You Don't Have a Knowledge Problem. You Have a Wisdom Problem.

The Word at the Table

I'm Neal Reyes, The Entrepreneurs' Pastor, and I'm glad you're at the table. This week I want to talk to you about the gap. The gap between where you are and where you want to be. Because I've found that most of the time, that gap is not closed by more information. It's closed by something a lot rarer. And that's exactly what we're getting into today.

This Week's Word: The Difference Between Knowing and Doing

Years ago, I was driving to a Bible study I was about to teach. I was living in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the time, and I had my iPod on, earbuds in, the old school kind with wires, listening to Keith Moore, who I consider my spiritual father in the faith. I was locked in, fed, ready to go teach.

And then God interrupted me.

He said, son, do you know what the difference is between knowledge and wisdom? I said no sir, not like you're about to show me. I stopped my iPod and got quiet real quick. That's how it is when you know His voice. When God speaks, you don't put Him on hold and you don't make Him wait. You stop. You get quiet. And you lean in.

He said, knowledge is knowing what my Word has to say. Wisdom is knowing how to apply it to your life.

I have never forgotten that. And I want you to sit with it today, because it changed the way I approach everything.

Here's the truth about most of us. We are not lacking information. We are lacking application. We know what God's Word says about our situation. We've heard the scriptures. We've attended the services. We've listened to the teachings. But knowing it and standing on it are two completely different things. Isaiah 55:11 tells us that God's Word shall not return to Him void. It will accomplish what He sent it to do. But you can't stand on a promise you haven't gotten deep down inside you. You can't place a demand on something you only know on the surface.

That's where meditation comes in. Not yoga. The biblical kind. Hearing the Word, reading the Word, and then speaking it back out of your mouth. Because when you speak it, your inner ear hears it before anyone else does. And that word you're speaking begins to water a seed. And a watered seed grows roots. And roots that go deep are what hold you up when the storm comes and the breakthrough hasn't arrived yet.

This applies to every area of your life. Are you believing God for a financial turnaround? Get the Word on that deep down inside you. Are you standing for restoration in a relationship? Find what His Word says and water that seed daily. Are you praying over your business, your health, your family? Pray in the Name of Jesus and wrap that prayer in His Word like wrapping paper on a gift, then send it up. When your prayers are wrapped in scripture, He can smell the aroma of faith on it. And His Word will not return void.

Now here's where it gets practical on the leadership and business side. Because this same principle, the gap between knowledge and application, shows up in every organization I've ever worked in or consulted with.

I teach something I call the Yarn Ball Principle. Picture a ball of yarn the size of a bowling ball, made up of different colors and thicknesses of yarn. When it's sitting on a table, you think you can see everything. But when you pick it up and look underneath, you find strings dangling from the bottom. Different lengths. Different colors. Each one represents a person, a department, a relationship, a piece of the puzzle that has a part to play.

Most leaders only look at the surface. They plan projects, make decisions, and move forward based on what they can see on the outside. But the most critical pieces are often underneath, out of sight, left out of the conversation. And when you miss a string, projects stall, relationships break, and trust erodes.

The knowledge is knowing that cross-collaboration matters. The wisdom is actually picking up the ball, looking underneath, and asking who has a string connected to this that I haven't included yet.

And I want you to hear this clearly. The Yarn Ball Principle is not just for the boardroom. It works in your marriage. It works in your friendships. It works in your family. Any time you're moving toward a goal or navigating something important with other people, there are strings attached that you may not see on the surface. The person who feels overlooked. The relationship that needs to be included. The voice that hasn't been invited to the table.

Wisdom picks up the ball. Wisdom looks underneath. Wisdom asks the question before the project falls apart or the relationship breaks down.

Knowledge tells you what to do. Wisdom is what you do with what you know.

Take This With You

This week I want you to identify one area of your life where you have the knowledge but you haven't applied the wisdom yet. Maybe it's a promise from God's Word you've heard but haven't truly stood on. Maybe it's a relationship where someone has a string attached that you haven't acknowledged. Write it down. Then take one step toward application this week. Not more information. One step of wisdom. That single step is worth more than everything you already know sitting still.

From the Table Last Week

On Champion's Walk, my faith show that teaches Real Help For Real Hope, I brought you The Value of Standing on God's Word. I taught on what it really means to get God's Word deep down inside you, not just know it on the surface, but meditate on it, speak it, and stand on it when the breakthrough hasn't come yet. We dug into Isaiah 55:10-11, the power of biblical meditation, and why your inner ear is one of the most important tools you have in your walk with God. If you're believing God for something right now and you need your faith strengthened, this one is for you. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnhCQIBuALM&list=PLMPDSgKkGZNvHLzeBuhqHvZhuCSMEQEgV

On The Executive Perspective, my leadership and business show that delivers Real Help For Real Success, I introduced the Yarn Ball Principle, one of my original frameworks for transforming how leaders and teams communicate. I broke down how to identify every stakeholder connected to a project, why looking beneath the surface of any initiative is the difference between success and stall, and how this principle can shift the entire culture of an organization when it's taught and repeated. Whether you lead a team of two or two hundred, this one will change how you see every project, meeting, and collaboration going forward. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz1IfKTP21I&list=PLMPDSgKkGZNuJ-dNFVFCWc3lb7BmJ07mM

Until Next Time

Knowledge is available to everyone. Wisdom is what separates the ones who grow from the ones who stay stuck. Choose wisdom this week. Take what you know and do something with it.

This Wednesday on Champion's Walk, I'm bringing you a fresh word that I believe is going to meet you exactly where you are. Don't miss it.

Then Saturday on The Executive Perspective, I'm dropping something for the leaders and entrepreneurs who are ready to operate at their next level. This one is going to challenge you to think bigger, lead better, and push past where you are right now. Be there.

I'll see you at the table next Tuesday.

Neal Reyes, The Entrepreneurs' Pastor