Committing to Christ

Previous lessons in this series emphasized two critical steps: a) clarifying your values and b)
identifying your God-given make-up, your shape, toward maximizing your life. But they're
absolutely worthless unless you take the third step, committing your life to Jesus Christ, which is
the focus of this lesson.
Now we live in a time when our society fears commitment. Robert Bella, sociologist at the
University of Southern California, wrote Habits of the Heart. He said, "Americans are committed
to nothing. If we're committed to anything it's individual freedom and keeping our options open."
Now the problem with that is where it leads. If I don't commit to anything, then I'm not going to
get anything out of life. It's like going down a cafeteria line and saying, "Well, I'm not going to
choose my entree right now, I want to keep my options open. I'll wait on the vegetables. I am
going to keep my options open." By the time you get to the end of the line. You don't have
anything on the tray, and that's what happens in so many lives.
Earlier in this series, we said that maintaining a focus is essential to the maximum life by not
wasting time on things that don't matter. The key to focus is commitment. The number one thing
necessary to living a life that is really full is to commit your life to God's will through his son,
Jesus Christ. Paul said in Romans 12:1, "I beseech you brethren to present your bodies as a living
sacrifice which is your reasonable service (spiritual service-ASV)." Now hear me, when I say,
"Commit to Christ," I'm talking about more than a decision. I'm talking about a commitment.
Many of you have made a decision about Christ, but I think it's fair to say that there are many of
you who have not really committed to Him. You want the salvation that He offers, but you're not
sure you want the lordship that He demands. That's what we're talking about with commitment.
We need to commit our life to Christ because:
1. It is part of God's plan for our life.
"We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10) There are good things that He created
us to do. Notice "We are created (how?) in Christ Jesus to do good works." In other
words, apart from a genuine commitment to Christ, we will never realize life's maximum
purpose, our potential until that commitment is made.
2. I'm grateful for my salvation.
Paul said in 2 Timothy 1:9 [Jesus] saved us and called us to a holy life, not because of
anything we have done, but because of His own purpose and grace. I need to give my life
to God because He's given His life to me. Amen? God made the ultimate commitment
when He took on the form of man and came to earth to die on that cross for us as the
perfect sin atonement. It's pretty obvious, but at the same time extremely powerful.
If God never did another thing for me, never blessed anything else in my life, never
answered another prayer, never gave me another morsel of food or never said another
kind word my way, I owe Him my all right now because of what He did for me on the
cross. Paul writing about His own motivation in 1 Corinthians 15:10 stated, "But by the

grace of God I am what I am, and I labor more abundantly than they all-yet not I, but the
grace of God that was with me." I commit to Christ because I'm grateful for my salvation.
3. God promises to reward that commitment.
If I'll jump in, I mean if I'll really jump in, He'll reward that commitment. Look at Luke
6:38, many consider this verse to talk about giving money, but it really refers to all of life.
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and
running over, will be poured into your lap." Matthew records Jesus stating about the same
thing "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will
be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)
Those are just two of dozens and dozens of fantastic promises in Scripture where God
says if you'll just put your life in my hands, I'll bring you blessings and benefits you can't
even imagine-if you'll just trust me. The more you commit to me, the more I will
accomplish through you.
Are those not good reasons; are those not great reasons to commit your life to Christ? I
can't think of any better reason. So immediately somebody says, "Why doesn't everybody
do it then? Why doesn't everybody commit to Jesus?" Everybody doesn't really commit to
Christ because of the resistance to commit, three of which are discussed below.
Resistance to commitment to Christ:
1. Nearsightedness- failure to take the long look.
We don't look 20 or 30 years down the road, much less from an eternal perspective. We
just tend to live for now. C. S. Lewis wrote something excellent in one of His books, "We
have the wrong view. We tend to think of ourselves as human beings who have a spiritual
dimension, when in fact, we are spiritual beings simply passing through the human
experience." He's right. The big picture is, I'm a spiritual being, and I'm going to live
forever somewhere. But, sometimes we get nearsighted and just see ourselves packaged
in the flesh. Nearsightedness keeps our focus on what's the easy thing, what's the fun
thing and what's the convenient thing, ignoring our long-term values.
Jesus said '"But the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for
other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.'" (Mark 4:19) Our Lord hit
the nail right on the head. We focus on the urgent, not the important. We lose sight of
those real values that we evaluated in the "What Are My Values" lesson. We stopped
asking, "When I'm 90 years old and looking back, what is it that I most want to have
done? How do I most want to be remembered?" All we think about is now. We don't
commit!
I love the story of John Skulley. In the mid-70s, he was the president and chief executive
officer of Pepsi Cola. He became president at age 34. He had his face on the cover of
every major magazine. At age 42, he was on top of the world making more money than
he could ever spend if he doled it out every second. A fellow by the name of Steve Jobe
had started up a fledgling little computer company called, Apple Computer. He had taken
it about as far as he could take it. He knew this man John Skulley was the man who could
take it to heights as yet unperceived. He begged, and begged, and begged, and begged

him to come, but Skulley was making too much money. Finally, in a New York
penthouse, he looked at John and he asked him this fateful question: "John, do you want
to spend the rest of your life making sugared-water, or do you want to change the world?"
That did it. It broke him out of his nearsightedness, and he did take Apple Computer to
unprecedented heights.
But there are heights beyond computers. The apostle John said in 1 John 2:17, "The
world and all its passions and desires will one day disappear, but anyone who does the
will of God will live forever." We've got to get over that nearsightedness to commit.
2. Selfishness - thinking only about self.
Many millions of people build their whole world around themselves and they don't have
time for God. I don't have time for God; I'm too busy with my career. I don't have time
for God's purposes in my life, I've got places to go, people to see and things to do. I've
got dreams, I've got plans, I've got ambition. Now these are people who are in essence
saying, "Now God, I know more about my life than you do. I know what's going to make
me happy, I know what's going to fulfill me." But God says, "No, you don't. I designed
you and I built you. You think you know, but you're blowing it."
Some of you read Calvin and Hobbs, the cartoon in the newspaper. There was one I saw
some time back that I thought was really cute. Calvin was looking at Hobbs and said to
him, "I'm at peace with the world, and I'm completely serene." Hobbs said, "Well, why is
that?" Calvin said, "Well, I've discovered my purpose in life, I know why I was put here
and why everything exists." Hobbs said, "0 really?" Calvin said, "Yes, I'm here so that
everybody can do what I want." Hobbs said, "Well, it's nice to have cleared that up."
Calvin said, "Yes, and once everybody else accepts it, they'll be serene, too."
We laugh at that, but there are a whole lot of Calvins in the world. The world revolves
around them. Once everybody else figures that out, they'll be serene, too. But when you
live for yourself, you have a pretty small goal in life. But Jesus said as recorded in Mark
8:35, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me
and the gospel will save it."
3. Fear.
Among those who have not yet really committed their life to Christ, pure and simple fear
is probably the most common reason. As fears come up, we ask ourselves questions like:
What will it cost? If I really commit to Christ, what will God require of me if I really took
His hand and let Him lead me? Would I become a fanatic? What will other people think?
Will I lose my secular friends? Will I no longer be cool? What if I can't keep my
commitment? What if I fail?
Those are the kind of fears that keep people from committing. Now, if that includes you
and those fears have kept you from being what God wants you to be, let me tell you what
the source of those fears is, aside from the old devil himself. The source of the fears is
you don't understand the character of God. Either you don't really trust His wisdom, or
you don't really trust His love. Sadly, I think for too many people, it's the latter.
Folks, I want to tell you God is not some cosmic killjoy in the sky waiting to deal you a

bummer. He said, "I know the plans I have for you. They are for good, and not for evil."
(Jeremiah 29:11) Every father, every parent can identify with this. If your child was to
come to you and said, "Dad, I respect you and I love you, you're my dad, and I want to
live life the way you want me to live it." How would you respond to that? Dad, would
you look at that child and say, "Ha, ha, ha, 0 boy, you don't know it, but you're going to
be miserable from here on out. No more ice cream-spinach, artichokes, and anchovies for
you. I'm going to break your play station. You're going to sit in that corner and wear a
dunce cap the rest of your life and never go out." Isn't that ridiculous? It's absolutely
absurd. Yet, that is the very concept many people have about their life if they commit it to
God. He's going to put me through some obstacle course to make me miserable.
I want to tell you what, if my son walks up to me and says, "Dad, I want to commit my
life to your purposes and goals, I want to be the son you want me to be." I would do
everything, everything in my power to make his life as wonderful as it could possibly be.
God, our Father, says, "I want to do the same." That's why Jesus said, "Seek ye first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness, and I'll add all these things to you."
Look at Psalm 37:3, "Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe
pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this:" That's the promise. I've
got nothing to fear by committing my life to Christ. Life is going to be more wonderful
than it could be otherwise.
Why we need to commit toi Dhrist?
How do I respond with commitment to Christ? Obviously, if you're not a Christian, you need to
put your trust in Christ and obey the gospel. Obviously, you need to recognize Jesus as who He
is, the Son of God. You need to come to Him on you knees saying, "I believe that," confessing
His name. You need to be immersed into the death of Christ being buried with Him, baptized into
Christ, for the forgiveness of your sin. That is the means by which one accepts the grace that God
has offered. But some of you have already done that. You've already obeyed the gospel. You have
put on Christ having been buried with Him in baptism. Some of you assemble with a church
regularly, but if the truth is known, you've yet to really commit your life to Christ. You've yet to
really step on His power and grace saying, "I want His way more than my way."
What do you still need to do? The first thing you need to do is calculate. In Luke 14:25, Jesus is
up front about commitment. He said if you're going to follow me, you'd better think about it. He
said there's not a man who would build a tower without first taking inventory of his money and
his materials. He would make sure he could finish. He's not going to get halfway up and quit. He
said there's not a king who's not going to take care to count his own forces before he goes to war.
If he's got 10,000, he's not likely to go do battle against somebody with 20,000. He said, "If
you're going to commit to me, you better think about it, you better calculate it." In every
commitment, there are benefits to be had and prices to be paid. You decide whether you're
committed based on whether you think the benefits outweigh the costs. That's it. In other words,
is the cause worth the costs?

I want you to do a little experiment. Picture in your mind two ledgers. On one side in this ledger
is the question: What is the cost to follow Jesus Christ, because there is a cost? On the other side
of the ledger the question is: What does it cost not to really commit to Jesus Christ? By your
response to these questions you are making a commitment.
When we commit to Christ, what do you give up?
1. The right to personal sovereignty.
I'm not going to pull any punches. Don't say "I'm committed to Christ" if you're not going
to commit. In other words, it's no longer what do I want, but God, what do you want? It's
not what I want to do, it's God, what do you want me to do?
See, amazingly, the God who created the universe gave each of us the ability to choose
how much influence the Almighty God will have in our lives. He didn't have to do that. If
He wanted to, He could have made every one of us puppets, robots or animals, birds or
fish. But He made us with the ability to think, reason and choose. He gave you the ability,
right, to decide. So if you commit to Jesus Christ, you're saying, "God, I'm turning that
right back over to you." Look at what Paul said in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified
with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." There was a commitment, and
He turned over personal sovereignty.
2. Personal priority of your resources.
Whew! That one stings! It's no longer what do I want to do with my time, it is, God what
do you want me to do with your time? It's no longer what am I going to do with my
money, but God what do you want me to do with your money? See, it's the concept of
stewardship. When you commit to Jesus Christ, you're saying, "I realize that God owns
everything I have and He wants me just to manage it for just a little while for His glory. I
give up "the my and mine concept." It's God. I give up priority of my resources, any kind
of resource.
3. Worldly value system.
This concept was discussed in the "What are My Values?" lesson. "For everything of the
world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of the eyes and the boasting of what he has and
does-comes not from the Father but from the world." (1 John 2:16) Power, pleasure,
prestige and possessions, it's not that you never have any of those things; it's that you
don't spend all of your attention, your time, and your emotions trying to acquire it. If I
commit my life to Christ, I give up a relentless pursuit of what the world says is
important. Now that's a pretty big price, isn't it?
When you give up your personal sovereignty you realize you're not the manager of the
universe, you're not even the manager of your life. You're going to let God call the shots.
Give up the priority of your resources, the chasing after the worldly value system.
When you choose NOT to commit to Christ, what do you give up?
1. One, it costs me God's plan for the best use of my life.
If I decide I'm not going to commit to Christ, I'm just going to drift through life. I'll get
little snatches of pleasure here and there, but I never come close to tapping into what God

can and wants to do with my life because that only comes from really walking hand in
hand with the Lord.
2. Satisfaction and joy
Those of you who are maybe advanced in years who have never made that commitment
could testify you've felt a hollow feeling for a long time. That empty or hollow feeling is
the lack of satisfaction and joy that you gave up.
3. Eternal life.
You gave up a reward in heaven, an eternity of absolute bliss where I'll never hurt, cry, or
mourn again. You will never hear the Lord say "Well done, good and faithful servant.
Enter now into the joys of the Lord."
Once you've make that commitment, the next step is simple, CHARGE! I mean charge, dedicate,
go for it, and don't turn back. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer
your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship."
(Romans 12:1)
When a pilot turns and starts a big 747 down the airport runway, he gets to a point where he
passes a point of no return. He is getting more and more speed, either he's going to get airborne
or crash and self-destruct.
I'm afraid there are some of you who've got your engines revving. There are a lot of other people
out there who aren't even at the airport. Some don't even know there's a plane. Are some of you
sitting on life's runway, revving up, building up a little speed, but not enough speed to get
airborne? You've never gotten off the ground in your relationship with Christ. You know about
Him, but you've never gotten off the ground in real commitment to know Him Some of you may
have been sitting on that runway for years, revving your engines and saying, "One of these days,
one of these days, I'm going to get committed. One of these days I'm going to give my life to
God. One of these days, I'm going to stop living out my plan and start living God's plan." I really
worry that someday you're going to stand before Jesus Christ with major regrets saying I did
such a stupid thing! I invested my life, I invested my time and I invested my talent for the wrong
purpose. How I wish I could do it over again. But it will be too late.
What is it that's holding you back from your commitment? What is it that's keeping you on the
runway, instead of being airborne? Is it fear? Afraid of what God will do with you? Is it
nearsightedness, are you just still looking at all these things around you? Is it just pure
selfishness? Is it a relationship? What is it? Has there ever been a time in your life since you
made your initial commitment to Christ that you made an unreserved commitment of your talent,
your time, your treasure or your life without hesitation or reservation. You see the real issue is do
you want to be a casual, lukewarm, Christian the rest of your life? You can't be partially
committed to Christ. The one thing Christianity cannot be is moderately important. You can hide,
you can stay uncommitted, and basically, nobody will know-but God knows.lesson # 1299 - February 2,

1997

10 Tips for Getting your

Christian Life Back on Track

SERIES, PART 1

There are times in our Christian lives when we may feel uninspired,
unfulfilled, and incomplete. Perhaps we've lost our joy and enthusiasm
for the cause of Christ. Perhaps priorities are out of focus.
If this describes you, then it's time to get your Christian life "back to
the basics."
Here are 10 simple steps you can take to help get your life back on
the right path...

Tip #1: Re-establish your relationship with God

and Christ
It's very possible to be a "religious person" but not have
a real"relationship" with your Heavenly Father.
Such was the case with the Pharisees of Jesus' day, and I'm convinced
is also the case with many modern Christians (John 5:42).
They may go to church, attend Bible studies, and be very religious
andstill may not have truly developed a relationship with God and
Christ. Obviously, there isn't a more important relationship you can
develop than this one! Everything in your Christian life hinges on
this, including your very eternal future (Romans 8:15; Jeremiah 30:2122).
The Bible says: "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to
you."(James 4:8)

God desires to be near you, but the relationship must be mutual. It's
also important to know that you must put God first to have a proper
relationship with Him. Jesus said:
The most important [commandment] is this: `Hear, O Israel, the Lord
our God, the Lord is one. 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 12:29-30)
So, step #1 is to draw near to God. Re-commit yourself to God and
Christ. Fullywith "all your heart, soul, mind, and
body." 100%. Anything less is not enough.
Truly be willing to do WHATEVER He asks of you in the Bible. If it says
it,do it. Let no one or nothing keep you from it (Matthew 7:21; 28-1820).
If you do this, you're going to make it.

Tip #2: Commit to everyday Bible reading and/or

listening
We communicate to God in prayer, but God communicates to
us through His word, the Bible.
And all of it is important. Jesus said:
Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from
the mouth of God.
(Matthew 4:4)
Did you catch the phrase "every word?"
Failure to understand this will result in spiritual disaster (as you'll
hopefully soon see).
Trying to live your spiritual life without daily ingesting of God's word is
like trying to live your physical life without eating enough food. What
happens? You gradually become weaker and weaker until death
occurs.
Spiritual weakness is almost always accompanied by a lack of reliance
on the Bible. Remember, if your faith is weakening, increased faith
comes through the word of Christ in the Bible (Romans 10:17).
If you sincerely ask God for stronger faith, He will give it to you
(Matthew 7:7).
Personally, I recommend that you find an accurate, readable
translation, and then determine to read the Bible each day (Acts
17:11). Or, if you prefer listening to the Bible, purchase some Bible
CDs in a good easy-to-listen-to translation (older translations are

difficult to understand, and many old English words have changed in

meaning).
If you commit yourself to this as a life-long habit, your faith will grow,
as will your perspective on life.

Tip #3: Commit to everyday prayer

Bible reading is how God speaks to us. Prayer is how we speak to God.
The Bible commands Christians to "pray continually" (1 Thessalonians
5:17). Daniel, one of the greatest men of the Old Testament, prayed to
God three times a day (Daniel 6:10).
And when you pray, don't be repetitive, like the Pharisees of Jesus' day
were (Matthew 6:5-15). Be sincere in your requests. Pray from the
heart.
Find a peaceful place to pray and have a meaningful prayer to God.
And one more thingmake sure your heart and life is pure of any
habitual sin, because God doesn't listen to sinners, no matter how
often they pray (Isaiah 59:1-2).

Tip #4: Be spiritually minded!

This is another crucial stepone that's often ignored by many Christian people today. But
the results of ignoring it are spiritually fatal.
The Bible is clear: We must be spiritually minded. But what does it mean to be "spiritually
minded?"
Being spiritually minded doesn't mean merely staying busy doing church-related things. Nor
does it mean simply having interesting, unspiritually related Bible discussions (for example,
examining history as it relates to Bible prophecy).
True "spiritual mindedness" obviously means having a mind that is focused on spiritual
things. The Bible states:
Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the fleshbut those
who live according to the Spiritset their minds on the things of the Spirit. The mind set on
the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.
(Romans 8:5-6)
Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things from abovewhere
Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly
things.
(Col 3:1,2)
Of course, we talk about what we think about. If you have a spiritual mind, that's what
you're going to be talking about to your family, fellow Christians, and friends. Jesus said
[speaking at first to the Pharisees]:

You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow
of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored
up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.
(Matthew 12:34-35)
The Bible also indicates (Proverbs 1:2) that we will be "blessed" if our"delight is in the law
of the LORD, and on His law [we] meditate day and night."
It's always been puzzling to me to attend a worship assembly, and then discovertime after
timethat no one seemed interested in discussing what was taughtor had anything else
from the Bible they wanted to discuss. Or, attending church dinners and not a spiritual
comment is ever made. Or, calling Christians together for entertainment and having
everyone turn out, but calling them for a Bible study and hardly anyone shows up. These
are disturbing signs of a congregation that is unspiritually-minded. In other words, a church
that may have truth but not the spirit.
Spiritually minded people love to share things about the spirit. It's part of their nature. I
believe it is impossible for true Christians to not speak of things of the spirit frequently,
especially when they are around others of like mind.
So, meditate about God's words, plant them in your heart, and speak about them. They will
be your salvation (James 1:21; Romans 2:15; 2 Corinthians 3:2).

Tip #5: Make sure your worship experiences aremeaningful

When we attend worship, it's important to have our minds focused, and that we are "into
the worship"in spite of occasional distractions of children or those around us. It's also
important that our families are maintaining an atmosphere where others can worship
without distraction, especially if we have young, untrained children. (By the way, churches
described in the Bible did not have "day care centers"instead, they trained their children
to be obedientsee Ephesians 6:1-2, among many other possible verses.)
The Bible is clear...true worship MUST be in spirit (i.e., being in the right spirit or attitude)
not just in truth (i.e., according to the teachings of God). Jesus said:
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)
I believe many churches today are worshiping perhaps in spirit, but not in truth.
And, more commonly among Bible-believing churches: many may be worshiping in
truth, but not in spirit (which technically IS NOT in truth). In other words, they may feel
they are "Bible believing," but they are not "Bible practicing."
Many modern members do not appear to have their minds and thoughts and speech focused
on things that are from above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Such Christians
need to re-evaluate their commitment to Christ.
So, worship in the right spirit. The Bible says:
So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will
sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. (1 Corinthians 14:15)
One final note about worship. Some have developed the tradition of entering the place of
assembly, sitting down, and evidently "meditating" or reading the Biblenot realizing God
has specifically commanded us to greet and spiritually encourage one another.

This is a classic example of how another tradition has supplanted the actual, plainly spoken
will of God.
Obviously, the worship part of the assembly begins at the appointed time. Prior to, and after
that time, we should be busy "encouraging and building one another up" in our spiritual
families.

Tip #6: Be a person of love

Many modern Christian people have developed cold, judgmental, and even harsh attitudes
about the world around them. They don't appear to have much love and compassion for
others (John 5:24).
While it's true that we should not be naive, and that sometimes "tough love" is necessary
(Jude 23)at the end of the day, we must never forget that we must be people of love (1
Corinthians 13).
So, let's resolve to be compassionate, patient, and helpful toward those around us. Not only
will we be living as Christ directed, our examples to the world will be more like it should be.
Love certainly doesn't replace the other commandments of God, but it's the greatest of all
Christian characteristics.
Therefore it's impossible to lack proper love and still be a true Christian (1 Corinthians
13:13).

Tip #7: Don't compromise with error

As incredible as it sounds, believers can sometimes find themselves defending the need to
defend truth. While most matters of life are "compromisable" and we should certainly seek
to live at peace with everyone, truth can never be compromised. Truth is a foundational
principle of God's willit will indeed "set you free." And just as Christ adhered strictly to
truth, so must His people. Doing so, sadly, will put us at odds with others.
Many people apparently confuse love with tolerance (1 Corinthians 5).
And tolerance these days implies "acceptance." So, they learn to accept the corrupt lives of
those around them in society, simply because it's politically or religiously correct to do so.
These same casual attitudes often also reflect themselves in their view of false Christian
religions. They learn to develop tolerant attitudes toward those God has strictly warned us
about. Due to these attitudes, they may eventually even find themselves part of and in
support of those religions.
However, the Bible has repeatedly warned us about the danger of false prophets and
teachers, who are numerous in our world today. For example: 1 John 4:1; 2 Peter 2:1-2;

Matthew 7:15-16; 24:11-12; 2 Timothy 4:1-4; Acts 20:29-30; Matthew 15:14; 1 Timothy
1:3-4; 6:20-21; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Philippians 3:2-3and many others.
As you can see, time after time the Bible warns Christians to be on serious guard against
CHRISTIAN false prophets. Yet so few today seem to be aware of themand usually
because they ignored tip #2 above. The Bible says:
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from
God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
(1 John 4:1)
If a Christian takes these warnings lightly, and begins to compromise with anti-Biblical
practices and teachings, it will be impossible for that person to have a proper relationship
with Christ.
Some Christians become discouraged because their conservative churches are cold, inactive,
and unspiritual. Consequently, they seek out liberal Christian religions that clearly are
unBiblical in both teaching and practice.
If your congregation worships in truth, but lacks the spirit, find out how you can have both.
It makes no sense to worship God in spirit without thetruth either. Remember (see
above), both are REQUIRED to do God's will (John 4:24).
Don't make the mistake of throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
And one more VERY IMPORTANT matter. To find truth, you must obviously be open-minded.
But please don't be so "open-minded" that your brain falls out.

Tip #8: Don't let church traditions discourage you from your
quest for truth
Many modern churches worship according to the Bibleexcept they've developed traditions
that sometimes become more important than what's best for Christ and His church.
Over the years, I've discovered several common church teachings and practices that are
really based on "men's traditions" rather than on God's word. Traditional Christians will often
pressure others to follow their traditions (Colossians 2:16), even when those traditions have
become burdens that hamper the cause of Christor even directly disobey Biblical teachings
(which they often doMatthew 15:1-9). Jesus said:
They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men." (Matthew 15:9)
Regardless of others' pressure on you, continue to remember that if it's not in the Bible, it's
not in the Bible. The Bible is our guide, not men or women.
Conversely, if it IS in the Bible, do it! Everything there was put there because it belonged
there.
Don't be like many modern liberal Christian religions that have decided to ignore plain
Biblical teachings in order to attract larger audiences. Determine to obey all of it, because
that's the will of Christ (Matthew 28:18-20).
Being in the minority because you're doing the right thing is nothing new. The Bible is full of
examples of people who had to do that to please Godand they were greatly rewarded for

doing so.

Tip #9: Find a work of Christ you can "throw yourself into"
God is Spirit, but He put you in a physical world. One reason is that He wants you to serve
Him in this physical world, with your physical body.
So, evaluate your talents and find a cause you can pour yourself into. Remember, God does
not want Christians to be complacent, but zealous for Christ's causeabove all other
causes (Romans 12:11).
Therefore, find a cause of the church that matches your talents, and then busy yourself with
it. And thereby you will start laying up treasure in heaven.

Tip #10: Stay in close touch with other spiritually minded true
Christians
Isolation is the last phase of spiritual death. Just as the lion seeks to devour those on the
fringes of the herdthe weak and youngso satan desires those who are on the fringes of
the church and have become weak and isolated. The Bible states:
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking
for someone to devour.(1 Peter 5:8)
So, get in touch and stay in touch with other spiritually minded Christians, and seek to
continually grow in Christ. Early Christians met very frequently. The Bible states:
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their
homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.
(Acts 4:26)
Your very soul, and those of your family, may depend on your dedication to this and the
other points of this article.
Apply yourself to them, and watch your Christian life begin to blossom again.

How to commit your life to Christ

Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder
for those who diligently seek Him. You want to share it with every person you know and every person you
meet. The following is the true principle that God does the work we cannot fail it is all Gods work;

i. By grace you are saved through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is Gods gift.
ii. I was with you in weakness, in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not
with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the spirit and power.
iii. Will my words be which goes out of my mouth? It will not return to me empty.

How to use the scripture

i. Hearing

Faith comes from what is heard and what is heard comes through the message about Christ. God uses
this hearing of His word in a dynamic way.

ii. Question:-

Remember:-

The non-believer will be doing the talking, listening in a way that he or she will want to talk
The Holy Spirit will be doing the convincing
Gods word will bring conviction

Follow the three steps

1. a) Do you have any kind of spiritual belief?

b) Do you know who Jesus is?
c) Do you believe there is Heaven and Hell?

2 a) Are you a sinner

b) Do you want forgiveness for your sins?
c) Are you willing to surrender your life to Christ?
d) Are you ready to invite Jesus into your heart and into your life?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I have sinned against you. I want forgiveness for all my sins. I believe that Jesus died
on the cross for me and rose again. Father, I give you my life to do with as you wish. I want Jesus Christ
to come into my life and into my heart. This I ask in Jesus name, Amen.

It eliminates

the pressure to succeed,

the need to argue and
the fear of failure through everyday conversation,

Persons are guided to the word of God and asked to read for themselves. What is has to say. You open
the door for God to work in the non-believers life. Remember that success in witnessing is living out
Christian life, sharing the gospel and trusting God for the results.

Hear My prayer Lord

Lord, the creator of Heaven and Earth, are the Justice, Judge to be compared to you is none. You knew
me before I was conceived. You were present at the place where I was born, you named me to this age
that I am. You have been with me in my times of fears sorrows and I know you, my face will be filled with
smiles and laughter of joy. You are gracious everywhere and hope of the discouraged. Hear me dear
father when I call. Wipe away my tears when I cry.

Prove my innocence when I am accused falsely Lord, and do not let my hope go because of temptations
and tribulations of this world because I know that my home is where you are. It has been long. I had been
suffering, rejection and negligence yet I keep trusting in you. I made a choice to follow you in all the days
of my life.

Help me Holy Spirit to achieve the crown that has been kept for me in Heaven. Now that my heart is
broken and my mind not in peace come to me that I may be restored. Heavenly Father my good shepherd
you are all what I need my love for you lasts forever.

In His presence live, love so might and so true, your happiness, loving service it belongs to Jesus Christ.
If you are in trouble, look above, because Jesus completely saves. He will lift you by His love out of the
angry waves.

* Has the church ever asked you for money?

* It is true that most churches take an offering
* God doesnt want your money. But when you become a believer, something happens to your heart. You
give because you want to. I you dont give in joy, you shouldnt give at all.
* God wants you to surrender your life to Him.
* You can say, I tried a prayer once and nothing happened. Did you mean the prayer when you said it?
* How do I know I have enough faith? If you have enough faith to ask Christ to come into your heart, you
have enough faith to receive Him into your heart.

Isaiah 59:19, Matt 6:10

* You must give thanks in all things either bad or good

Ezra 3:2-5
* The meaning of prayer
* What you want to be you shall be
* What you pray you will receive
* All things shall be OK when you trust and obey the Lord
* You must reach the top of the mountain
* Life in this world is so strange people must learn in Christ how to handle problems, what is demonic and
holy
* Dont use demonic materials
* To have understanding you must learn
* You must have the fear of the Lord
* Heavenly life is not as earthly life
* Human wisdom is foolishness to God
* It is time to pray
* The law of God is perfect

* What does the Bible say will happen to those who have heard and have not responded?
* You have heard the gospel. Will you respond? From the creation of the world His invisible attributes,
that is, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what he
has made. As a result, people are without excuse [Romans 1:20]
* Have you put a relationship, a job or some activity that you would rather not or have over a relationship
with God? If you have those items become your idols
* Because of the holiness of God, it is possible to measure up to His standards of perfection. Since God is
the judge and the jury, it is His approval we have to meet [James 2:16]
* I want you to know that I like you, have been guilty as well. The difference is I found forgiveness through
Jesus. Do you want this kind of forgiveness?
* Remember to be loving to your friend; God is still in control of his life. You shall have no other gods
before me [Exodus 20:3, Romans 1:25]
* He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He
loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the first
born over all creation because of Him everything was created, in Heaven and Earth. The visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created through Him
and for Him. He is before all things by Him all things hold together [Coli 13:17]

* I am not God, but He is in me. Would you like God to be in you?

* A Christian hurt you, would you accept my apology for those who did that to you?

Psalms 31:1-17, 37:1-14, 25, 38:3-22, Exodus 14:!3-19

When you pray you will receive

When you ask you will be given
* When you knock the door will be opened.

Micah 6:8

No, O people, the Lord has already told you what is good and this is what he requires:-

* To do what is right
* To love mercy
* To walk humbly with your God

Commentary

People have tried all kinds of ways to please God [6, 7] but God has made His wishes clear. He wants His
people to do what is right, love mercy and walk humbly with him. In your efforts to please God, examine
these areas on a regular basis. Are you fair in your dealing with people? Do you show mercy to those who
wrong you? Are you learning humility?

Micah 6:8

He has shown you O man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love
mercy and to walk humbly with your God [N.I.V.]

Commentary

Man, the use of the singular makes the accusation personal though Micah is speaking to all Israel. Act
justly, love mercy. The kind of obedience God expects from His covenant people.

Wrong Decisions

That is what El Shaddai can do.

* You may have made wrong decisions, if you turn back to God, you will discover that He has provided
some very unique opportunities.
* How many of you are willing to pay the cost? If anyone would come after me, let them deny themselves,
take up the cross and follow me. For whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man
to gain the whole world and in the end lose his life?
* That in all of life God is the factor
* We may understanding it or not
* Choose Him or not
* Know Him or not
* Love Him or not
* Every decision you make you must make God the factor. Whether it is a job, business venture, a school.
God must be your all and all. You involve him to your blessing. You leave Him out to your peril.
* In your day to day lives, you may encounter sorrows, distress, joy and pains but God, like the master
artist, will weave these into a most beautiful pattern. You will soon make some very provident discoveries
if you hold on and do not waver.

It is illogical to expect a laborer to work without sustenance from his labor. Likewise, the Gospel Minister
who works tirelessly yet the church fails to support him as he deserves inevitably loses his zeal for the
work. It is equally wrong for anyone to enter Christian service because of what they can get. Many
Christians have this problem where they pay better than even the private sector.

This removes the element of Gods call and the sacrifice that is an important ingredient in Christian
service. The result is that there are many people flocking for jobs in these organizations in the name of
call to the ministry. Someone forced their heart out of relationships leading to marriage simply because
the other family is too economic or from a wrong social class. There someone says that it is not an
exaggeration that that the average Christian today sees religion primarily in terms of the help which God
can give him or her in this world; with a vague expectation for the world to come rather than as an active
creative relationship with God; a relationship which has professional implications for this life but which is
fulfilled in eternity. To put it crudely, it is an attitude which regards God in terms of His usefulness rather
than as an object of adoration and love.

Ephesians

It is for you only, try to understand this message

You must decide to read through the book of Ephesians when you realized the many excuses you have
given to justify your failure to keep promise before God. Put your feelings side and go ahead and read
through the book of Ephesians. After a few days, you will consider how subtle the enemy of your souls
can be in his schemes to lead you into state of luke warmness.

You will tought it would be in order for you to alert others especially those of us in full-time of the danger
of the being caught up in the sluggard syndrome which leads to not only failing God but yourself and
others as well. 2Cor 4:16:- Therefore we do not become discouraged utterly spiritless, exhausted and
wearied out through fear, though our outer man is progressively decaying and wasting away. Yet our inner
self is being progressively renewed day after day If you retreat from your daily relationship with Christ
then eventually your relationship becomes religion, righteousness becomes self-righteousness. Not only
do we fail to understand the times. We also run the same risk the Ephesians got into. They got into
activities, toil, troubles and labourious. Remember God knew they were enduring patiently, they had not
fainted, become exhausted or grown weary, yet got lukewarm. They had abandoned God, their first love.
Without Jesus Christ being central, Christianity is only barebones. Its doctrines may be known and even
understood and yet Christians can be left out. I would like to summarize your sad situation:- The problem
is situation is desperate but you are not. You should be

It is not the most learned or the see pest thinkers that know him best, but his true friends, whom Jesus
Himself spends in secret, teaching them what no books can ever tell. When you get on the lighting to
excellence and burn your bridges behind you, the excitement begins. TO know our virtues without being
tempted to pride, or our faults without falling into discouragement, we must look at them with the masters
eye which mirror for the un falling truth and light.

Matt 18
Feature: Forgiveness
* Forgiveness is like taking poison expecting others to die
* Do you want to pray the Lords prayer
Romans 8:1
* Those who in Christ
Matt 5:7
* You want it you give it away
John 11, Luke 4:!

1. Responding to Gods call

2. Accepting to serve God

3. Living in Gods intending reasons for your life\Committing your self to the Gospel of Truth
4. No room for disobedience
5. Lead the army forth right to victory
The believers who are not filled with the Holy Spirit may not be put in prison but they endanger
themselves and others when they live and engage a vicious enemy without the Holy Ghost power.
Without the Holy Spirit we are powerless in our Christian living and endeavors. He brings into
remembrance all our weapons of war. He instructs, directs and empowers our work and lives. Maybe
someone is discouraged, wounded and depressed. The Holy Spirit isnt indifferent to that. This requires
that you deal with past sins and ask Him to come and fill you up wait on Him, ye soldiers in battle. Wait in
your own Jerusalem until you are filled with the power.

Many people give up fast. They do not think long-term but short-term. They fail to realize that Armstrong
did not land on the moon the first day he taught about it and in his first attempt. It took a long process It is
persistence that creates winners. It takes resolve to reach the top. There will be obstacles in your path
and impediments to your success.

Life is a cycle of planting, reaping, resting and renewal. Even though winter is not endless. It eventually
gives way to spring. Do not die in your winter. Hold on a little longer for your spring. Winners use them to
build up strength and learn a better way to do something. They lose focus and direction. Apostle Peter is
the example of how persistence brings spiritual gain.

I saw the Lord before at all times. He is near me, and I will not be troubled. And so I am filled with
gladness and my words and words are full of joy. Mortal though I am, will rest assured in hope, because
you will not abandon me in the world of the dead; you will not allow your faithful servant to rot in the
grave. You have shown me the paths that lead to life, and by your presence you will fill me with joy.

Medium:- Means that a person who believes that he/she can communicate with the dead
Outkast:- Means sinners. Find in the book of Mark 2:15-17 or Luke 7:34, 15:1-2
Paralytic:- Someone who suffers from disease that prevents him / her from moving part or all his body
Sorcerer:-A person who works magic for evil purposes
Winged creature:- Means Gods majesty and His presence
[see Exodus 25:18-20, Ezekiel 1:5-13, Revelation 4:6-9]

Waiting upon the Lord

When you look over in your job, you will see people who have forgotten who they are, what their
resources are, and whose anointing. God is going to use you to break the yokes in the company. Jesus

Christ is everything and you have to rise and stand for your job and declare the glory of God. You are
supposed to purify the altars because a day will come and everything will be changed. Prayer makes the
devil put down his weapons. If Christians makeup their minds to get back what the devil has taken, they
will be a mighty victory. If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and
seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and I will forgive their sins
and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered We need
to repent for being religious without being spiritual. God needs two things; people who will stand and pray
and who will walk in true character of a Christian. The reward of the devil will never challenge your walk
with God. Being faithful means that when God promises something it doesnt matter how long it takes,
youre going to wait. People cannot be faithful because they do not have the right concept of faith. The
Bible does not say you believe God until you get it. It says, faith worketh patience. Faith makes you wait
upon God even when everybody else has given up The Bible says those who shall wait upon the Lord
shall walk and they shall not be weary.

It is where we are going that should count the most.

Gods Generals

Great hearts make great characters, great hearts make divine characters. It is the heart and not the head
which makes Gods Generals. The heart counts much every way in the gospel. The preacher binds his
people to him and rules his people by his heart. They may admire his gifts, they will be proud of his ability,
they may be affected for the time by his sermons, but they stronghold of his power in heart

How much do you weep? How often do you do it? Its the one who goes forth weeping not preaching
great sermons, it is this person who goes forth bearing precious seed. It is a person who shall come again
rejoicing, bring his sheaves, eternal harvest with him. There are big difference between people who come
to the Lord after receiving a gospel preached from the heart and closet and those who receive from the
head knowledge. Time tells it all. Many of those who received the message from the head will soon
backslide or wax cold. It is the anointing which makes the word of God powerful, sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even of the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints marrow, a discerner
of the thoughts of the hearts. Anointing breaks chains of sin, wins estranged and depraved hearts to God
and repairs the breaches.

Deuteronomy 30:19
Jeremiah 11L18-23, 12:1-6
John 13:33-35, 15:11-27
1st Corinthians 4:10-13, 18-21
Revelations 3:8-12

Sorrow turns to Joy

How wonderful for you when the sorrows turn to joy. That is what God can do. You may have made wrong
decisions. If you turn back to God, you will discover that He has provided some very unique opportunities.
It will take only the dreamer and the visionary who is willing to pay the cost to realize the culmination of it
all.

But how many of us are willing to pay the cost. If anyone would come after me, let them deny themselves
take up the cross and follow me. For whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man
to gain the whole world and in the end lose or forfeit his very self? Leave all your life to be the part of a
divine destiny found in Jesus Christ.

That in all of life:We may know it or not

We may choose Him or not
We may understand it or not
We may receive it or not.

In every decision you must make God the ultimate factor. Whatever it is about a job, a career, a business
venture or marriage partner, a school, God must be our all and in all. We leave him out to our peril. We
involve Him to our blessing. In our day-to-day lives we may encounter sorrows, distress, joys and pains
but God like the master artist will weave these into the most beautiful pattern. We will soon make some
very provident discoveries if we hold on and do not waver.

Fight Fearlessly

When the enemy of your faith lashes out and hits your body, your focus will not be swayed. Whatever the
enemy wants to do with your body will not distract your commitment to God. And you should die for your
faith, you know you will immediately find yourself in His presence your eternal destiny. You have been
weighed down by troubles; they have almost crushed you; sometimes you thought you would never get
out of the place of difficulty. Yes! You have no idea that behind the whole thing, God has been working out
a plan greater than all. Indeed, Christ is always right there in the adversity.

Fight fearlessly fear not. None can overthrow you. The Lord is standing ever near. Take courage, then the
army of the Lord. What cause have you to fear? Triumph is sure. But if you dont want a spiritual battle,
stay seated. Therefore we do not become discouraged, utterly spiritless, exhausted, and waving out
through for, through our outer man is progressively decaying and wasting away. Yet our inner self is being
progressively renewed day after day.

The problem is that the situation is desperate. We should remember that other people serving God by the
clock and other serving by the spirit. Did you see any difference between Spirit and clock. The prayer is
what makes the devil put down his weapon.

Because you have come to a point when you want God and His presence and not what is in His hands.
God responds to the people who want what is in Him first, not what they can get from him. When you
praise God because of His presence, He responds to you. The devil is not scared of people who have, he
is scared of people who praise God.

More information from Jesus Christ in the form of a dream

* Fighting in the works of darkness in order to reach a new climax

* You must be claustrophobic because you share and you will be strong in your faith also to know how to
stand when the devil comes to hurt your life.
* Be careful because of the people of this world, because they wish you bad things and they want you to
be in trouble
* People will love you when you have everything and when you dont have they hate you and they talk
bad things about you.

Importance of Prayer

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devils schemes. For your
struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers
of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Put on the full armor of
God so that when the devils comes you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done
everything to stand, stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of
righteousness in place and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
Take the shield of faith, which you can extinguish, all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet
of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God. But this time round we will not so much
dwell on the armor, but on another important tool which is so useful on our warfare and that is prayer.

God requires that we seek Him diligently and be steadfast in prayer because it is the only way through
which we can overcome our arch-enemy, the devil and his ways. Although God knows our desires even
before we approach Him. This should not stop us from praying. Tell God that you are solely dependent on
Him for your living. We have to pray in earnest, focusing fully unto God. It is not right to pray as if we are
just passing time. God is pleased with a broken and contrite spirit and we should humble ourselves in His
presence. Before we approach God, we should look at our lives checking whether there is any
wickedness that may hinder the power of God to work in our lives. If you desire to have the presence of
God in our lives we should deny ourselves and seek him diligently.

We should never get tired of praying as God will meet our needs as we pray.

We will just count our blessings, fighting on and overcoming.