Biblical/Scriptural Actionable Intelligence.

​Have you ever been in a group setting outside of church, maybe at work or a school, and heard someone come up with and or use a biblical principle…convincing themselves that they came up with it on their own, but in all reality it coming directly from God’s Word? For instance…The Golden Rule, Serve Others, Love Others, Respect Others, etc. 
 
Today’s concept / principle is just that…a term or phrase that the military forces take pride in maybe without even knowing that it originated in scripture. 
 
Today’s Title: Biblical/Spiritual Actionable Intelligence  
 
Imagine with me that you are in Bogota, Columbia. While there, you’re a mission commander as part of a counter-narcotics operation for the US government…you're fighting the war on drugs…each day attempting to put bad people out of business. You take a plane ride to get to your next destination, but while on your way there something goes wrong with the plane…your pilot does his best to land the plane…you land and realize you’re alive and have some broken ribs…you look up and see that the pilots have died in the accident, and as you’re helping a few others get to their feet, you hear gunshots…just then you realize that the plane has crashed deep in the Columbian jungle and you’re surrounded by the communist FARC guerrillas…some of the very people you’ve been trying to put behind bars. What do you do? Do you fire back with very little ammunition available to you? Or do you surrender and face the unknowns? 
This is exactly the situation former Marine, Keith Stansell, found himself in. At that moment, he said that all of his actionable intelligence couldn’t have prepared him for what he was about to face. After being used as currency and held hostage for over 5 years…he was finally rescued by his own people. 

• This was a show I watched on National Geographic’s: Locked up Abroad.  
  • https://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/shows/locked-up-abroad/episode-guide/season-09/episode-04-jungle-crash/vdka25496784 

 
Today I’d like to share with you the concept of Actionable Intelligence…more specifically Biblical/Spiritual Actionable Intelligence. 
 
First of all, from a military point of view, what is Actionable Intelligence?
“Broadly defined, actionable intelligence is all about having the necessary information immediately available in order to deal with the situation at hand.” 
- From the Article...Actionable Intelligence: How U.S. Forces can Stay One Step Ahead  
 
For followers of Christ…Biblical/Spiritual Actionable Intelligence, then, is “actionable faith – the act of doing what you see God do, and Intelligence is the understanding of what’s placed before you to do. Using as your guide, the Word of God and His Holy Spirit. I am calling the Word application actionable intelligence because spiritual power can only be obtained by means of expecting, believing, understanding and obeying the Word heard, and then receiving it’s benefits by faith in God. Faith is acting on the Word of God to effect change in the world. When you believe and understand the Word heard, you then take action on it by DOING SOMETHING.”
https://marjoriemcwilliams.com/2019/11/26/spiritual-actionable-intelligence-word-application/ 
 
In other words…DOING is the same as APPLICATION. There are some who are so heavenly minded that they’re no earthly good…and there are others who have no godly knowledge but do good. Where’s the balance? Where are those who do good because of their godly knowledge? 
 
Three truths to take into consideration when discussing Biblical/Spiritual Actionable Intelligence. 
 
First of all, Trust your God-given Arsenal. 

• 2 Peter 1:3 reminds us that “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.” (NLT)
• No excuses…He’s made each of us for a very specific purpose. 
• Listen to those who are attempting to speak life into you and helping you see what your god-given gifts truly are. 
  • Proverbs 22:6 (NLT) Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. 

 
Secondly, Never cease Preparing.

• Proverbs 4:5a, 7 (NKJV) Get wisdom! Get understanding!...Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. 
• Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV) 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
• Concerning 2 Timothy 2:15(BSB) “Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.”…“Paul’s instruction makes it clear that the study of the Bible is work. It takes effort. It takes diligence. We need to be committed to doing that work if we desire to be equipped for what God intends us to do in life. Second, Paul helps us to focus on the idea that this work in the Word is not about the approval of other people. Rather, it is God who is assessing how we handle His Word, and so we are studying His Word for Him. Also, we understand that, if we are diligent, we will not need to be ashamed because we will have been faithful with the remarkable stewardship of His Word. Sometimes we may take for granted that we have His completed Word—the Bible.” https://www.gotquestions.org/rightly-dividing-the-word-of-truth.html 
• We find that 1 Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” It’s a verse that motivates Christian apologists as they prepare to give answers in defense of their faith…A believer should always be ready to tell others the good news of salvation in Jesus’ death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:2–4). https://www.gotquestions.org/always-be-ready-to-give-an-answer.html 
  • Therefore, our responsibility is to take the arsenal He’s given us, prepare ourselves for any situation at hand, and then put it into action.

 
Lastly, Take Action. 

• James 1:22-25…“22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (NKJV).  
• 1 John 3:18 (NIV) Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
• Again, looking at 2 Timothy 2:15…we find that Timothy knew the Word of God and was well-equipped for any situation at hand. 
  • (NKJV) Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  
  • (BSB)  Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth. 

• Make every effort…a few versions interpret it as “Study” but here’s the actual definition of the word, “to be especially conscientious in discharging an obligation, be zealous/eager, take pains, make every effort, be conscientious.” (BDAG). 
• Rightly Dividing means…to “guide the word of truth along a straight path.” (BDAG).  
  • One author states that, “Literally, success in handling the Word is to cut it properly or correctly. This is farming imagery, as a farmer who is plowing a field would seek to cut straight furrows in order to plant rows of seed. When plowing, a farmer would look at a point on the other side of the field and focus on that point to ensure the line cut in the dirt was straight. This is what the good student of the Word is doing, as well: remaining focused on the goal or outcome and being diligent to handle the Word of God properly. To rightly divide the Word of truth is to “cut it straight.” Ultimately, in studying the Word, we are trying to understand what the Author has said and not allow our own opinions or views to cloud the meaning of what He has written. When we are diligent to “cut straight”—to rightly divide the Word of truth—we can understand what He has communicated in His Word and be well-equipped for what He would have us to do and how He would have us to think.” https://www.gotquestions.org/rightly-dividing-the-word-of-truth.html
• Some take action without biblical knowledge. 
  • Romans 10:2 (NIV) For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 
  • The same can be said of many in our Community today. 

• One author reminds us that, “understanding how to apply the Word is a master key to entering The Kingdom of God and victory in your life. The Word of God will work if you work it!” https://marjoriemcwilliams.com/2019/11/26/spiritual-actionable-intelligence-word-application/ 
• What is your situation at hand? Are you prepared for it? Are you involved in a small group or some kind of Bible Study? Are you seeking out others to mentor and speak life into / discipleship? 
• Spend some time in prayer asking the Lord to reveal to you how it is that He’d have you apply Biblical actionable intelligence in your own personal life.  
• Just a friendly reminder…“We should preach the Word accurately and rightly (2 Timothy 2:15; 4:2), and allow the Holy Spirit to do the convicting.” Article from gotquestions.org
• You might ask, “So where can I start?” Here’s a first step / an Actionable message from Andy Stanley that you can apply along your faith path…Putting Your Faith Into Action. It’s only a six-and-a-half-minute video…short, but to the point and worth it to listen to.