Talk the Spiritual Talk, Walk the Spiritual Walk

I am a very organized person.

The first thing I do when returning from my gym is to lay out my workout clothes for the next day. One morning I came home from my workout and chose a pair of shorts and an Atlanta Falcons shirt for the next morning. However, my schedule changed and I ended up going to the park the next afternoon to run. Since it was a hot Atlanta afternoon, I grabbed a hat on my way out. When I arrived at the park, I started to walk across the parking lot and a lady on the passenger side of an SUV, rolled her window down and stared at me.

With an irritated look on her face she said, “Whose side are you on?” As the SUV drove away, I saw her shaking her head in disgust. It suddenly occurred to me that I had laid out an Atlanta Falcons shirt intending to go to my gym but when my plans changed, I had inadvertently put a Dallas Cowboys hat on. I probably don’t have to tell you that these don’t go together. My lame excuse is I grew up in Texas but have lived in Atlanta for years. I have sports apparel from both teams.

The lady was basically saying my hat and shirt don’t go together and was inconsistent. My walk and my talk didn’t match.

I work with a team that exists to help local churches prioritize evangelism. We encourage and equip Christians to share Jesus. One obstacle in winning a lost world to Jesus is we often talk the talk but don’t walk the walk.

Our hat shouts Jesus but our shirt communicates a different message.

Here are some tips to line up your spiritual walk with your spiritual talk.

  1. Develop an intimate walk with God.
  2. Start a prayer journal and pray daily for direction.
  3. Spend time reading your Bible every day.
  4. Ask God to speak to you through His word.
  5. Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.
  6. Be accountable to other Christians.
  7. Decide to share Jesus in the daily routines of your life and in your circle of influence.
  8. Align your walk with your talk.

The unchurched looks at Christians and notices when our walk doesn’t match our talk. Make sure your walk shouts Jesus as much as your talk. That’s what being a disciple is all about.

For more information on No Sweat Evangelism, go to nosweatevangelism.com. The Georgia Baptist Mission Board has an Evangelism Consultant in your specific region that can help you in leading your church members to follow Jesus and work in His harvest fields. For more information, please contact the Evangelism team of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and schedule a consultation. You can also join the conversation on Facebook!

Published June 8, 2021