Doers are those that make a difference. Don’t-ERs are those that don’t make anything but excuses. In order to make a significant impact in life, you need to have a do-type-attitude. The kind of persistence and perseverance that causes you to step out when everyone else stands down. Doers are not crowd followers, they are the ones leading the crowd. To contribute more than you consume is to be a doer in life. Doers contribute their potential for the greater good. They give of themselves in order to move things forward.

James 1:22

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

James knew the difference between a doer and a don’t-ER. He knew it so well as to encourage Christians to not simply hear God’s Word but to do something with it. Don’t-ERs always make excuses.

Excuses are just lies in disguise.

Don’t-ERs are quick to tell you all of the reasons why they can’t “do.” They are whiners not winners. They whine about the amount of effort it takes to get something done. Don’t-ERs don’t want to win, they want to survive. The path of least resistance and least energy is where they want to follow. Don’t-ERs make things smaller as where doers make things bigger. Don’t-ERs usually pick out every possible scenario as to why nothing will ever work and then play it over and over again in their minds. They are stuck in the paralysis of analysis, never stepping out to take risks. They will try to hide behind the disguise of being the “devil’s advocate.” I have never understood the idea of devil advocacy. It all seems a bit evil to me. Peter, the disciple of Jesus, tried to play the devil’s advocate once, and Jesus told him to, “Get behind me Satan.”

Read this account of Peter playing “devil’s advocate” in the boardroom of Caesarea Philippi:

Matthew 16:21-23

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 

“Never, Lord!” he said. 

“This shall never happen to you!”

Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, 

Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do 

not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Jesus rebuked Peter for being a “devil’s advocate” who was more concerned about human reasoning than God’s ability. Peter couldn’t see how it would be God’s plan for Jesus to be killed and raised to life again. He was clouded by a Don’t-ER mindset rather than trusting God’s plan. When we are more concerned about human reasoning than God’s power, we miss out on incredible things. How many times have we known that God put something in our heart to do, yet were talked out of it by a devil’s advocate? How many times have we felt the leading of the Holy Spirit to do something, but were talked out of it by others, or worse yet ourselves? We can’t allow the dreams and mission God has given us to die because we don’t do it. We have to become doers who are willing to go whenever God calls us. And remember, when God calls things to be, they tend to be bigger and beyond what any devil’s advocate can understand.

Doers don’t ALLOW don’t-ERs to put a lid on the GREATNESS that is within them. 

The next time you are surrounded by “devil’s advocates,” remind them of God‘s power and ability to do more than we can ask, think, or imagine…and if you really want to get Biblical, just say, “Get behind me, Satan!”