I count not the number of times my son says, “I know” after I have corrected him about something wrong that he has done.
Each time he says, “I know”, my response is,” If you knew it, you would have done what I asked you to do in the first place”, or “If you knew it, you would not have done what you just did.”
I am not going to minimize knowledge but will state emphatically that knowledge which does not lead to ACTION will do you no good. It does not matter how much you know. It does not matter how much you think you do know. You may even “know enough that you have earned a degree and are currently teaching others”. But if you do not act on what you think you know, your condition will not change.
That is why when Jesus made this profound and life-changing statement, “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free”, some of his listeners scuffed at him and said they did not need to be freed in the first place. Many are saying the same right now. Unfortunately, their lives are direct opposites of what these people profess their lives to be.
What does it mean ‘to know’? Is passing an exam about a subject an indication that we know the subject matter Is teaching others a confirmation that we know the material? What is the relationship between ‘knowing the truth’ and being ‘set free’? Why are too many people not able to work in this freedom? For example, they are still plagued by hatred, jealousy, anger, worry, anxiety, fear, shame, depression, unhappiness, obesity, and substance addictions such as drugs and alcohol?
These struggles or bondages listed above are more common than you think, and it is only through knowing the truth that you can be set free from their tyrannical grip. Yes! The good news is that there is a way out to break free from the brutal grip hatred, jealousy, anger, worry, anxiety, fear, shame, depression, unhappiness, obesity, and substance addictions such as drugs and alcohol. You can be set free right now if you know the truth.
What does it mean ‘to know’? According to the Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary’ know’ is defined as ‘to perceive directly: have direct cognition of to have an understanding of to be acquainted or familiar with: to have experience of to be aware of the truth or factuality of being convinced or certain: to have a practical understanding of to have sexual intercourse with’
In other words, to know the truth means:
You need to become familiar with the facts. This can be done through reading and or listening to others who are knowledgeable in the area you are interested in. This is the first step of the process and a crucial one. This is because if you do not have the right information, there will be nothing for you to believe, and therefore, no path for you to follow.
You need to process and understand the information you are gathering. It is dangerous to try to assemble a gun or any other hazardous piece of equipment without following the instruction manual on how to put it together. This implies that as you gather information, you MUST engage the data, process it, be critical of what you are reading and or listening, and check it out to ensure that you know what is going on. If you do not do this, it will be impossible to act on the information you have gathered and become familiar with. In other words, there is a process involved, and you have to be willing to put in the time, energy, and effort needed for you to develop the tenacity required to become free from whatever is enslaving you. Becoming overweight did not occur in one month; therefore, do not expect to get back in shape in a month as well. Most diet plans fail because people fail to process and understand information concerning their situation. That is why it saddens my heart each time I hear an advert that encourages people not to change their lifestyle but promises them that their situation will change. How will it change? If you do the same thing you have always been doing, you will get the same results. As my kids tell me, “Duh”.
You must get intimate with the information you are gathering. ‘To know’ in the past was used to describe the sexual relationship between husband and wife. There is chemistry and action involved here. You MUST ACT on the information you have gathered, processed, and become familiar with. The power in knowing the truth lies in your ability to ACT on the requirements of the truth. When you know the truth, it will convict you, and you MUST obey by making the changes truth demands of you. There is no neutral ground! You either know the truth, or you do not know. If you know the truth, it will set you free. If you are not free, you do not yet know the truth. Freedom is a direct result of your actions. If you think you do know, but your actions do not line up, you are deceiving yourself. It does not matter how much you talk about it, and if you are not walking the talk, you do not know what you are talking about. You may be a guru and well sought after by many others. If you are not practicing what you are telling others, you do not know it. Knowing is not measured by how much you talk or write about some information; it is measured by how much this information influences your actions.
Start acting today, and encourage others to do the same.
Next, we will discuss why it is sometimes difficult to act on the truth.
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