The WOFOYO Podcast
The WOFOYO Podcast
WoFoYo Short: But Can You Do It?
Have you ever had someone in authority criticize your work when they've never actually done your job? This all-too-common scenario reveals something profound: when people face situations they don't understand, they often mask their insecurity with authority, creating rules that don't actually exist.
The parallels to spiritual life are striking. Many believers find themselves trapped in cycles of trying to meet arbitrary spiritual requirements imposed by well-meaning but misguided leaders. Jesus himself demonstrated the importance of simplification when he reduced the 613 laws of the Torah to just two foundational principles: love God wholly and love your neighbor as yourself. This radical simplification stands in stark contrast to the complicated religious systems humans tend to create.
The solution? Know your stuff. Whether in professional contexts or spiritual growth, personal knowledge is your best defense against arbitrary rules. By getting into God's word for yourself, you can discern between actual divine expectations and human additions. This doesn't mean you won't make mistakes—you absolutely will—but those mistakes become opportunities for genuine growth rather than evidence of failure.
Ready to break free from jumping through hoops that God never created? Get in the Word for Yourself, follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and you’ll have a distinct advantage over your critics.
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Hey everybody, welcome to another Wofo, yo Short. This is C-Dub. Come off big high of coming off vacation and all that and just an almost perfect vacation challenges, results of the challenges, victories over the challenges, seeing some of the most beautiful scenery on god's creation, and then you got to go back to work. So I had something happen this week and it reminded me of one of life's struggles, especially if you become proficient at something I take pride to. Always try to do a good job at work, always try to see where I can improve my performance, but also properly train others on how to do their job better, so that way, where we're at, which is a high threat environment, is a safer place. Now I do take a bit of pride in that had a circumstance occur and I wanted to bring out a couple of points in.
Speaker 1:In our work situations, the very first thing you train for is the ideal, and then you realize that you will never deal with the ideal situation. It almost never happens. So therefore, we have to increase our training and improve our training to deal with the less than ideal or the really bad situations. How do you handle that? And the proper thing is to train properly, because you rise to the level of your training. No matter what environment you're in, you're going to rise to the level of your training.
Speaker 1:And I had something happen. Because I take pride in what I do, I know my job description fairly well. I learned what the rules are so that way I can enforce the rules that I'm paid to enforce. And so when we had a situation happen, somebody came along that had a higher rank than I did and started telling me that had never done the job that I do. They come in you should have done this and you should have done. The thing is they're wrong, and not only that, but I go this is in the back of my head. I go this is not right and I've been on that job for 10 years. And I go maybe, maybe they're referencing something that used to be done 15 years ago before I got there. So I pulled a couple folks to that side and say, hey, have we ever done it this way? And they're like never. Okay, and these are people that are more highly trained than I. Am One of the people that were in the between ranks just go say, just tell them, okay, what it was is. I realized it was a self-defense, because they didn't know what to do. With all due respect, they didn't know what to do and they were frustrated because there was a less than ideal situation. They haven't really been trained how to deal with it, so they're just saying stuff and you're going to have to deal with that. And that's work. I'm a big boy. I can deal with it at work. However, thinking back on that, I remember there were times where I encountered this exact same circumstance, this exact same mindset and action, that I'm frustrated. Something happened. I don't know what to do. So I'm just going to tell you what I thought should have happened.
Speaker 1:The problem is and I'm talking about in the body, in church this happens and you need to be aware of it. If we are not careful and if we don't get in the word for ourselves, the problem is you can have those, even those in leadership, come up and get frustrated because there's something there. Maybe they're not trained to deal with, maybe they're a little bit scared, maybe they don't want to let people down. Very, very human emotions, perfectly natural, but one of the things that happens is, all of a sudden, they start making up rules that don't exist. Okay, that can happen in the body, that can happen in the church. That can happen in the church. So why get in the word for yourself so you know what the rules are? Bones has said several times I don't mind playing the game, just let me know the rules. If you are going to be a participant in the kingdom of God, you need to get in the word so you know the rules. I have seen friends of mine that are in all kinds of knots, trying to jump through all kinds of hoops, because people with titles that are well-meaning but yet at the same time they want to protect that position. They got them jumping through all sorts of hoops, made-up hoops. Well, you got to do this and you got to do that and you got to do this. There's a reason.
Speaker 1:Jesus reduced the Ten Commandments to two. Lord, which of the commandments is greatest? The first is greatest you should love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your might. Second, as like it, you should love your neighbor as yourself. On these rests all the law and the prophets, so 613 laws of the Torah as well as the prophets. Two principles, just be encouraged that you're going to run across this. But the way to combat it is know your stuff. You'll have to deal with some humility, but know your stuff, know your word. That way you know the rules to the game. People are you calling it to them. It's all how you view it. So you can have a miserable existence or you can enjoy the ride that the lord has you on you can. You can have joy. How can you have joy if you're just bent up, worried about all the knots and all the hoops that people want to tie you in and have you jump through when they don't even know? So the key is you know, inform yourself.
Speaker 1:One of my favorite passages is over at the end of one of the chapters of Matthew, right after he is doing the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount, and he taught as one having authority and not as the scribes and the Pharisees Get in the word for yourself. I know some people might have issue with rules, but learn the rules, learn the commandments, learn the parameters, learn the commander's intent, learn what Jesus wants you to do. Learn what the fruit of the Holy Spirit looks like. Learn what the gifting of the Holy Spirit looks like and what the purpose of that is, and then pray in faith and then act on it and you'll be cooking with gas.
Speaker 1:You're going to make mistakes, absolutely you're going to make mistakes. That's why we have the word, that's why we have the word, that's why we have the Holy Spirit. But I guarantee you, the more you're willing to go out and make those mistakes, then the more proficient you will become. If you're humble and if you let the Lord teach you and he can use people to teach you, but he's also going to use that word, he's going to use circumstances. He's going to keep bringing the same test to you over and over and over and over again until you pass it. So it behooves you to learn, it behooves us to learn, it behooves me to learn, so that way we're not stuck in the same rut over and over again and we can do kingdom work successfully.
Speaker 1:People will tell you all these rules, okay, can you do it. But can you do it? I understand, but can you do it Because you can have all the ideas. But if you can't do it, maybe them people that are trying to tell you all the ways it could be done and should be done. If they ain't doing it. It's best to get your advice from the Lord, learn how to hear from the Holy Spirit and get in the word for yourself. Wofoyo, thanks for listening. We hope this challenges you, causes you to apply it and then causes you to grow. You can always check us out at Wofoyoorg, find out how to contact us there, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, spotify, or check us out on YouTube. For Bones and myself, this is CW reminding you. If you're going to grow, you've got to woeful yo. Get in the word for yourself.