Hello Kingdom people! If you have truly accepted Christ as your Lord and
Savior, that is exactly who you are. Amen! So, believe it and own it.
Next, after salvation, is the Living the Life of Christianity part.
What I am going to share with you will be tips and Bible verses that
will help you do exactly what I described in the opening. My prayer is
that this post will simply serve as an aid to help you live a life that
pleases our heavenly Father, brings you more freedom and joy, and helps
you be a more effective witness to the life of faith.
Okay…let’s dive in!
Living the life of Christianity is one that is led by the Holy Spirit daily.
In other words, if you haven’t already gotten in the habit of being
sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, that would be the starting
place. He is your guide in this life and He lives inside of you. Even
though that may seem like a “Duh, Courtnaye!” moment, you would be
amazed at how many believers are walking around who either don’t know
the power and guidance that lies right within them or have never been
taught this biblical truth (John 14:16-17). I was one of them almost 15
years ago. So listen to Him, yield to Him, and obey His voice. You will
be so grateful that you did!
Living the life of Christianity is also one that is led by prayer and fasting
(see Esther 4:16, Matthew 6:5-18). Prayer is a lifestyle and it goes
with our relationship with God. So talk to Him often and about
everything – no matter if things are good or bad. Also, when God is
calling you to do something major for Him or if you need His guidance on
something pretty big in your life, consider calling a personal fast (or
if your church calls for a corporate fast). This is a really good
practice to implement into your Christian life. This is totally for
today and it works in such a powerful way!
Living the life of Christianity is one of confessing your sins to God and live a righteous life.
It’s not a-one-and-done thing. When we sin against God, we still need
to confess and repent (turn away from it). As believers, we can’t keep
on sinning and go on with life. The New Testament warns us in Hebrews
10:26, “Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have
received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that
will cover these sins.” In other words, the writer is saying don’t
trample the blood of Jesus after He died for our sins. Also, 1 John 1:6
and 9 says, “So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but
go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the
truth…But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” There are so
many Scriptures about this very topic.
NOTE: The
struggle is real, but we can overcome with the power of Jesus and the
help of the Holy Spirit leading us to confess and repent of it.
Living the life of Christianity is also about putting on the character of Christ
(i.e. being loving, kind, gentle, forgiving, humble, having
self-control, etc.) and reading, studying, and obeying the Word of God.
James 1:22 helps us to grasp this biblical truth, “But be ye doers of
the word, not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” Meaning, we run
the risk of deceiving ourselves when we just hear a message, but neglect
to or decide that we’re not going to allow that Word to change us in
our hearts, minds, and actions. When we live according to the Word of
God as Christians, it not only pleases the heart of God, but it also
reveals to the world that we are His children and that we’re changed. We
may be in the world, but we no longer act like it. This is what makes
them thirsty and hungry for what we have, which is a life in Christ. The
key to living this way is by obeying what we hear in the Scriptures.
Also, living the life of Christianity is not always easy.
We have tests, trials, misunderstandings, relationship issues,
financial struggles, spiritual warfare, and the list could literally go
on. But we also have the Lord with us. We are not alone at all. He is
with us in the pain and hardship. I would say Jesus sums it up in John
16:33, “In this world, you will have trouble. But fear not, because I
have overcome the world.” He totally understands. That’s where our peace
comes from.
Living the life of Christianity is also joyful and enjoyable!
There is nothing like a good fellowship with fellow Christian brothers
and sisters. It’s one of my personal favorites. This includes being with
one another in church, bible study, or small (discipleship) groups,
talking over coffee or tea, women’s conferences or even praying for or
serving one another (see Hebrews 10:23-25, 1 Peter 4:8-10, Galatians
6:2, Romans 15:5).
Lastly, living the life of Christianity is also evangelistic.
We are called to share the hope that is within us with those who don’t
know Christ (see 1 Peter 3:15). We are called to be salt and light to a
dark and dying world (Matthew 5:13-16). So if you struggle with sharing
your faith with others, I encourage you to research some how-to-articles
on it, grab a few books, and pray for God to give you the knowledge and
boldness to do it. And if you’re already sharing your faith, praise the
Lord, sis! Keep it going!
Listen. I pray that you’re not feeling
overwhelmed by all of this. Even though this post is telling you all
about living the Christian life, it doesn’t all happen overnight. This
is a lifelong process. It’s a daily walk. It’s a journey. It’s a walk
with Him.
Remember, Jesus said in Matthew 11:30, “My yoke is easy, my burden is light.”
And 1 John 5:3, “Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his
commands are not burdensome.” Meaning, He will not put unnecessary
weights on you and neither will I. God’s Word is here for you and I to
help us get to know Him deeper, for salvation, to mature, encourage one
another, and help lead others to Christ. That’s the Christian life in a
nutshell.
Just take it one day at a time. God’s got you! At least now you know a little more about what living the life of Christianity is all about. It’s actually the best decision you’ve ever made in this life!
Remember, Jesus is coming back soon. And those who endure unto the end, shall be saved. Let’s be ready from the Inside Out.
[written by Courtnaye Richard]
