Whether you preach, teach, or disciple others one-on-one, remember that application is important to God. As a teacher training worksheet says, Application is God’s Idea, Not Merely a Good Idea. Read Matthew 7:24-25, James 1:25 and 2:17.
But, God’s Word also says, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” While application is important, we must put more emphasis on what’s happening in the heart “for everything you do flows from it” (Prov. 4:23).
Mere External Conformity versus Internal Change
If we’re satisfied with mere external conformity, we could be building a church full of hypocrites. We could find ourselves with a group who are quick to give up when the going gets tough because their hearts aren’t in it. How is that honoring to God? How is that a testimony to the world around us?
God cares about the motives behind what we do (Prov. 16:2), what’s in our heart. It’s not just about saying or doing the right things. It’s about doing them for the right reasons, and that’s a matter of the heart.
God cares about our attitudes, not just our actions. We’re “made new in the attitude of our minds” in Christ Jesus (Eph. 4:23). How we respond to life and treat others changes when we’ve been internally transformed.
Internal Change Leads to Application
When our whole heart is given over to God, we will do what we’re supposed to do. That’s why we find verses like the following:
- “love the Lord with all your heart …” (Matt. 22:37)
- “trust in the Lord with all your heart …” (Prov. 3:5)
- “keep your precepts with all my heart …” (Ps. 119:69)
When we change from the inside out, we tend to do what we should do. Obedience to God’s Word flows from a heart in tune with Him. When we keep His commandments because we love Him, “his commands are not burdensome” (1 Jn. 5:3). We want to please Him. We want to align with Him. Our perspective about the Christian life changes when we’ve been internally changed. We find that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matt. 11:30).