Christianity

Walk the Walk and Talk The Talk

As I navigate through my Christian journey. I realize that it is not enough for me to only talk about my faith in God, and the goodness of Jesus Christ. But my actions and behaviour  should be  loaded with Christ like characteristics. I should thrive to be a worthy representative of Jesus Christ. And make sure that the life I live as a Christian, is in sync with the words I speak…Therefore, I should walk the walk and talk the talk.

To do otherwise would mean I have become sounding brass and clanging cymbal. I must practice what I preach, so I can be an example to others.

The Kingdom of God, was the central theme of  Jesus’ ministry but Love was the prominent message. Therefore, as a follower of Jesus Christ, I am required to display love. In Mark 12 :31 Jesus commanded His disciples to love their neighbor as themselves.

The apostle Paul, writing to the church in Corinth states: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;  does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;  does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;  bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away” (1 Corinthians 13:1-8).

So as I and others continue our journey in faith, we should :”Be . . . followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour” (Ephesians 5:1,2). We should thrive to: ” . . .Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving our own selves” (James 1:22).

Give your trials and temptations to Jesus

Trials And Temptations

Everyone goes through hard times (Trials and Temptations). It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes our prayers help us to avoid them. Sometimes not. It’s the attitude we have when we go through them that matters the most. if we are filled with anger and bitterness, or insist on complaining and blaming God, things tend to turn out badly. But if we go through them with thankfulness and praise to God, He promises to bring good things despite of them.

In the book of (James 1:2-6 NIV), He says: 2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”

Believe it or not, when we serve God, His love attends every moment of our lives. He is always there in our midst, working things out for good–when we pray and look to Him to do so. “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). His purpose for our trials is often to bring us humbly before Him, to cleanse us of our unrighteous, and to draw us closer to Him.

Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood.

Cover of "Chosen Generation"

Cover of Chosen Generation

Why do some very capable and talented men and women, consistently find doors of opportunity and acceptance closed to them; while others with equal or less ability have seemingly unlimited opportunities and success in every area of their lives? It doesn’t seem fair, you might say.

But timing has a lot to do with it. God has a time for everything; and He works in us what needs to be done to prepare us for what lies ahead. Having a sense of God’s timing brings the peace to wait on the Lord for direction. “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalm 27:14).

However, whatever a man thinks of himself; could partly or ultimately decide his success or failure. If he has poor self-image, he will have doubts about his value, and that could creep into everything he does–even into his relationships. People who are uncomfortable with his insecurity may avoid him, and this will in turn affects how he relates to his family, friends, coworkers; and strangers. If he expect to fail–he will.

As followers of Christ–we have to understand who we are, and what is our purpose here on earth. God says our first steps are to be toward Him: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33). When we line up with Him, He leads the way and all we have to do is follow. As we look to Him, the glory of His image gets imprinted upon us. When our self-image gets so wrapped up in God that we lose ourselves in the process–we are free and confident.

Confidence in Christ will allow us to think highly of ourselves and claim our legacy of royal priesthood: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”

Faith and Religion: Fervent prayer availeth much

The Descent of the Holy Spirit in a 15th centu...

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“O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). Therefore, Lord, I pray that you would direct my steps. Lead me in your light, teach me your way, so I would walk in your truth. I pray that I would have a   closer walk with you and an ever progressing hunger for your word.

May your presence be like a delicacy I never cease to crave. Lead me on your path and make me quick to confess when I stray from it. Reveal to me any hidden sin that would hinder me from walking rightly before you. Lord, bring me to a place of deep repentance when I do not live in obedience to your laws.

Create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Don’t cast me away from your presence and do not take your Holy Spirit from me (Psalm 51:10, 11).

Lord, Your word says that those who are in the flesh cannot please you (Romans 8:8). So I pray that you will enable me to walk in the spirit and not in the flesh and thereby keep myself  “from the path of the destroyer” (Psalm 17:4). As I walk in the Spirit, may I bear the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:23,23). Keep me on the Highway of Holiness so that the way I walk will be integrated into every part of my life.

Supporting Scripture

Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love (Ephesians 4:1,2).

He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shut his eyes from seeing evil; he will dwell on high; his place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; bread will be given him, his water will be sure (Isaiah 33:15,16).

Having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1)

Lord, may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speak the truth in his heart (Psalm 15:1,2).

My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in a perfect way, he shall serve me (Psalm 101:6)

Jesus wants us to walk the path of holiness

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglica...

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A man’s walk is the way he journeys through life–his direction, his focus, the steps he takes. Every day he chooses a path. One path will take him forward. All others will take him back. The way he walks affects every aspect of his being–how he relates to other people, how he treats his family, how people view him, even how he looks.

I have seen men who were unattractive by any standard change radically as they learned to walk in the Spirit of God. as His image became imprinted upon theirs, they develop a richness of soul, a glorious purity and an inner confidence of knowing what direction they were going. This gave them a strength and a sense of purpose that is not only attractive and appealing, it’s magnetic.

The Bible reveals much about the kind of walk we should have. We are to walk with moral correctness because “For the Lord God is a a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). We are to walk without fault  because “whoever walks blamelessly will be saved” (Proverbs 28:18). We are to walk with godly advisers because “blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly” (Psalm 1:1). We are to walk in obedience because “blessed is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways” (Psalm 128:1). We are to walk with people of wisdom because “he who walks with wise men will be wise” (Proverbs 13:20). We are to walk with integrity because “he who walks with integrity walks securely” (Proverbs 10:9). Most of all we are to walk a path of holiness. “A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness, The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray: (Isaiah 35:8).

Jesus said there is only one way to get on the right path, one door through which to enter. “I am the way,” He says (John 14:6). The way that leads to destruction is wide and broad and many choose to go that route. but “narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:14).