“Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” ‭‭Philippians ‭4:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I love to learn. That may not be your story, but it is mine. I don’t necessarily love taking tests or doing projects, but I loved school. My heart gets excited when I learn something new. Okay, so I'm a nerd that way!

But learning facts and information isn't really enough, is it? The real key to learning is to apply what I’ve learned. My head might retain the knowledge, but if my heart doesn’t absorb truth, then it doesn’t do me much good, does it?

Unfortunately, this is something that I have had to address in my spiritual life. Even from the beginning of my walk with Jesus I would delight in reading Scripture, books and articles that talked about Jesus and how to live for Him. I could tell you what I read and what wonderful truths I had “learned.” But, it was obvious in my response to what was happening around me that those truths had not yet become a part of me. To others, of course, but not to me.

Over the years, I have had to learn to slow down, think about what I have learned and reflect on how to put those truths into practice. As I have done that I have found great peace. How does following Jesus give me peace? When I slow down to ponder and apply what I have learned, I am aware of a deeper connection with God and my heart floods with the peace of His presence.

Could you use some of that, my friend? Is it possible that you aren’t putting into practice what you have learned? Here are a few things you can do to let knowledge connect you with God and the peace of His presence.

Pause. Let’s take for granted that you are having a regular time with God. Whether it is morning, noon or nighttime doesn't matter. What matters is that you are taking regular time to be with God in His Word. If you are like me at all, then reading more always seems better, right? If I am reading more then I am learning more, right? Maybe. And maybe you aren't like me at all when it comes to reading. But regardless of how much you read, reading more doesn't help you to absorb what you have learned and that is the important part!

After you have read a portion of Scripture, take time to pause and reflect on it. Is there a verse that stood out to you? Ask yourself some questions. Let the Holy Spirit guide your thinking. What might God be saying to you? Don't just move on!

Ponder. Sometimes the question that I ask God is, "What do I need to know today?" Often the Holy Spirit connects the truths of Scripture with something happening in my life in a way that I never would have come to without His guidance. Sometimes He guides my thoughts in a totally different direction. But the key here is to allow God's presence into your learning.

If we are to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, then all of those aspects of who we are need to come into our time with God. I love God with my mind when I read Scripture and learn truth, but I love God with my heart when I let Him into how I process and apply that truth. It's in the pondering that application is processed.

Plan. Now determine an action step that helps you put into practice what God has been saying to you. Practice makes peace.

Paul tells his friends in Philippi to put into practice what they have heard him say and what they have seen him do. Have you every thought about how much you learn from the example of significant people in your life? Whether it's your parents, older siblings, teachers, friends or pastors, we learn so much just from observing how someone else is living. Maybe part of your action step is to spend time with someone who is walking out what God has shown you.

As a young believer, one of my examples was my pastor's wife, Sharon. She was the mother of one of my good friends long before I became a believer so I had a history with her. She was one of those people who made you feel like you were the only person in the room when you were in conversation. She was an excellent Bible teacher and seemed to overflow with love for Jesus, love for people and joy.

Sharon's example of how to follow Jesus expanded in my life when she was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The thing about that is that nothing changed in the way she approached life, at least not in what I saw of her. She continued to overflow with love for God, love for people and joy. To me that was extraordinary.

I was a young mom at the time and Tom and I were living with two preschoolers in my parent's downstairs family room. As a win-win proposal, some friends asked if we would stay at their house and take care of their dog while they were away. We jumped at the chance to have our own space!

This dog, however, had some digestive issues and in the middle of one night I was awakened by the sound of the dog upchucking. Yuck! My first response was anger at being awakened and forced to do something no one wants to do. But I had been struggling with God earlier over Sharon's illness. It was serious and I couldn't understand why God would let someone like her suffer. I couldn't understand why God might let someone like her die. As I got up to take care of the mess, I found myself tearfully telling God, "If Sharon can go through what she is going through, then I can clean up after the dog." And then I was at peace.

That moment was a transforming one for me. It was a decision to accept what God brought into my life with trust and even joy. It was a decision to put into practice what I was learning from Sharon's example.

What are you learning from some of your spiritual examples? Are you putting that into practice?

The apostle Paul encourages the Philippians in his letter to them that if they will do what he has taught them, then they will experience God’s presence. His presence is the presence of peace. He is the "God of peace", as Paul calls Him.

Biblical peace means wholeness and completeness, not just the absence of conflict. Our world is full of conflict. Our insides are full of conflict. Our families are full of conflict. If we want to experience peace in the midst of all the conflict that we cannot change, then we need to apply what we learn from our teachers and those who set examples for us about how to follow Jesus. We need to do what we know from God’s word. That brings us closer to wholeness and completeness.

I still struggle to slow down and process what I am learning. Yep, I am still a nerd when it comes to that stuff! But I am grateful for the examples in my life. People like Sharon have helped me to process what I have learned in Scripture. By watching them live it out, I have been inspired to pause, ponder and plan how to put what I am learning into practice.

Dear Friend, I encourage you to do that as well. I guarantee that when you do, the God of peace will be with you. Practice makes peace.

Key Thought: Practicing God's truth brings peace.

A Scripture to Consider:“Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” ‭‭Philippians ‭4:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A YES Challenge: In your next time with God take time to pause and ponder the truths you have been learning. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts. Determine an action step that will help you put into practice what you have learned.

Prayer: Father, Help me to keep putting into practice all that I learn and receive from You. Thank You for the examples in my life, for the people who have shown me how to walk out the truths of Scripture with their lives. Help me to follow their example, to put into practice what I have learned from them and help me to become an example like that for someone else. Amen.