The foolish man builds his house on sand. When a storm comes, the house falls with a great crash. Jesus says people who hear his teachings but don’t put them into practice are like that foolish builder.

The wise builder, though, builds his house on the rock. When rain and winds come, his house stands firm. Jesus says: “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24 NIV).

James also had a lot to say about practicing what the Bible teaches. The first chapter of the book of James concludes with three examples of how you can know that you’ve been effectively putting God’s Word into practice:

1. You’ll have a controlled mouth: “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless” (James 1:26 NIV).
2. You’ll have a caring heart: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27 NIV).
3. You’ll have a clean mind: “keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27 NIV).

Those things, James tells us, are evidence of genuine Christianity.

In John 13:17, Jesus tells his followers: “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” (NIV). The blessings of the Bible come when you put its teachings into practice.

No matter who you are, you know more spiritual truth than you’re living out right now. So just start where you are today. Practice what you already know. And then, as you learn more, put that into practice, too. Be a doer of the Word.