We can read in the Old Testament that man has always had a struggle with the effects of the curse that came upon the earth after Adam made a very bad choice and listened to what the devil had said to his wife. Bad Choice, wouldn't you say? IC3-3 practice test We all are reaping the consequences. But, praise the Lord, Jesus came and delivered us from the curse.
If that is so; we all know that, that is true; why then is the curse still evidence in the lives of so many believers? Why is that? So many Christians are still in bondage.
There are open doors to deception
In the first chapter of James, the Word of God reveals a major doorway through which Satan can come to deceive us. In the verse 22 we read: "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."
Every time some portion of the Word of God is quickened to your heart and you fail (or refuse) to act on it, you leave a door wide open for Satan to enter your life with some form of darkness. Actually, it is like this word says it; you choose to be the cause of your own deception.
You know. Every time when you read the Word and fail to choose to act on the Word, you are saying by your actions something you would probably never say with your lips, i.e., "I don't believe God's Word is true and I have a better plan."
At that moment, you made a very bad choice because you took the work out of the hands of the devil. He doesn't have to sow doubt or unbelief in your heart about the integrity of God's Word. You did it yourself. You made it easy for satan to bring the effects of the curse into that area IC3-2 practice test of your life. James 2:17
You're right "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God" Hebr. 11:6 But without corresponding action, that faith is powerless to help you. In fact, the word translated "hearers" in James 1:22 is the same Greek word translated "hearing" in Romans 10:17.
So, James is not talking about hearing with your natural ears but rather hearing with your heart, which is precisely how faith comes. Yet, by choosing not to "do" that Word, you can still be deceived.
How Can You Do The Word?
First, don't ever let Satan deceive you into thinking your faith isn't important. Let's go back to James 1:22-25 and read on to verse 25 to find the answer.
That verse says, "Being not a forgetful hearer but a doer." A hearer of what? A hearer of the "perfect law of liberty" or in other words, God's Word. Thus, you could say, "Being not a forgetful hearer of God's Word, but a doer."
Now let's look at the next key to doing the Word. We find it in the very next verse: James 1:26
Here the Bible warns us of another source of deception. First it told us that deception comes when you hear the Word but don't do it. Now it adds this truth: If you think you have it all together spiritually but don't keep your tongue from speaking things contrary to God's Word, then you're fooling yourself.
Satan will try to deceive us into believing that thoughts and words are unimportant. Don't we all eventually say what we've been thinking? Jesus said we do in Luke 6:45
The two principle factors which determine whether or not you become a doer of the Word are:What you think upon and
What you speak
If you make the choice to meditate on God's Word and then speak God's Word, you will tap into the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe. And that power can and will change your behavior. You will become a doer of the Word, not by your own strength and resolve, but by the power of God that resides in His 312-49 Word.
Consistent doing is always preceded by consistent thinking and consistent speaking. A failure to do the Word, however, leads to deception. And as we've seen, deception leads to something very different from prosperity and success.
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