Have you ever had to take your own advice? Scary isn't it? It's easy to give advice to another person when everything in your life is in tip top shape. When our friends and family members are going through rough times, we quickly tell them to trust God, to look to the hills from which cometh their help or any other religious colloquialisms that we can think to share. However, when we face a personal trial trusting God can seem like a daunting task but it's really a test to see if we practice what we preach.
Jesus warned us not to be like the Pharisees in Matthew 23: 1-3: "Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 'The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.' " You may have thought that the saying, "Practice What You Preach" was a cliche but those words came straight from Jesus! Matthew 23: 1-3 displays the danger of telling people one thing and doing another. To avoid being like a Pharisee just be yourself. Only give advice on things that you truly know about. It's okay to reflect on Jesus' power to deliver, heal, restore, provide, and so on but be sure you can speak of your own experiences and most importantly that you know where these promises are in His word. One day you will be faced with a trial of sickness, a familial issue, a financial problem, or something else and you will have to tell yourself all the things that you've said to encourage others.
God wants to know that we can practice what we preach. When tests come our way we won't wither or fall by the wayside. We will be able to tell ourselves to trust God, to hold our head up, to keep our hand in the hand of the Master and so on. Remember Practice What You Preach and Your Words Will Always Have Validity!
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