Put on Love
Decide to put on love. Wear the garment of God’s love wherever you go, not just in church, so that you can represent Jesus well at your location.
Four Prerequisites to Effective Fasting for Christians
Jesus said that when the bridegroom (Himself) had been taken from them (signifying his crucifixion, resurrection and ascension to heaven), then they would fast (not “can fast”). That means that fasting is a mandatory spiritual exercise for every Christian, whether one knows it or not. You must fast. But there are prerequisites to effective fasting in Christ. And knowing them will be of great help to you spiritually.
Accept the One Whose Faith Is Weak
You’re an ambassador of Christ. You don’t have to compromise God’s standards to win anybody to Jesus, but as to what you have to adjust for people to get saved, that won’t end you up sinning or speaking against God; consider it because of the faith strength of others.
Clothe Yourself with Christ
Friend, you’ve got to clothe yourself with Christ. He’s your true garment, not that bad habit you’ve been struggling for years to stop or that t-shirt you love best. The Holy Spirit dwells within you. And before you live like Jesus, you must consume His content – the Word and prayer through fellowship. Doing these two spiritual disciplines will improve your life holistically and all-round because your level of divine knowledge will definitely increase.
It Takes Diligence to Lead God’s People
Since Paul said in Romans 12:8 that “… if is to lead, do it diligently,” it means he understood that it takes diligence to lead God’s people. It takes a lot of work to bring people on board to follow one vision through discipline. Learn to pray for your leaders.
Present Your Body as a Living Sacrifice unto God
Life is beyond your physical achievements and possessions. So if you want your good works to outlive your physical existence, follow Jesus today, not lukewarmly, but graciously and sacrificially.
God Will Freely Give You All Things
Sometimes, we’re too conscious of what we don’t have instead of thanking God for what we have now. God will freely give you all things, not only because He has abundant resources but because He’s faithful and committed to you, whether people like you or not.
The Force Behind Concrete Decisions — Vision
There’s only one thing that can help you to make concrete decisions and enforce them. It’s called vision. As long as you know where God is taking you in the future, you’ll figure out where you’re not going so skillfully. You’ll easily be able to distinguish between the voice of God and the suggestions of people, as good as they may be.
To Be Spiritually Minded Is Life and Peace
So many things people see as earthly have spiritual meaning to them. If only we would study the scriptures and possess spiritual understanding, it’ll become easy to distinguish what’s flesh and what’s from the Spirit.
The Principle of Single-Focusing
Vision gives birth to purposeful living. And your purpose determines your discipline, which in turn, adds value to your time. Until you focus on what God has called you to do, you’ll not see much fruition in it.
Be an Example to the Believers
See, no matter what you do, people are watching you. Unbelievers won’t understand your Christianity. That’s why Paul didn’t say we should be an example to everyone (but to believers alone). You don’t have to live to prove anything to anyone. But you must know that God is watching what you’re using that one life you have now to do. Live to please God so privately and consciously that your life will serve as an example to other believers, even without you knowing.
Depart from Iniquity
We live in a world that lies in wickedness (1 John 5:19 KJV). And that means situations that’ll trigger compromise of God’s standards in us will come in multiple folds. That’s why we must take a firm stance. Decide that “If what I’m doing exalts God, I’ll do it with all my heart. And if not, I’ll resist it with all the strength of Christ in me.”