Walking the Talk
It’s always so exciting when the Lord brings new insight and understanding concerning His Word, as He’s done very significantly in the past few days through conversations with FAM Fellowship members facing the normal challenges or trials of marriage restoration. And one of the most significant things the Lord has revealed is the REAL and UNDENIABLE differences between those who walk the talk and those who don’t. There’s such an extreme contrast in the heart attitudes, reactions and consequences of those who have heard the Word and DO what it teaches versus those who have also heard it and fail to put it into practice. So the past few days have provided very powerful and amazing confirmation of what Jesus taught about the consequences of obedience and disobedience by comparing it to the different results attained by wise and foolish builders, in Luke 6:46-49, which says:
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
Anyone to whom the Lord gives a burden for ministry of any kind is burdened with an overwhelming desire to help others understand the message of the cross and that Jesus Christ came to give us abundant life in the form of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, of which Romans 14:17 says For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, So we continually strive to find more effective ways to help others understand how to achieve the victory that comes when we truly learn to put all of our faith and confidence in Jesus Christ and the power and promise of His Word. So as I was pondering the striking differences I’ve recently seen in how some of the fellowship members have reacted to the INEVITABLE challenging or disappointing circumstances we all face as we stand for the restoration of our marriages; I couldn’t help trying to better understand the differences to learn how to more effectively overcome our inability to CONSISTENTLY walk the talk; meaning to consistently DO what we know the Bible teaches and instructs us to do.
And one thing the above passage of scripture makes pretty clear is that “torrents” of one kind or another ARE GOING TO COME against ALL of us as we stand against the world and the gates of hell for the restoration of our marriages and families. So the ONLY difference is how we react and respond when the “torrents” come. According to www.Dictionary.com, the definition of “torrent” is:
“1. a stream of water flowing with great rapidity and violence.
2. a rushing, violent, or abundant and unceasing stream of anything: a torrent of lava.
3. a violent downpour of rain.
4. a violent, tumultuous, or overwhelming flow: a torrent of abuse.”
So maybe part of the problem we have in walking the talk when the torrents come is that we don’t realize and understand that we ARE going to encounter challenges and disappointments as we stand for the restoration of our marriages and that we need to be prepared for them when they come. AND it’s very important to understand that the attacks we experience are NOT always from the devil as we tend to believe, because it is God who WILL “test” our hearts and faith, as the following passages of scripture make very clear:
Deuteronomy 8:2 – Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.
Deuteronomy 13:3-4 – you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.
Psalm 17:3 – Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.
Psalm 26:1-3 – Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.
1 Thessalonians 2:4 – On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.
Hebrews 3:7-10 – Warning Against Unbelief
So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’
James 1:2-8 – Trials and Temptations
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
Perhaps realizing and understanding that God WILL test our hearts and faith helps, but even that won’t make a real difference until or unless we BELIEVE God and KNOW we CAN take Him at His Word. As 1 John 5:10 says, Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And that’s the message we give to both God and man when we are unable to walk the talk, because IF we REALLY believe everything we say we do, there will be tangible evidence of it in our lives; most particularly in how we handle the inevitable challenges and disappointments encountered as we stand in faith and obedience on the power and promise of God’s Word for the restoration of our marriages and families. And what better example of that do we have than that of Abraham when God asked him to put his son, the very means by which God had promised to bless him, on the alter, of which Hebrews 11:17-18 says By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” And perhaps that’s the best illustration of the difficulty we have in understanding what God means when He calls us to “stand” for the restoration of our marriages; while at the same time telling us to let our spouses depart if they want to leave! So in effect, God is asking us to put our spouses and marriages on the alter and to follow Abraham’s example by trusting HIM to save them! Yet, the problem we have when those inevitable “torrents” come against us, is that we believe they have the power to destroy our hopes and dreams of restored marriages, instead of recognizing and welcoming them as opportunities to demonstrate our unyielding faith and confidence in God Almighty and the power and promise of His Word, as well as His ability and faithfulness to bring it to pass!
But no matter what clever words and ways we might come up with about how to best walk the talk and CONSISTENTLY stand on the power and promise of God’s Word; the best answer is still (as always) found in His Word, and just happens to be very appropriate for us as we stand against the world and the forces of hell for the deliverance of our spouses and the restoration of our marriages. Because the ONLY way to “walk the talk” is to CONSISTENTLY put on the WHOLE armor of God as instructed in Ephesians 6:10-18, which says:
The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
So the only way to walk the talk is to consistently walk in truth, righteousness, and peace; relying on faith, salvation, God’s Word and continuous prayer. And the reason we have to CONSISTENTLY walk the talk is because just as soon as we don’t, we can be certain that the devil will take full advantage of ANY opportunity he’s given to steal, kill and destroy; just as 1 Peter 5:8 (AMP) warns; Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.
So the next time one of those inevitable torrents comes against us, instead of giving way to fear and doubt, let’s put on the full armor of God, and thank Him for giving us an opportunity to pass the test by walking the talk! And by putting God’s Word into practice, we will withstand EVERY torrent that comes against us as we stand for the restoration of our marriages and families, and we WILL BE blessed and encouraged beyond belief!