What is Action?
noun
1. the process or state of acting or of being active: The machine is not in action now.
2. something done or performed; act; deed.
3. an act that one consciously wills and that may be characterized by physical or mental activity: a crisis that demands action instead of debate; hoping for constructive action by the landlord.
something done ; there were stories of crime and other unnatural actions;
the state of being active; his sphere of activity; he is out of action;
a judicial proceeding brought by one party against another; one party prosecutes another for a wrong done or for protection of a right or for prevention of a wrong
an act by a government body or supranational organization; recent federal action undermined the segregationist position; the United Nations must have the power to propose and organize action without being hobbled by irrelevant issues; the Union action of emancipating Southern slaves;
a military engagement; he saw action in Korea;
a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings);
the series of events that form a plot; his novels always have a lot of action;
the operating part that transmits power to a mechanism; the piano had a very stiff action;
the trait of being active and energetic and forceful; a man of action;
the most important or interesting work or activity in a specific area or field;
verb
institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against; He was warned that the district attorney would process him; She actioned the company for discrimination;
put in effect; carry out a task; execute the decision of the people; He actioned the operation; action;
What is Discernment?
noun
the cognitive condition of someone who understands; he has virtually no understanding of social cause and effect;
delicate discrimination ; arrogance and lack of taste contributed to his rapid success; to ask at that particular time was the ultimate in bad taste;
perception of that which is obscure
ability to make good judgments
the trait of judging wisely and objectively; a man of discernment;
Psalm 119:105-106
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.
I have sworn and confirmed
That I will keep Your righteous judgments.
Proverbs 3:5-7
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
Proverbs 12:28
In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is no death.
Getting On The Path
The Bible refers to getting on the path over 100 times. This alone tells us that there is an importance beyond measure to getting on the path. It also indicates the lack of peoples abilities to get on the path. Satan certainly has his ways of keeping us off the path and the result of that is distancing ourselves from God.
People with the Passion and not the Plan
Why do the desires of the heart to reach the lost never turn into action? I don't know how many times I have heard somebody say that if I had a million dollars, I would do this or do that. What they are really saying is that I don't have to get on the path until God provides. That's their whole mentality; If God will provide, then I will get on the path. When in fact, it is the exact opposite that God is saying; if you get on the path, then God will provide.
First there are the people that really have a burning desire of the heart to do service, but have no game plan. They cry out for spiritual direction from above and think that will make the difference, but never take that first step. The devil has certainly developed a system of intimidation, fear, and lack of motivation. Most people talk the talk but never walk the walk.
The second group I have noticed more than hundreds of times are those people who will hold claim to the fact that we need to reach out to the communities and yet will never lay one finger in effort from themselves to participate. Usually it is a form of validation to themselves that they are holding claim to. I can actually see the self glorification in their face when they make claims of what the church needs to do as if it was their own invention of necessity. Well just stating the need doesn't aid the need.
The really amazing part is that I can actually see the transformation of the first group into the latter. It's like the desires of their youth which have failed to accomplish anything are now turned into the acceptance of their lacking. Both groups have the passion without the plan. And both groups have a part of themselves missing, it's missing the completion of their desire. They are literally incomplete because their Godly directed visions have not been served, and in most cases, not even started.
The amazingly sad part is that most of them claim that the church needs to do more when in fact it's not the church they should be blaming for their own lack of motivation, it's themselves. It's not the church that's stopping them, when in fact it is the church that is encouraging them. It's not the congregations that are stopping them, it is literally the devil that is stopping them and they are allowing the devil to have his way with stopping their desires to serve.
You look at all of the best ministries that are out there and you will realize that they all have the same common denominators in them. Rather it's 3ABN, ASI, Amazing Facts, The One Day Church, and the list goes on, they all started with one single step. And the people did not give up at their first opportunity to get off the path. There is also another fact that they all have Christ as their highest importance in the mission, and not themselves. Most of them had no idea where God was going to lead them, but they accepted the call and continued on the path. They are also all laymen ministries.
First Steps of Action
Most people have no action to their actions, and no action is an actual action. If you are not on the path towards a closer relationship with Christ, then you are literally choosing to not have a closer relationship with Christ. Action is the first step to becoming closers to Christ. Just one step is a form of action. Take that one step of action, then take another, and soon enough your walking. It is only when we are walking on the path with Christ that He can move us to the left or to the right, He can't move us when we are standing still. he can't direct our feet when they won't budge. So we do have to take those first steps of action
Forming Good Habits
Far to often do I see the devil keep us scattered without us ever getting the quality habits developed. My dad use to say "Plan your work, and work your plan". It is the same concept with becoming closer to God. We have to have a Plan. The best way we can start our walk with Christ is to have that good foundation.
The First Thing I would start with is having that consistent relationship start every morning with prayer. I start every morning on my knees. 15minutes a day in prayer. 15minutes is less than 1% of your day. and if you will just spend that 1% of your day with Christ, HE WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
Consistency on the Path
One of the best ways to stay on the path is to develop those consistent habits that will last a lifetime. Sometimes we fall off our consistent relationship with Christ, and when we do, it is extremely difficult to get back on the path. So we need to be consistent. That 1% of your day will not change your life in one day. It takes consistency. And In fact, with me, It wasn't after weeks or even months, It was after being consistent year after year when I actually realized the God was changing me since the first time I got on my knees. You see, it takes consistent time, and you will not notice the results right away, chances are that God has a lot of work to do in us to put us in that position to receive His blessings.
Far too often people will quit their consistent prayer time with God after just a couple weeks or months, and God understood that they were just testing God to see what they could get out of Him. They were not spending time getting closer to Him, they were looking to Him for earthly favor and reward. God has a lot bigger blessings in store for us when we are committed to His will in our lives and we are consistently coming to Him for the right reasons. give Him the consistent time in prayer.
The Second Thing I also want to touch base here on the necessity to be consistent in your study time reading the Bible. Take 15 minutes a day in Bible reading too. Now your only up to 2% of your day. I actually wake up early just to spend that time with Christ alone in silence. And now, I automatically wake up before the alarm even rings.
The Third Thing that I would be consistent in, after prayer and Bible reading, is your consistent fellowships with others. Church services are extremely important to be consistent in, Sabbath Schools are a great way to learn and study, and week day prayer meeting and study groups are great ways to get involved in a consistency on the path. GET INVOLVED! These public consistencies will help you apply the elements that you are receiving in your consistent private time with Christ.
Why We Fall Off the Path
There are a number of reasons that we fall away from the practices of staying on the path and every single one of them are Satan's works. Sometimes we lose balance in our lives because of workloads, or maybe we were going on vacation. When i am traveling, I still spend time on my knees. I never feel the need to take a vacation from God. I take my vacations WITH God. And as far as the workload, When you need more time, spend more time with God. Satan tries to rob us of the time we spend with Christ, and if we spend more time with Christ, He will balance our time so that we have far more time to do everything life has in-store for us.
So often i will find that people who are falling off the consistent path of being closer to Christ always have one excuse or another. I have studies successful people and realized that successful people don't live with excesses, yet every single person that I have ever found that is living a failing life always has an excuse. There is no excuse whatsoever for not having a closer relationship with Christ. NONE! It's your decision to choose.
The person that makes an excuse is the person that can't produce!
The bottom line here is that we need to put Christ first in everything we do! We need Him to be the primary element in our lives and everything else is secondary. Far too often to this fallen world, it is the exact opposite. Be consistent and have Christ as your core foundation, and this will keep you from falling off the path.
Discernment
This is the best tool we can ever pray for and especially when it comes to noticing the devils tricks to getting us off the path. Satan is so crafty is his attempts to keep us from God and we have to be able to pick up on his tactics before they consume us into a complete falling away from Christ. Discernment is so important to have in everything we do. It is our direct connection to the Holy Spirit that is guiding us thru all these obstacles that are attempting to keep us away from God.