Put on Your Running Shoes

Put On Your Running Shoes

Gal 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

There has been something troubling my spirit for a while now, and a few things that the Holy Spirit has been bringing out in my life and the circumstances surrounding them has shown me how attentive we need to be to the Spirit. I'm sorry to say that "WE" are not doers of the Word. This pertains to everyone, not just a few.

You did run the race well. Who did hinder you?

Sometimes we fall into thinking that we are the only one doing the right thing. When in actuality we are missing it totally. That's what this addition is all about.

I believe that the Holy Spirit has brought this out to show us what the problem is, and where we need to change.

Jas 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
James 1:22-27 (22) But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. (23) For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: (24) For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and streightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. (25) But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. (26)Ifany man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. (27) Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the
The word 'doer,' means: a performer/poet - in the Greek

Webster's Dict.
Poet

PO'ET, n. [L. poeta. See Poem.]

1. The author of a poem; the inventor or maker of a metrical composition.

JFB: Jas 1:22

Qualification of the precept, "Be swift to hear": "Be ye doers ... not hearers only"; not merely "Do the word," but "Be doers" systematically and continually, as if this was your regular business. James here again refers to the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 7:21-29).deceiving your own selves

Mt. 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. 28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine 29For he taught them as [one] having authority, and not as the scribes.

JFB: Jas 1:26-27

An example of doing work.
religious...religion — The Greek expresses the external service or exercise of religion, "godliness" being the internal soul of it. "If any man think himself to be (so the Greek) religious, that is, observant of the offices of religion, let him know these consist not so much in outward observances, as in such acts of mercy and humble piety (religious ... religionbridleth not ... tongueheart — It and the tongue act and react on one another.
bridleth not ...tongue — Discretion in speech is better than fluency of speech (compare Mic_6:7, Mic_6:8) as visiting the fatherless, etc., and keeping one’s self unspotted from the world" (Mat_23:23). James does not mean that these offices are the great essentials, or sum total of religion; but that, whereas the law service was merely ceremonial, the very services of the Gospel consist in acts of mercy and holiness, and it has light for its garment, its very robe being righteousness [Trench]. The Greek word is only found in Act_26:5, "after the straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee." Col_2:18, "worshipping of angels."Jam_3:2, Jam_3:3). Compare Psa_39:1. God alone can enable us to do so. James, in treating of the law, naturally notices this sin. For they who are free from grosser sins, and even bear the outward show of sanctity, will often exalt themselves by detracting others under the pretense of zeal, while their real motive is love of evil-speaking [Calvin].

heart — It and the tongue act and react on one another.

Some of these things that are being brought into the light are not setting to well with many, but as the old saying goes: " If the shoe fits ware it!" But then, examine those shoes.

Do the shoes you have on fit the thing that they are being used for?

In other words! Are your shoes made for walking? If not, then you better find another pair of shoes fast! Because in Romams 12:1-2 it says:

v.2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Eph.4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind: (made new)

Rom.12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethern, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

v. 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

If you stop to think about it, everyone knows that you don't ware dress shoes or heels to walk any distance. They, for one thing, put blisters on your feet and cause your feet to hurt and cramp if you try to go very far in them. Thus, hindering your walk and may even cause you to stop and stagnate in one place! Which is spiritual death.

So, get rid of the wrong kind of shoes!!! Be willing to change!!! Put on those good old comfortable tennies and start to walk. That's what God has called us to do.

We have mountains to climb and deserts to cross and yes, even chasms to jump; if God asks us to.

He says He's getting tired of seeing those whom He has called being pinched, tired, hurting and burned out by religious doctrines and legalism shoes. These shoes are not made for walking.

Get rid of them! Get rid of them quick or the consequences of not obeying the Spirit and keeping them may be too high a price to pay in the long run.

1 John 1:7- 8But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. v. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

God is calling us to a deeper walk with him because the hour is so short.

If our feet are hurting by the shoes we have chosen to ware, (not because they are the right ones; but for their look). We can't have our full attention on the things of God. At this hour we need our full attention on what the Spirit is saying, and not only that, but responding to what he tells us to do or say. Or, it may be that later down the road we'll wish we had!

So, get out those old beat up tennies or walking shoes, because we have a long way to go. We'll need to be able to withstand the grueling pace. We can only do that if we have on our best walking shoes, so that our attention is on what God is telling us to do, and not on our tired aching feet.

In this hour we need to be finely tuned to the Spirit and not have any distractions of our own making, because the enemy will try to distract us all that he can.

James 1: 14-15 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. v.15 Then when the lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Nancy

updated May 27, 2011
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