a listener. In one ear, out the other. James commands, Act on what you hear!
What might you hear while reading and musing within scripture? Trust Me. Call that friend. Love the unloveable.
James 1:25TM But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.
James promises if a believer hears and does God’s word—He or she will catch glimpses of the revealed counsel of God.
This might be one of the biggest promises in God’s word. Delight and affirmation will be the action straight from headquarters.
Benedition.
