By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo
James 1:22-24 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirrorand, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”_ – NIV Apostle James was emphasizing the importance of being doers of God’s word. A lot of people throng places of worship or tune to preaching programs every week to, among other things, listen to God’s word taught. But the irony is that most of them manifest a different lifestyle not in agreement with the teachings they recieved. Such are the people James says are deceiving themselves. The word of God is powerful enough to cause transformation in a person’s life and in any situation whatsoever. But it only works when it is obeyed and acted upon in faith. Hebrews 4:2 says, _”For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.”_So how does one decieve himself? By listening/reading God’s word (the mirror), expecting it to bring results in their lives and situations, and yet they are not willing to do what the word says! They have other interests, desires and priorities competing against the word. The word of God should take precedence over anything else if it is to work. The biggest challenge in the church today is unbelieving Christians who partially believe God’s word to the extent of their convenience. They want the word to coexist with other things they are not willing to surrender and forsake. They confess Christ, but bear no fruit worthy of repentance and their profession of faith.Deception is elusive. Its important to examine oneself. Are you a victim of self deception? Can you hear Jesus say, ‘Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say?’ The remedy is simple: choose to believe and act on the word. Align all other things to obey the word. _Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”_Shalom children of God.