Hearing and Doing the Word

James 1:19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

 26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

I was thinking about this passage and how that works in conjunction with my heart. Lately, the Lord has been speaking to me in volumes seemingly by way of "maps". Placement maps, road maps, planning and stewardship maps, character maps...different routes to take my heart away from deadly glaciers, rocky cliffs, desolate wastelands and from sinking in the sea.

I have an incredibly proud heart, which sucks. And I have to be careful in what I say here, because I don't want to admit that pride is a vice to seem humble, but still be prideful...if that makes sense. I have been asking and begging the Lord to change me and break me and make into something new, and that hasn't been an easy task. It was expected though. I feel like one year ago I was a different person, and change has come quickly - however my heart didn't keep up. My knowledge grew, study habits, book collection, fervency of prayer, but none of that matters without keeping the relational aspect. Talking with a brother, we both came to the conclusion that we studied scripture as if God were a topic, or an object under a microscope. Ironic how desiring cloesness to God can further one's pursuit if caution isn't aired and motives veer off course.

At this fork in the road, the Lord is leading me down the other path, the one I didn't expect, but saw coming. It seems as though almost every extracurricular thing are being sidelined for the sake of God winning my heart - and I need to refocus. Seniority, capability and longevity are good things, but not attributes that are binding. I'm stepping back from a lot of things with the intention of finding my place with God again. Too long I've let this pride linger, not manning up to properly deal with the wicked sin in my heart, confess to the Lord and repent.

I don't know specifics of what to expect in this next season, but I know I'm going to run hard after the Lord, know him and love him because he does the same for me; even though I can't outmatch him. I feel also that big things might be happening this year, and that this extraction is happening for a good reason. Where God guides, God provides - that's what mom has always said to me, and I believe it now more than ever.

Going back to those verses in James, I think it's additionally applicable for convictions. By that I mean when I hear truth from God either from the word, council, a sermon or prayer, I can take it and implicate it into my life, or I can be emotionally torn by it, but let it dwindle as a flash in the pan sort of feeling. I don't want to look at my sin in the mirror, and immediately walk away and forget what God was showing me. Lots to learn, and so little time in this life. It's been 17 days so far, and it's seemed like months to me; but I know it'll be a good year. Soli Deo Gloria