I was in the gym training for a competition when I heard a few guys talking about how they were going to compete in a bodybuilding contest one day. “Hmmm,” I thought to myself. “How many times have I heard people TALK about what they were going to do ‘one day’?”

How often do we talk about things we are going to do, want to do or dream of doing and then never do? All too often. I personally have made it a goal not to fall into that category. In my life, I have learned that, when I talk about accomplishing a task, the Lord expects me to follow through.

In Scripture, we find that, when Jesus talked about doing something, He did it. And, through personal experience and my relationship with Him, I’ve found that He still operates that way. For us as His followers who are to imitate Him, this means that we should act as Christ would and follow through on what we say we will do. Obviously this doesn’t include sinful actions, but if we have discerned that Christ is leading us to take action, we must be faithful to follow through on it instead of merely talking about it.

So, what did I do when I heard these guys talking? I turned to them and quoted 1 Corinthians 4:20. I explained to them that talk is empty without follow-through and that it is the power we receive from the Holy Spirit that we need in order to accomplish these goals. At first they looked at me like I had three eyes, but when I told them what I had been blessed to accomplish through the power of Christ in the MS Bodybuilding Challenge, their mouths dropped open and the look on their faces changed. Now, I had their attention.

God used me to show His mighty power and to convey a strong message that day. “…This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” – Zechariah 4:6 (NIV)

According to this verse, it is not by our might or power but the power of the Lord that we accomplish great things. As believers, we must follow in His footsteps and put His power behind our talk. I believe these young men left the gym knowing that what I was receiving from my relationship with Christ was something they wanted as well. Who wouldn’t want the power of Christ in their lives?

I want to accomplish great things despite being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and I want to do so to tell the world that God’s power is all we need. But if I’m going to do that, I must do more than talk; I must act. As a child of God and part of His Kingdom, what I proclaim is not a matter of talk but of His power.

Praise the Lord for the strength He gives us. His power gives us power. And His love gives us love to sustain the battles ahead. Today, let’s do more than talk about living out His will; let’s do it!