But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. — JAMES 1:22

Even when God speaks to you, you can choose not to act on it. The bedfast man who was let down through the roof didn’t have to act when Jesus said, “Rise, take up your bed, and walk” (Mark 2:11). He could have refused. But he came for results, so he made an effort to do what Jesus said.

When I was bedfast as a seventeen-year-old boy, the doctors said I had to die. My body was almost totally paralyzed. I couldn’t walk. I wasted away until I weighed only eighty-nine pounds.

When I began to act upon the Scriptures, I heard these words on the inside of me, “Now you believe you’re well. Get up then.” So I pushed my paralyzed body off the bed. I made an effort, just like the man in the Bible who was bedfast.

Well, Jesus still speaks to us today, because He is here in Spirit. He still speaks, just as He spoke to the man and said, “Rise, take up your bed, and walk.” And when He does, if you’ll act upon His Words, you’ll get results, because the written Word is given to us by the Holy Spirit. It’s inspired by the Spirit of God.

Confession: When God speaks to me, I make an effort. I do what He tells me to do. He speaks to me through His Word, and I obey His Word. Then I receive the blessings that come as a result of obedience.