We should examine ourselves
With deep concern for the welfare for his readers, Paul the apostle wrote to the Corinthians saying, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves" (2 Corinthians 13:5).
Yes, the problem for you may be that you are not a Christian! Imagine if you weren't a doctor but you tried to live your life as a doctor. In trying to do this, there would be great danger, discouragement and disillusionment. This is how it is with many people who are trying to live the Christian life without actually being a Christian. The Bible says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) and "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). We have all sinned and can never get to Heaven by just acknowledging there is a God, living a 'good' honest life and going to church. Knowing the right Bible doctrines and reading the Bible will not get you to Heaven.
To become a Christian, you must be reborn spiritually
"In reply Jesus declared, 'I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again'" (John 3:3).
"Now it is God … who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come"
(2 Corinthians 5:5).
"Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God … and if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ" (Romans 8:8,9).
If you think you may have been trying to live as a Christian but you have not been spiritually reborn and do not have the Spirit of Christ, then take action! We can never do enough good deeds to be accepted into Heaven. Just think about it. If you are good enough to make it to Heaven by yourself, Christ died for nothing. If you remove Christ, you don't have Christianity.
Becoming a Christian
To become a Christian you must acknowledge your need for a Saviour by turning away from your sins, putting your trust and faith in Jesus who rose from the dead and submitting to Jesus as your Lord.
"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out" (Acts 3:19).
"If you confess with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).
Here's a prayer you might like to say:
God,
I realise I have hurt you by my sin and rebellion by trying to live my life without you in control
I turn from my sin and rebellion and I want to live my life under your control and guidance
I know I don't deserve your free gift of eternal life and your salvation
I believe in my heart that the Lord Jesus died and rose from the dead
Help me to be obedient to what you want in my life
A lamp to our feet
The Bible is the Word of God and as a Christian it is "like a lamp to our feet" (Psalm 119:105). Knowing the Bible in our journey through life is likened to having a light when we walk in the darkness. What happens when we don't have a light in the darkness? We may stumble or fall or sustain a serious inquiry. We may become disorientated, discouraged, confused or stop our journey.
Don't be satisfied in stumbling
So if you are satisfied with stumbling through your Christian walk - you can guarantee that you stay that way by NOT reading the Bible! On the other hand, if you would like victory in life's battles and to be able to show others how to avoid obstacles - know your Bible well.
The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit in our battle here on earth. By reading the Bible we can be sure that what we believe is the truth and we can test what others say.
"The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
"And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17).
"The Bereans examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true" (Acts 17:11).
You can't make it by yourself
We become Christians by admitting we cannot make it without God, coming to the foot of the cross and asking forgiveness for our sins. Sadly, many of us then proceed to 'wander off into the world' and think we can do it by ourselves! Only God can change our hearts. This was true when we first believed and it will be true for us for every day after that point.
Admit you can't make it alone
Each morning we must refresh and renew ourselves by coming back to the foot of the cross, admitting we can't make it alone. Major victories over problems can come when you say "Lord, I give up fighting this in my own strength. I give it ALL over to you so your power may be displayed."
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him … overflowing with thankfulness" (Colossians 2:6). Go back to list of strategies 4. Follow the 'whatever' principle - be obedient!
Each day we must say to God - 'whatever'. Lord, whatever YOU want, that's what I want. Deny yourself and follow God's will.
"Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me'" (Matthew 16:24). Go back to list of strategies 5. Do not become a slave to sin
Sin so easily entangles
"Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin'" (John 8:34). Jesus wants us to have freedom and not to do things that will harm others and ourselves. As Christians we should "hate what is evil; cling to what is good" (Romans 12:9) and our lives should reflect this hatred for evil. The writer of the book of Hebrews writes to Christians encouraging them to "throw off … the sin that so easily entangles" (Hebrews 12:1).
What does the Bible describe as sin?
Here is a list - sexual immorality (sex is meant for a man and woman who are married to each other), idolatry, witchcraft, stealing, committing adultery, misusing the name of God, not honouring your father and your mother, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, homosexuality, selfish ambition, envy, drunkenness, orgies, murder, deceit, malice, gossiping, slander, being arrogant, insolent or senseless, not having faith in God, having no self control, loving pleasure rather than loving God, not having love, being ungrateful, being a lover of money, being abusive, heartless or boastful, hating God, disobeying your parents. (Galatians 5, Romans 1, Exodus 20, 2 Timothy 3)
Keep in step with the Spirit
Our sinful human nature desires to do these things and the solution to this for the Christian is to "live by the Spirit" and "keep in step with the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25).
Christians are not perfect but we are forgiven
There is a story where the famous preacher Charles Spurgeon was talking to a man who said he was now perfect and no longer sinned. Spurgeon reacted by throwing a glass of water in the person's face! The person then abused Surgeon using a variety of bad language. Spurgeon responded by saying to the man; "I knew the 'old man' (i.e. the old sinful nature that Christians still have) was not dead but that it could be easily revived by a glass of water!"
Struggling with evil
The Bible tells us that as Christians we will still sin because "if we claim we have not sinned, we make him (God) out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives" (1 John 1:10).
Paul the apostle tells us, "When I want to do good, evil is right there with me" (Romans 7:21).
The solution is always the same for sin - repent!
We know that "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Confess your sins and move on in your Christian walk! Don't become entangled in sin!
Remember God is always there for you:
"God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us"(Romans 5:8).
Standing firm under temptation
In times of temptation, God is there to help us!
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Don't be disappointed when you don't find sinless perfection in the lives of Christians, which includes your own life. Look to Jesus for sinless perfection and keep your eyes on Him.
Go back to list of strategies 7. Praying is essential! Prayer is direct, personal two-way communication between you and God.
As the bible so beautiful puts it "Let us the approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).
"Therefore, brothers, since we have the confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus … let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith" (Hebrews 10:19,22). .
All relationships need communication
If you neglect prayer, you are neglecting communicating with God and no relationship can develop like it should without communication! Slowly pray the following prayer that Jesus gave us, reflecting on what the words actually mean. (The headings are mine.)
Giving God the glory
"Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Wanting to do God's will Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven,
Give us our essentials Give us today our daily bread,
Helping us with forgiveness Forgive us our debts,
As we also have forgiven our debtors,
Delivering us from the evil one And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one"
(Matthew 6:9-13).
To have POWER in your Christian life you must PRAY!
"Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Philippians 4:6).
"Be joyful always; praying continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:16,17).
If God tells us to pray continually it must be VERY important for us to do it! For prayer to be effective you must humble yourself and be ready to be obedient to what God tells you. It is no good praying "LORD JESUS" if you are not prepared to do what the LORD says. Be obedient!
"Let us not give up meeting together … but encourage one another" (Hebrews 10:25). You may have had a bad experience with some other Christian or groups of Christians but you will not improve your situation by isolating yourself from ALL Christians! Try to mend relationships with other Christians that you have hurt or that have hurt you and move on! NEVER ISOLATE YOURSELF!
Hearts that have become calloused
There is a story where Jesus was talking
to a man who was an alcoholic and who was crying while he sat on the steps of a particular church. The man wanted to go into the church but the church members wouldn't let him because he wasn't dressed properly. Jesus responded by saying to the man, "Don't worry, I have been trying to get into that church for years but they won't let me in either!"
Jesus wants more from us than just going through the motions and dragging ourselves to church. Jesus tells us that one of the greatest commandments is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength"
(Mark 12:30).
Love both God AND His word
Many Christians pride themselves on saying how they love the Bible, which is the Word of God. This is good! But we must love the Word of God and "love the Lord our God with all our hearts." An active Christian faith is about a relationship with the living and risen Christ. If your reading of the Bible doesn't lead you to love God more then something is wrong!
Take stock
Take stock of your life and see if you have lost the love you first had for God. If you lose your love for God, you will arrive at a dead end with only dry, lifeless words and religion to try and cling to.
Jesus says; "Yet I hold this against you. You have forsaken your first love. Remember the heights from which you have fallen. Repent and do the things you did at first" (Revelation 2:4-5). "Knock and the door will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7). Repent and patiently wait on the Lord and He will lift you up.
Go back to list of strategies 1 - 9
