Regarding the knowledge and practice of the Word of God, we have to remember that if we know the Word, and we do not put it into practice, we are disobeying the Word and it is actually useless to us. In the book of James, we have a very well-known text, in 1:22, that says:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says (James 1:22).

James is inviting us to know the Word and then put it in practice — "Do what it says." If we don't, we're deceiving ourselves. And he uses the illustration of the man who looks at himself in a mirror, and when he leaves, he forgets how he looks in front of the mirror. There is a particular calling to not only study the Word, not only listen to the Word, but put it into practice too. When this doesn't happen — and frequently it doesn't happen — we are in disobedience. The only reason to study the Word is to obey it. If we aren't going to obey it, then don't study it. In fact, we'll be in a worse place if we study it and we don't obey it then when we only have the knowledge. We have to study it and then put into practice what we've learned. And then, the Word will literally rule over us. It's not an option that we have. It's a mandate to be "doers," or someone who practices the Word. If we don't, we'll live in disobedience. Unfortunately, there are many Christians, many believers, and sometimes even leaders, that live in disobedience because they are listeners but not doers of the Word.