KNOWING VS WORKING WITH KNOWLEDGE

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Matthew 24:43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming,(A) he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.

We get letters every now and then in the post or via email, whether they are statements from banks, marketing materials, post cards or spam. But imagine you open an email or post any morning and read the following words:

Dear Homeowner,

We are coming for an operation in your area on the 4th of January, 2050 at 12 midnight. You can call the police but this letter is to inform you that we will still come round.

Signed,
Neighbourhood thieves.

Of course you will be afraid but is that fear alone enough? It isn’t because you can know a thief is coming and still get your house broken into, with your goods looted. It is for this reason that scripture emphasizes what the home owner would do when he gets a heads up that thieves are coming: he stays awake so they do not succeed.

Let’s put this another way: it is not enough to know about principles,   precepts and strategy. It isn’t enough to cram into your head all the knowledge that will fit into the capsule of your brain. Knowing alone is not enough to bring either  deliverance or growth. What brings real advance is the answer to the question ‘what do you do with what you know?’

It is therefore not simply about knowing, it is what is done with the knowledge that makes the real difference.

#sly