Could you be deceiving yourself?

Photo by Savannah B. on Unsplash

James 1:22-25 But be doers of the word, and not just hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 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 the mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he is like. 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.

There have been times in my pursuit of knowing God, where I am consuming so much Christian content, but it feels like I am moving nowhere fast. This happens when I fail to stop and do what scripture says. While on the surface it looks like spiritual growth, Internally It’s exhausting from information overload.

Have you ever experienced this?

Clearly James had seen and heard about this kind of problem in the early church, so it is not new and it needs to be addressed today like it was back then. In this post, I want to explore the problem presented in these verses, and how slowing down can stop us from deceiving ourselves.

Knowledge without obedience equals a deceived person

James gets to the heart of the matter pretty fast in these verses, so we know exactly where we stand. Be doers and not just hearers of the word, deceiving ourselves. We are to go beyond reading and hearing what the bible has to say to us, especially when it gives us instructions, and if we don’t, there is a problem.

It’s amazing how much time we can spend reading and listening to the bible without ever doing what it says, and think we are somehow maturing in our faith. I have been guilty of this type of thinking and if you are in the same boat, James is not letting us off easy, he says we are deceiving ourselves.

A reflection that needs action

We are told that if anyone is a hearer and not a doer of the word, that we are just like a man who looks at his reflection in a mirror, walks away and forgets what he has seen.

The main purpose of a mirror is to check our appearance, and if we see that there is something wrong, we wouldn’t just say “Whatever” and then walk away without making the necessary changes. (if we do that people will think we are crazy)

Similarly, God’s word is like a mirror, in that it shows us what we cannot see about ourselves and also provides us with instructions to help us live redeemed lives. The difference is, what the bible shows us is significantly more important than what any mirror reveals, and this is why we need to do more than just reflect on what we have read in the bible. When we choose not to do what it is saying, we may as well walk away and forget what we have seen.

Consuming but no obedience

Reflecting on these verses, I always end up at the same conclusion. There is no shortage of Christian content and not enough time taken to be shaped by what we are learning.

From personal experience, I read and meditate on scripture and think about how important it will be to do what it is saying, and as I am reflecting, another great verse will stand out, or I will hear a great sermon and all of a sudden, I am thinking about something else. I am sure James’ audience was no different and imagine I cannot be the only one in the church today who gets caught in this cycle of consuming with no obedience.

Stop learning and make time to grow

So, what can we do to become doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive ourselves into thinking that inaction is ok? I urge you to take note of the following steps so you can put them into action:

1. If God has shown you something in scripture that relates to your life or behaviour, you should repent and take the time to meditate on it and pray about what is being revealed.
2. Stop consuming Christian content that has nothing to do with what is being asked of you and commit to doing what the scripture is telling you to do. I am not suggesting that you don’t read the bible at all, just to reduce what you are taking in.
3. Share with a brother or sister in Christ that you want to be a doer of the word and ask them to support you in prayer and accountability.
4. Be patient, because spiritual growth doesn’t happen overnight. You are running a race, not a sprint. Don’t give up on learning to be a doer!

Does being a doer really matter?

If you have read this far, consider yourself a Christian or born again, and are sitting on the fence about whether doing the word really matters, or are just indifferent, I am praying for you as I write this.

The number one reason why being a doer of the word should matter to the church, is because God did not redeem us to stay the same. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that All scripture is God breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. So, it is for our good that we get into the habit of being doers because there are missed opportunities for transformation when don’t do what the word says.

James goes on to say that “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”.

While it is great that God will bless us for being doers of the word, what’s more important is that when we make obedience to the word a priority in our lives, we are participating in the process of our sanctification, and that is a true sign of maturity in our faith.

Please comment about what has been your experience of these verses, and share this post with anyone that you think would benefit.

Father God, thank you for your word that is alive and ready to transform us. I pray that we would stop deceiving ourselves and desire to be obedient to what you tell us and then do it. In Jesus name, Amen.