Can I confess something? I know I should floss more. Okay, there it is. I said it, and all my hygienist friends and dentist friends are saying, "Yes, yes, you should. Good job," and they're clapping and cheering right now. I know. Anyway, I also know I should drink more water. I should go to bed earlier. I should spend less time on my phone. I should exercise consistently. I should be more patient in traffic, and also maybe I shouldn't convince myself that one cookie somehow doesn't count because I broke it in half. The point is, I already know a lot, and you probably do too. In fact, I'd bet most of us aren't suffering from an information problem. We are suffering from an implementation problem. We know how to improve our marriage. We know we should call our parents. We know we should forgive. We know we should pray. We know we should have that difficult conversation. We know. So why don't we do it? Because knowing doesn't change us, doing does. And somewhere along the way, we started confusing learning with growing, and they are not the same thing, and that's what I wanna talk to you about today Welcome to Pilot Light. I am your host, Josh. And you know, most people are not looking for another self-help podcast. They are looking for a reminder, a reminder of who they are, a reminder of what truly matters, a reminder that their story isn't over. So wherever you're listening from, whether you're driving to work or you're walking through Costco for just one thing with a cart that's already making questionable life choices, or pretending that watching home renovation shows counts as fixing your own house, guess what? I'm really glad you're here. Let's light the pilot light I've always loved to learn. I was the kid that liked looking through encyclopedias and checking out all the cool stuff that's in the world. I love Audible books. I love podcasts, leadership conferences, conversations. If there was something that could help me grow, I wanted to know about it, and honestly, that's one of the reasons Pilot Light exists. I love helping people connect the dots. But a few years ago, I noticed something kind of uncomfortable. I was becoming really good at collecting ideas, but not always applying them. And you know, maybe you've experienced that. You finish a great podcast, and all of a sudden you're feeling inspired, and you think, "This is gonna change my life." And then, well, Tuesday shows up, and then the kids need something or work gets busy and life gets loud, and then all of a sudden by Friday, you barely remember what inspired you on Monday. Not because it wasn't good, but because information has a very short shelf life unless it's put into practice. I remember looking at one area of my life and realizing I already know exactly what to do. The issue wasn't clarity. The issue was courage or consistency or discipline, but it wasn't information. That realization was honestly really humbling because it meant that my next breakthrough really wasn't hidden in another book. It was hidden in my next decision. You know, just truth be told story here, I have a phenomenal doctor. Love him He is awesome. And I remember sitting in his office one day, and we had just gone through this whole period of time at the dental office that I worked at where we were transitioning to a wellness dental office. So that mean reading a lot of books and a lot of podcasts and really immersing myself into the wellness space. So I became really kind of, uh, smart about some of these different things that were going on and, and the new hacks that were, that were out there and the type of supplements to take and, and I was kind of obsessed with learning more and more about this. But I'm here at my doctor's office, and I'm explaining all these things that I'm learning and growing in and doing all those things, but I'm finding plateaus in my health journey. And I remember him telling me one thing. He goes, "Josh, you just need to do the next thing. You don't need to learn about all this stuff. You just need to do the next thing." And it was very true. He hit it right on point that it wasn't a matter about getting more information. It was just doing the next thing. You know, that was when I kinda realized something, that information is incredibly valuable But only if it leaves the notebook. Truth isn't measured by what I agree with. It's measured by what I live. That changed the way I looked at growth. I stopped asking, "Okay, what else do I need to know?" And started asking, "What do I already know that I haven't been living?" That's a much more uncomfortable question, but it's also a much more transformative one. So here's the big idea. Here's what I've learned Transformation begins where information becomes action. I want you think about that. Information can inspire you, right? It can challenge you and encourage you and, and even convict you. But information by itself doesn't change your life, application does. I've met people with very little formal education who are incredibly wise, and I've met people with libraries full of books who never seem to grow. Why? Because wisdom isn't measured by what you know. It is measured by what you practice. Knowledge fills your mind, but obedience shapes your life. So here's my first point in all of this. Learning can become a f- form of hiding, really. A- and honestly, this one stings a little. Sometimes we convince ourselves we're making progress, okay? We're, we're trying to tell us, "Hey, man, I'm, I'm doing well. I'm, I'm, I'm actually doing some things here," because we're gathering that information, right? Another podcast. So you're, you're filling your mind with that information. Got another podcast I'm listening to, another book, another course, another YouTube video, another notebook, and eventually, learning becomes a comfortable substitute for action. I am so guilty of this, okay? The reason why I'm saying this to you right now is 'cause I'm guilty of this. We tell ourselves we are preparing. That's... Honestly, that's what I did with this podcast. The amount of preparation I put... And preparation's good. I'm not gonna say that it's not a good thing. But when preparation becomes stalling, that's when really the problem happens. So really we're, postponing, and at some point, growth requires that movement, not more notes. So here's my second point. Small acts of obedience change lives. Let me say that one more time. Small acts of obedience change lives. We love dramatic moments, right? The big breakthroughs, the life-changing decisions. But honestly, most transformation happens quietly. One apology, one prayer, just one healthy meal, one difficult conversation, one walk around the block, one honest confession, one phone call. Those moments don't usually make the headlines, right? But they do build character, and character always outlasts inspiration. Here's my third point and my faith point here. Jesus never asked for agreement alone. One of the things I love about Jesus, and there's many, okay, I'm just gonna tell you that right now, but one of the things I love about Jesus is that He never stopped teaching. He always invited action Follow me. Go. Forgive. Love your neighbor. Serve. Give. Trust. You notice something there? The invitation was never simply, "Hey, believe this." It was, "Live this." Because truth isn't fully received until it's practiced. So here's the faith connection in this. There's a verse in the Book of James that has challenged me for years, and it says, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." So I want you to think about that. James says it's possible to deceive ourselves simply by listening without acting. That is a sobering thought because it means I can attend church, I can read scripture, I can listen to podcasts, I can take notes, and I can still miss the point if none of it changes the way I live. God is not looking for perfect people. He is looking for willing ones, people who take the next faithful step. So can I ask you something? What do you already know that you have not acted on? Who do you need to forgive? What conversation have you been avoiding? What habit needs to begin? What excuse have you been protecting? If your life stayed exactly the same for the next five years, what truth would you wish you had started living today? Sit with that because honestly, that's your next breakthrough. Maybe you're already sitting somewhere, and you already know all that information, but now is the time because your next breakthrough is in that moment. So here's my challenge for you. This week, don't learn anything new. I know that sounds really strange, right? Just don't learn anything new. Seriously, okay? Instead, pick one thing that you already know. One, then live it. If you know you need to apologize, go do it. If you know you need to pray, you need to pray. If you know you need to rest, guess what? You need to rest. If you know you need to forgive, forgive. Don't chase another insight. Practice the one you have already been given. So to close this episode out today, imagine what your life would look like if you consistently lived the truth you already know. Not perfectly, just consistently. I think we'd surprise ourselves because transformation isn't usually waiting on another breakthrough. It's waiting on today's obedience. Maybe you've been asking God for a new direction. Maybe He's gently asking you, "What did I tell you to do the last time?" 'Cause growth isn't found in collecting more truth. It's found in living the truth that you've already received, one decision, one step, one faithful act at a time. You know, one of the things that I wanna add to the podcast here is this legacy minute because I think the legacy that we leave others is really important. I just got done the other day doing a funeral for someone who lost their life way too early, and I was thinking about legacy, and sometimes when you do a funeral or you're at a funeral or a celebration of life, you really start to think about your own life and the legacy that you're leaving. So I want you to think about this in, in context of that. I wonder how different our families would be if they remembered us less for what we knew and more for how we lived. You see, knowledge impresses people. Consistency is what shapes them. Your children won't remember every piece of advice you gave. Your coworkers won't remember every great idea that you came up with. But they will remember your integrity. They'll remember your kindness. They will remember your humility. They will remember your faithfulness. Because people follow lives long before they follow words, so pass the flame. Thanks for spending a few minutes with me today, and if this conversation challenged you, pass the flame. You never know who might be one step away from finally living what they've known all along. And remember, see farther, live deeper, become who you were created to be, because you were created to be a fire, not just a flicker. Keep the pilot light on, and I will see you next time. Before we go, I wanna ask you for two quick things. First, if Pilot Light has encouraged you, would you take a moment to follow the podcast and leave a review on either Apple Podcasts or Spotify? It may seem like a small thing, but it really does help this message reach more people who might need a little light in their life. And secondly, I wanna hear from you because Pilot Light was never meant to be just a podcast. It was meant to be a conversation. So go to the website, mypilotlight.com, and go to the fan page portion and send me a message or leave me a voicemail. Tell me your story. What challenged you? What encouraged you? What did you do differently? Or maybe most importantly, who did you pass the flame to? Maybe you shared an episode with a friend. Maybe you encouraged someone who needed it. Maybe you had a conversation you had been putting off. Maybe you chose to show up differently. I wanna hear those stories. Some of them may be even shared on our website or included in a future episode because you never know how your story might light the way for someone else. So remember, a flame was never meant to be kept. It was meant to be passed, so keep passing the flame. And as always, see farther, live deeper, become who you were created to be. You were created to be a fire, not just a flicker. Keep the pilot light on, and I will see you next time