About a month ago, I sat in the doctor's office with both of my sons for their annual check-ups and to check up on some issues they both are dealing with. My youngest son has eczema in several places all over his body. The doctor prescribed him with a topical steroid cream. The instructions are: Apply the cream to the affected area two to three times daily.
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What exactly do they mean when they say "apply" the cream? To apply means to make use of something; to put to use.
While sitting at my desk I happened to notice the tube of cream laying there and the thought came to me, The solution to the problem is laying there not being applied. This cream does no good to help relieve my son's problem as long as it lays there and never gets applied. How often in life we go through a learning process or experience and fail to apply what we have learned to the problem we are dealing with. Or how many times have we suffered with a problem, all the while having what was necessary to relieve the problem laying right before our eyes.
When Jesus was tempted by Satan, He knew the Word, He is the Word, but He still had to apply the Word to the problem, and when He did, the problem (Satan) left!
This past Sunday we finished a 10-week series in Children's Church on the 9 Fruits of the Spirit. I explained to the kids that memorizing them/learning them is good, but just to know them doesn't do anything to better ourselves as Christians. If we do not apply what we have learned, it remains useless to us the same way this cream is to my son's eczema.
If you've been in church for a while, you have gained a lot of knowledge of the Word. You've probably gained enough Word to apply to whatever problem it is you may be faced with. Don't allow your problems to continually irritate you, apply the Word that you have access to, put it to use! The Great Physician has a prescription for whatever ailment you may have.
