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Since its earliest days, Christianity has been the object of ridicule and debate. The actions of those who called themselves Christians did not help with the world’s view of Christianity. History tells us of the Inquisition and past religious corruption all in the name of Christianity.

Today, we see this trend of those associated with Christianity misrepresenting the name of Christ. Because of this, many are ashamed to call themselves Christians because of negative perceptions. Are you committed to Christ and willing to be identified with the faith? However, Christians have to take the same sentiment as Paul.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16 (KJV)

Christians have been accused of being hypocrites, bible thumpers, spiritual elitists, and the like. However, anyone that is a true Christian understands these things not to be true. True Christians do not hate the Jews or any other religious group.

True Christians do not hate individuals involved in alternative lifestyles or those who engage in practices deemed immoral by the Bible. Christians, however, do understand that God loved man enough to provide salvation from their sins (in all its forms).

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 (KJV)

Though some ‘Christians’ misrepresent the faith, we cannot back down from the truth: There is sin in the world. God does oppose sins. He offers forgiveness and deliverance from sin through Christ.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (KJV)

In addition, those that come to Him must reflect Him in their lives; demonstrating His love and character. Please do not be ashamed of God and your relationship with Him though Christ. Stay committed. Why? He is not ashamed of you. He has loved you unconditionally. He will be with you always.

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Romans 1:17 (KJV)

As Christians, we have to live by faith. What does that mean? Am I to live without a care or concern? Do I live as someone who is a part of a utopian society? NO. Living by faith simply means to live in a manner where you expect God’s continual direction and deliverance. You must trust that God cares for you.

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7 (KJV)

Regardless of what situations you may be confronted with, you can rest in knowing that God knows all things. He will give strength in hard times, peace in troubling times, provision in lean times, and protection all the time. He will give you mercy and grace to help, in spite of your greatest needs.

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Heb 4:16 (KJV)

One has to live knowing that God will never lie or deceive His people. He will always be a present help in the time of storm.

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee Heb 13:5 (KJV)

Faith in God does not make anyone exempt from troubles. Oftentimes, it will place us in the center of it. However, the Christian who lives by faith knows in their very conscience that God will never leave them nor forsake them.

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There are many ways that the Christian submits to God. One of the chief ways to learn submission to God is through the word of God. It has to be authority in the life of the believer. Its authority has to reach the very conscience of the Christian. The word of God teaches us how to submit to God when we submit to it.

Submitting to the Word not only entails quoting it, but consistent application of the Word in daily living. In order to do this, one has to believe that the scriptures, as recorded, are the final authority on righteousness, religion, and relationship with God. Paul states,

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. (II Timothy 3:16-17)

One cannot submit to the authority of the Word, if there is no belief in the Word. The Word of God contains the answers to life’s problems and gives us the tools needed to succeed in our walk with the Lord. The Word causes us to know who we are in Christ and shows how we can overcome the flesh and its desires. It is only through following what is written, will we be able to die to ourselves.

We can only overcome sin, through obeying the Word. If we obey the Word, we will not obey the lusts and desires of the flesh. Our way is cleansed by giving heed to the Word of God. It will transform our thoughts and conscience. We, thus, are secured in our salvation. Submission to the authority of the Word of God aids us in our endeavor to please God in three ways: It assures us of our salvation, instructs us in righteousness, and gives us tools necessary for victorious living.

The Word has to be the final authority in our lives. It challenges the hearts and minds of Christians to walk in righteousness. The Word exposes the inner thoughts and intents of the heart.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Heb 4:12 (KJV)

Without it, we will deceive ourselves and not be able to overcome the battlefield of “self.” But, if we receive the word of God with gladness, we will learn how to submit to God with ease.

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Success is the goal of many men and women. Regardless of the venue (work, sports, relationships, hobbies, etc.), people desire to achieve. The world is full of driven men and women who set their eyes on success and did not allow anything to stop them. Some of the most powerful companies began with individuals who had nothing but success on their minds.

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Josh 1:8 (KJV)

As Christians, we have to evaluate our motivation in this life. Though we should strive for success in as many areas of life as possible, we should have the greatest ambition to be successful in our Christian walk. After we have gone back to school, acquired substantial occupations, and managing family relationship and endeavors, we have to remember that the ultimate quest is to become a successful Christian. How can this be done?

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. Col 3:10 (KJV)

It can be done through an inner transformation. The very conscience of the Christian has to be renewed in the knowledge of God. This can be achieved by adhering to His Word. The Christian is cleansed as he takes heed to the Word.

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. Psalms 119:9 (KJV)

In our beginning verses, God speaks to Joshua and gives him keys to success. The main key is to remember the Law or the word of God. If we are to have success as Christians, we have to allow the word of God to govern our lives, perspectives, and consciences. In doing so, we can maintain a vibrant relationship with Christ while we accomplish certain tasks and goals. God is not opposed to the Christian’s success in life, but desires that one does without sacrificing their relationship with Him.

But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. Gen 4:5 (KJV)

The story of Cain and Abel is a clear representation of this phenomenon. Abel brought God his best and it was received. Conversely, Cain brought whatever he wanted and it was not received; Cain got upset. Today, examine your walk with Christ. Are you upset at other Christians who seem to be successful in their walk with God? It is probably because they are bringing God their best. But the “best” does not reside only in the quality of service, but in the character behind the service. Cain lacked both.

Remember, in the story of Cain and Abel, they each did bring an offering. So, our best is not revealed in performing religious activities and devotion, but in our attitude and approach. To bring God your best is to do it with the right motives and a sincere heart. Cain did not bring his best offering due to his attitude, while Abel’s proper attitude was revealed in him bringing the best.

The Christian, today, has to be honest. When you pray, read, serve, minister, and attend services, are you bringing God your best? Again, this is revealed in your attitude and approach. These are affected by your level of spiritual growth and development. Your character as a Christian will directly influence whether your are bringing God your best.

Do you do render service and faithful to God out of necessity and fear or from a pure heart with gladness. Gladness of heart comes from a place of mature character. David encouraged the worshippers to “serve the Lord with gladness.”

Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Psalms 100:2 (KJV)

If not your service is not in gladness, ask for help and forgiveness because He will bless, heal, and restore. As you continue to develop your character, you can only “Bring God Your Best.”

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Having a good reputation is important to many. Some live their lives trying to impress others that their perception of them may be favorable. Even if we do not admit it openly, many of our activities and conversations are motivated by the desire to be accepted and well thought of. Much time is spent wondering, “What do people think of me?”

Though we should strive to have a good reputation as Christians, it cannot dominate our motivation for how we live. The opinion of others will change according to circumstance, situation, and other invariables. Thus, their perception of you cannot always be trusted. This shows us that the Christian has to judge his lifestyle by this question, “What does God think of Me?” God’s view of us should challenge the Christian’s character development.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Job 1:8 (KJV)

We find in the scriptures that God thought and spoke well of Job. Have you ever thought that if God held a conversation about you, what would it consist of? From the Job account, we discover four things that God thought and spoke of with Job. The desire of the Christian should be that God could say the same of us.

None like him – God said that there was none like Job in the earth. This speaks to the Christians individuality. Are you a person who goes with the crowd? Can you only function by feeling accepted? Job stood out from everyone else. In your walk with Christ, you should strive to stand out, not for personal glory, but that all may be able to behold His presence in your life.

Perfect and Upright – God said that Job was perfect and upright. This speaks to the Christian’s maturity and integrity. Like Job, one should strive to grow and mature in the faith. Your life should be an example to others of the conduct of those who know Christ.

Fears God – Job feared God. This implies Job’s reverence and respect for God. He understood that God was good, gracious, and all powerful. His conduct reflected his fear of God. Do you respect and appreciate God? Does your lifestyle reflect His goodness, graciousness, and awesome power?

Eschews evil – Job shunned evil. This demonstrates Job’s zeal for righteous living that he actively avoid sinful practices. Christ came to save us from sin. As Christians, we should, like Job, avoid the very appearance of evil that the testimony of Christ be not hindered.

What does God think of You? This is the question that every Christian should ask. In doing so, the Christian’s character can be perfected in Him.

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Life does not stop. As long as one lives, there will always be things to do, places to go, and people to see. Aside from fulfilling the demands that come with living, Christians yet have to maintain their personal relationships with the Lord. In addition, they have to fulfill any religious functions, obligations, and attend services. However, in the midst of all of these things, Christians have to be able to take time to rest.

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. Gen 2:2 (KJV)

We know that God rested upon the seventh day as a sign to us that we should take time to rest. Rest has to become a part of your daily schedule. It will help with stress reduction and improve your quality of living so that you will be able to be effective even in your walk with the Lord.

Rest from your labors. You cannot do everything all time. You must take time to give your body the rest that it needs to regenerate and recuperate. Oftentimes, we would read of Jesus separating from His disciples in order to rest and pray.

And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. Matt 14:23 (KJV)

Rest from your responsibilities. You cannot process and figure out everything at once. In addition, you cannot solve everyone’s problems either. You need to step back from the many cares of this life so you can get a proper perspective.

Do not allow anything, including religious service to send you into a place of burnout. Force yourself to turn off phones and computers. Remember, God rested to show us that we should rest. Take time to rest. Make it a priority. It will bless your life. Do not allow your fervor for personal purity and progress cause spiritual burnout. The scriptures declare that we must be temperate in all things, let us remember to rest.

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A question that every Christian must ask himself is, “Why do I serve Christ?” In addition, the Christian must ask, “What is the expected end of my relationship with Him?” Without a hope and an expectation, the Christian life can become mundane, lifeless, and even frustrating. As there is a shifting in the Church by the Holy Spirit, Christians have to know how to respond to it.

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 1 Cor 9:24 (KJV)

Paul likened the Christian walk unto a race. He reminded the saints at Corinth that they have to live as if they are after a prize. No good athlete enters a race with a hope to lose, but to win. If we are going to possess what the Lord has for us in these days, we have to adopt this mindset. The scriptures give us seven ways to “run” in the Christian race:

Run to obtain (I Cor. 9:24) – We have to run with the mindset that I am going to obtain eternal life. Our focus in service has to go beyond the temporary to the eternal. The hope of our salvation is heaven. Without this hope, many will quit and fail to prepare for His coming.

Run in holiness (Hebrews 12:1) – We have to run this race in holiness. Sin has to be repented of and let go of. If not, we will run in vain. We will serve, minister, and the like, and have no reward waiting for us, only His judgment.

Run in freedom (Hebrews 12:1) – We have to run in holiness and without weights. Weights are defined as anything in your life that is unnecessary and unedifying to your Christian walk. Be humble in this area, judge in yourself whether that person, place, or thing needs to be a notable part of your life. No, it is not sin, but it can occupy your thoughts and time which makes it a weight.

Run in faith (Hebrews 11:6) – Without faith, your run in the faith is unacceptable to God. In addition, without faith, you will lose hope in the time of testing and trial. Faith gives resolve to serve the Lord in the direst situations.

Run with others (Hebrews 10:25) – We are a part of the Body of Christ. By design, God has set it up that we need one another. Therefore, we are to run this race strengthening and being strengthened by one another.

Run in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16) – We are instructed to walk in the Spirit. It is the only way to run without stumbling into the desires of the flesh. Without the Spirit of the Lord, the believer will fail in his pursuit of holiness and his ministry before the Lord and unto others in the Church.

Run in the Word (Psalm 119:105) – The word of God is to govern our run in this race. It provides direction and clarity to our Christian race. Without the word of God, the Christian will be blind and “lost” as he lives for the Lord. The word also provides stability to the Christian walk.

Run, Run, Run! But, make sure you run in accordance with respect unto the Christian faith which is built upon the work of Christ, the word of God, and the working of the Holy Spirit. It is time to Run and Don’t Look Back. Do not look back to the world, to sin, and to old attitudes. But, as it is written, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” Maintain your fervor to progress.

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Christians must be on guard from the allure of the world. If we keep the world’s pattern of thinking, we will fail in our Christian walk. The believer must stay cautious at all times. He must allow his thought process to be governed by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. The world is not only designed to keep our flesh in bondage, but also our minds and spirits. Paul lets us know that we must not only keep our flesh (bodies) clean, but also our spirits,

Therefore having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (II Corinthians 7:1)

God has given us many promises. Because Jesus overcame the world, the believer can also (John 16:33). He promised us power over the enemy, victory instead of defeat. Yet, the above scripture lets us know that to obtain these promises we must cleanse ourselves; that is, our thoughts, emotions, personality traits, attributes, and fleshly desires. The flesh is to be cleansed since it is where sins are committed in the physical body. The spirit needs to be cleansed because it is where sins of the mind take place.

Some believers become deceived in their thinking in this area. They may feel that as long as they do not fornicate, commit adultery, smoke, or drink, then they are righteous. So, they neglect to correct the error that is in their spirit. However, the scriptures state,

All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. 1 John 5:17 (KJV)

Many things may fall under the header of sin. Hence, we should take into consideration that sin includes backbiting, lying, jealousy, envy, strife, stubbornness, rebellion, hatred, and the like. We have to allow the mind of Christ to be formed in us. The world not only tries to dictate how to live, but it tries to dictate how to behave also. The believer has to keep his spirit from being defiled. It is only then that we can be separate from the world.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 1 John 2:16 (KJV)

Believers fail to cleanse their spirit from the world’s influence because it is unseen. They are focused on keeping their physical activities pure while neglecting their mental activities. For they feel that as long as there is no outward sin, there is nothing to be concerned about.

So, examine your thoughts and your perspective on life. Make sure they are not in line with the world. Have fervor to be cleansed on the inside.

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God is the author of life. His very words contain creative power. When He created the earth, He did it through the power of His famous words, “Let there be…” Until this present day, all things that were set in motion remain by the power of His word. From other scriptures, we discover that aside from the power of His words, God’s thoughts and intents will certainly happen. In the book of Isaiah, God declares,

The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand (Isaiah 14:24)

Whatever the will of the Lord is shall surely happen. Without even speaking, if God thinks or purposes to do something, it will happen. Thus, we understand that God possesses all power.

Because of the awesome power of God, He can turn around the unclean things of our lives. The Book of Job asks, “Who can bring a clean out of an unclean?” – God can. God brings impossible things to fruition. The Bible abounds with accounts of God doing the impossible in the midst of man’s impossible situations. Jesus reminded the disciples that with God, all things are possible.

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)

Though men readily accept the awesomeness of God’s power, some do not believe that this power is available in times of personal failures. If God is able to do all things, then our failures in life do not frustrate His work.  He is able to turn them around. This is assured if we desire His will for our lives.

Whatever God has purposed for your life will come to pass if you continue to follow Him. However, many members in the Body of Christ become complacent in their relationship with the Lord because they believe they have made too many mistakes. This leads to self-doubt, regrets, depression, and frustration. These things will bring death to one’s relationship with Christ.

The Bible is full of stories describing man’s failure and God’s restoration. Even God’s choicest servants failed. Yet, they were able to recover and receive what God had for them in their lives. From Genesis to Revelation, the cycle of failure to redemption to destiny is repeated. This cycle is repeated in the lives of believers today. However, understand that God is willing to restore and renew.

Allow Him to turn around the past contraventions, your present’s contentions, and your future concerns. Develop fervor in allowing Him to transform your life. God can turn it around.