Walk it Out

How do you become what you really want to be? Is it a matter of faith or a matter of action? If you listen to the Word of Faith peddlers they will tell you that you just need to believe it and speak it.

No matter what you need today, find a promise from God’s Word and believe it. Put it in your heart and in your mouth, and it will begin to work for you—that’s faith. There’s no getting around that process. Why? Because faith is a law. Jesus said, “According to your faith be it unto you”. So start calling things that be not as though they were. What are you calling your body? Your family? Your bank account? Say what God says about those things. Speak the answer you desire. - Gloria Copeland

In fact, this is nothing but New Age confession and visualization techniques. Kenneth Copeland has even admitted as much, although stating that the New Age is copying the Bible and not the other way around.

"Words create pictures, and pictures in your mind create words. And then the words come back out your mouth ... And when that spiritual force comes out it is going to give substance to the image that's on the inside of you. Aw, that's that visualization stuff! Aw, that's that New Age! No, New Age is trying to do this; and they'd get somewhat results out of it because this is spiritual law, brother." - Kenneth Copeland

So let's take a look at what the Bible says. We know from Galatians 5:22-23 that the 'fruit' of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self control. These are attributes that a Christian should exhibit. So how do we obtain these? The Bible tells us what to do in the next verses.

And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. - Galatians 5:24-25

So exactly what does it mean to 'walk in the Spirit'? You'll notice that those three words shown in bold above are verbs. They denote action on the part of the believer. Let me give you an example.

Let's say you want to be a more generous person. So what do you do? The first thing you do is you pray and ask God to change your heart and make you a generous person. The next thing you do is believe - believe that God is going to do it. Then do you just sit back and wait for it to happen? Of course not! You begin to live and walk like you are a generous person. You can start simply by tipping your waiters and waitresses more than the recommended 15%. It won't be easy at first and you'll have to think about it every time you do it. But after awhile an amazing thing will happen. As you 'walk it out', the Holy Spirit begins to produce the real thing inside of you. It becomes more than an action on your part - it becomes part of you.

My point is this - obviously faith is extremely important. Without faith it's impossible to please God. We should believe that He is and that He rewards those who seek Him. We should speak positive words, because the Bible teaches that life and death is in the power of the tongue. But what we have to understand is that to place all the responsibility on faith and the power of the spoken word is bad doctrine - it negates the responsibility of the believer to walk out their faith which is clearly taught in Scripture.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. - James 1:22

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." - Matthew 7:21

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock." - Matthew 7:24

What do you need in your life?

Do you need to be a person of the Word? Walk it out. Start reading your Bible daily and asking God to make you a student of His Word. You'll be amazed what will happen.

Do you need to forgive? Ask God to help you and then start living like you are a forgiver. You know what I mean. You can't say you've forgiven and then get up everyday and talk and walk as though you haven't forgiven. You have to walk it out.

Do you need self-control? Ask God for strength and then start practicing it. If you struggle with lust and pornography it's not going to magically disappear if you keep going to those same website on that same computer late at night. Get rid of it! Do what you have to do to walk it out!

Let us have faith, of course. But if it stops there our faith is dead, no matter how much we 'speak' it out. We have to walk it out.

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. - James 2:17