My two-year-old son loves to play football with our neighbour’s son, who’s already in secondary school. Playing with him is not always easy for my son, but he enjoys playing nonetheless. Recently, I noticed my son calls him Goliath. I guess he sees himself as a David facing a Goliath. What a way to live out scriptures!
Friend, the Bible is not just meant for preaching or quoting. It is meant for living (Joshua 1:8). Until you apply the word, you won’t profit from the same. We have many people who read, study, and even teach the word, but very few who practise it. They are like the Pharisees that Jesus talked about (Matthew 23:1-4).
The book of Acts of the Apostles introduced Jesus as first a doer before a teacher (Acts 1:1). How do you want to be remembered? Is it a powerful preacher or a practitioner of the word? It is our lives that give weight to our message. If your life is wrong, your work is wrong (1 Timothy 4:15-16). The best message you can ever preach is the one that flows from what you do.
The Bible is not a storybook. It is a practice book. Therein are principles that are supposed to guide our daily lives and affairs (2 Timothy 3:15-16). When you see the Bible as God’s personal letters and instructions to you as His son, you would stop generalising it (Proverbs 4:20-23). You would make it personal.
Like my son, what you read in the pages of the Bible must be applied to your everyday life (Luke 4:4). Beyond just reading the story of David and Goliath. Apply it to your life. Since David defeated Goliath by trusting in his covenant walk with God, you would also defeat whatever Goliath or challenge confronting you (1 Samuel 17:29-54).
While teaching the word is good, it would not change you if you don’t do what it says (John 8:31-32). This is why some pastors and preachers are blessing people while they themselves are bleeding. They are not applying the things they teach to their own lives. Like Ezra, your first priority should be to seek the word and do the word before teaching it (Ezra 7:10).
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria