Beloved, do you want to take your faith from theory to action? And, do you want to take your victory from theology to manifestation? If so, pray this prayer with me to be a doer of the Word, and not a hearer only.

Friend, God’s Word always works–but we have to work it.

God’s promises are conditional. He will always do what He says He will do, but His promises specifically say things like this:

“If you do this, then I will respond by doing that.“

And too often, we expect God to do His “that” without our ever doing our “this.”

However, if you want to walk in the victory that is yours, friend, you have to take what the Word of God says and carry it out.

That means:

• We have to seek God first, like God’s Word says to. (Read about 7 ways to seek God first here.)
• We have to love others, like God’s Word says to.
• We have to manage our money (which is really only God’s money) the way He says to.
• We have to walk in sexual purity like God’s Word says to.

The list goes on and on. God’s Word is filled with instructions for living. Every single situation you will ever encounter in life is either specifically solved in God’s Word or the principles for solving it are contained in His Word. God’s Word, the Bible, is a manual for life–and it is inerrant and infallible.

This is why we have to be people who actually do what the Word says in order to receive what it promises.

Even Jesus told us we have to obey His Word when He said:

“If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15 NKJV).

It is our obedience to Him that shows our love for Him. And it is only when we obey Him that we can receive what He promises, according to Deuteronomy 28:

“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God …” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2 NKJV).

All of God’s promises are prefaced by a great big “IF”:

… “if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today …”

And friend, that’s a big IF–because we have too many people in the Body of Christ who are fans of Jesus, but not disciples of Jesus. They think Jesus is great and even call on His name here and there, but He is not truly their Lord. How do we know? Because they don’t do what He says, and yet “Lord” means He is your Boss, Master, and Overruler.

In other words, if you have made Jesus your “Lord,” then anything He says goes. You do anything and everything He says. That is what “Lord” means. There is no such thing as “Lordship” without obedience to your Lord.

This is why we must pray and ask for God’s help.

According to the book of James, we are to be doers of the Word, and not hearers only. In other words, we are not just to read the Word, say “that’s nice,” and go away unchanged and with our course unaltered.

Instead, we are to read and hear the Word, realize that we must obey it, decide to obey it, and go about our day and actually change based on the Word.

Yes, friend: We must walk away from our time of staring into the Word and go forth and carry out what it says. This is what it means to be a doer of the Word, and not a hearer only.

Look what the apostle James told us in James chapter 1:

“Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:22-25 NKJV).

Friend, do you need help with this? I know I do.

If we are honest, every single human being alive will admit that we need help obeying God. Why? Because without Him we can do nothing, as Jesus taught us in John 15:

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:1-8 NKJV).

We cannot bear fruit (obey God) without Jesus’ help. Without Him, we can do nothing.

This is why we should each ask the Father every day to help us. We have to pray and ask the Lord Jesus to help us obey Him, for without Him we can do nothing. And it is His Spirit in us that moves us to obey, and Who inspires us to continue seeking Him:

“So he answered and said to me:

‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts’” (Zechariah 4:6 NKJV).

Friend, are you ready to pray and ask God to help you be a doer of the Word, and not a hearer only?

If so, pray this short prayer with me:

“Dear Heavenly Father, I come before You in Jesus’ name.

Father, thank You so much for loving me and taking care of me. Thank You for having every good plan for my life, and for being the Source and Sustainer of my life.

Lord Jesus, thank You for being the Author and Finisher of my faith. Without You I can do nothing, and I praise You for Your marvelous grace, which is sufficient for me; and that Your strength is made perfect in my weakness.

Abba Father, I desire to honor You and Your holy name.

You are so worthy to be praised, worshiped, and obeyed, but I need Your help to do it all. And specifically today, I am begging You to help me obey You.

Lord, I desire to be a doer of the Word, and not a hearer only. I want to have a soft heart toward You. And every time I read Your Word, I desire to be changed by it.

Therefore, Father, in Jesus’ name, would You help me today?

Lord Jesus and Holy Spirit, would You help me today? Specifically:

• Please help me to be aware of Your instructions at all times.
• Help me to obey everything You say in Your Word, and to know how it applies to me both theologically and in everyday, practical living.
• Show me how to carry out Your Word and apply Your Word in every situation that I encounter!
• Give me a burning passion for keeping Your Word and Your commandments, Lord Jesus!
• Help me to read and study Your Word diligently, so I will know what Your commandments are.
• Help me to hide Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.
• Every time I read Your Word, I pray that You would sear it into my heart like a brand. Let there be smoke as You burn Your Word into my heart, and let the holy brand of Your Word change the landscape of my heart forever as I read and absorb it.
• Give me understanding, that I may live and keep Your Word!
• Give me wisdom and revelation from the pages of Your Word. Help everything I read to come alive in my heart, and never to be only theory that doesn’t impact me personally.
• Instruct me and teach me in the way that I should go, and guide me with Your eye upon me! (See Psalm 32:8.)

O Abba Father, please help me obey You.

Help me obey all these commandments that Jesus has spoken, and help me to do it out of genuine love for You and relationship with You, not out of legalistic servitude. Help me to walk before You as it pleases You, passing through the garden of life walking and talking with You personally–which I know is only possible if I show You I love you by obeying You.

O Father God, thank You for hearing me pray today. Thank You that You can help me be a doer of the Word, and not a hearer only, even if in my flesh dwells no good thing (see Romans 7:18).

Thank You for Your mercy and grace toward me. Please help me obey You in all things, and to carry out Your Word each and every day as I abide as a branch in Jesus Christ, Who is the Vine.

Thank You, Abba Father. It is in Jesus’ name I pray, amen and amen.”

Friend, do you want to be a doer of the Word, and not a hearer only?

If so, then you’ve got to call on the Lord for help. Only He can give you the power and strength to obey, but He does it by His Spirit, and He does it as soon as you ask. It’s okay to be totally dependent on Him, for Jesus told us that, without Him, we can do nothing.

And yet, as soon as you call on His name, He will manifest His power through you and give you the power and strength to obey His Word if you choose to do so.

I leave you with one more passage of Scripture to ponder, because I want to dethrone one more lie of the enemy that might be in your head.

It could be that some people, out of a lack of understanding of God and His Word, could think to themselves thoughts that are actually a lie from the enemy, telling themselves “Well, God did not help me to obey Him, because I did not obey Him. So it must be God’s fault; He didn’t answer my prayer yet for strength to obey.”

And if that thought ever crosses your mind, friend, I assure you: that thought comes from the enemy, and it is being whispered into your head by demons. It goes completely against God’s Word, because God’s Word says that you have what you ask Him for as soon as you ask Him:

“So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:22-24 NKJV).

And also:

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11 NKJV).

Therefore, friend, if you will ask God for help to obey Him and be a DOER of His Word, and not a hearer only, He will answer and give you His grace and strength immediately. INSTANTLY.

100% of the time.

You just have to make the choice to flee temptation and resist the devil, so that the devil flees from you. You have to draw near to God, and God will draw near to you.

As He teaches us in the book of James:

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:7-10).

And it doesn’t matter whether the temptation or situation is big or small.

The Bible tells us that He will help you overcome every temptation and obey Him at all times, no matter how tempting the temptation to sin is. Look at 1 Corinthians 10:13:

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthans 10:13 NKJV).

So, beloved, the promises of God are true. His grace truly is sufficient for you, and His strength really is made perfect in your weakness.

Will you call on His name and ask Him for His help today to be a doer of the Word, and not a hearer only?

Leave a comment below if you will!