{"id":32443,"date":"2024-11-06T09:03:38","date_gmt":"2024-11-06T14:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/?p=32443"},"modified":"2024-11-20T09:03:44","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T14:03:44","slug":"application","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/application.htm","title":{"rendered":"Application About More Than Mere External Conformity?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u2019s Idea, Not Merely a Good Idea<\/a>. Read Matthew 7:24-25, James 1:25 and 2:17.
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\nBut, 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).<\/span><\/p>\n

Mere External Conformity versus Internal Change<\/h2>\n

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?<\/p>\n

God cares about the motives behind what we do (Prov. 16:2)<\/span>, 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.<\/p>\n

God cares about our attitudes, not just our actions. We’re “made new in the attitude of our<\/em> minds” in Christ Jesus (Eph. 4:23)<\/span>. How we respond to life and treat others changes when we’ve been internally transformed.<\/p>\n

Internal Change Leads to Application<\/h2>\n

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:<\/p>\n