Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1.22
I have been walking with Christ now for over half of my life. So I have learned a lot of tricks that allow me to look the right way to others, and to feel good about not really putting much effort into being more like Christ. What I would like to do is share one of them that I love to use when I want to acknowledge that God is moving in my heart, a least a little, but I really don’t want to do anything about it.
I pray about it once. Something like, “God, help me to do XXXXXX more.” Or, if it is sin I am seeing freshly, “God, help me to do XXXXX less.” Simple step.
Then I don’t do anything else.
I don’t make a note to remind myself the next time I am reading scripture that I need to press into this a bit. In fact, I don’t write anything about it at all. I find that writing just helps me remember it better after all. I don’t tell anyone that God might be moving in this area (who wants the people that care about me asking me about it?), and I don’t bring it up with God again. One and done. If God is serious enough about this, my singular prayer should be all the effort I need to put into it. I mean, I am a busy guy.
It is the perfect approach when I really don’t want to make a change; I can acknowledge that something touched me and I can say I prayed about it.
And usually, given about a day or so of the crazy life I lead, it just drifts out of my mind. I guess God wasn’t serious about it after all.
~ Jim Pace