Theology is always meant to change its hearers. True Doctrines of God engage all of a person. There is no such thing as hypothetical truth, it is intended to be applied to the self and others.
Today, in our increasingly hostile culture, there is always a lurking danger of mere intellectualism, whereas a person who loves to talk about, discuss, and even debate theology but only at the level of talk. Why? It feels good to talk about theology, particularly where the enemies are rampant and loud. It is what Christians are to do. But therein lies the danger.
To this end, if you like discussing doctrine, if you read articles regarding the latest controversies, if you have a long list of reformed and cultural podcasts, and enjoy paying attention to social media debates, don’t stop there. This is proof positive that you are being drawn to apply what you are learning to others. Teach your kids. Find an area in your church to teach what you are learning. One of the best areas to start is to teach elementary kids (or older adults) basic Gospel truths of Reformed theology.
Providentially, all of my significant shifts in theological understanding happened, not before I was teaching, but while I had some leadership role and was accountable to teach regularly in the Local church. Ask your pastor. You will find that applying big truths to people has an effect on your own heart. It transforms ideas from existing merely in the intellect to application in the minds of others. It’s harder than it seems, but you will grow to love the truth more and more.