The power is not in preaching rather, the power is in living out the words you preach. This statement is not only applicable to preachers and teachers of the word of God but to everyone who hears the word of God. James 1:22 (NLT) says, “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” With that said, teachers of the gospel will be held to the letter of what they teach. James 3:1 (NIV) confirms, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”

Practicing what you preach as pastors, teachers, parents, supervisors, trainers etc requires that you behave in the same way you encouraged others to behave in. According to Hebrews 4:12, “the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The living Word is active in the lives of those who receive it and lives it. According to the psalmist, the person who meditates on and delights in the Word will be “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither” (Psalm 1:2–3).

Now, I’ll be the first to openly admit that I am a ‘continued’ work in progress. God is still removing some scales, pruning some flesh, and reshaping my mind. Paul said it best in Philippians 3:13-16, “Brothers, I don’t regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do. Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, think this way. If in anything you think otherwise, God will also reveal that to you. Nevertheless, to the extent that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule. Let us be of the same mind.”

Jesus, who is the greatest Preacher/Teacher that ever walked the face of this earth summed up a life lived for God when a teacher of the law asked Him the most important of commandments. Jesus replied, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).

Brothers and Sisters, those who truly desire to live for God must seek Him in His Word. We must seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to apply the Word to our lives. Living for God means giving up ourselves and desiring God’s will above all else. As we draw nearer to God and come to know Him more, His desires will more naturally become ours. As we mature, our desire to obey God’s commands increases as our love for Him and our fellow man increases. As Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15).

As it stands, the best sermon ever preached 🗣is the one that is lived out through your feet 👣 because if we live by the Spirit, we will also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24–25)!