As you live out your faith each day, there is always a sinister presence lurking nearby. The only way to escape it is for Jesus to take you off this earth away from the battle zone that is plaguing mankind. In the meantime, it is imperative that as a believer in Christ, you live each day with the awareness that someone is set against your faith, and how you react reflects if others see Christ in you or not.
Praise God that He equips you with everything you need to battle the enemy. Sin causes you to live in enemy territory. Redemption gives you the right to choose the Lifeline that saves. God gives every person the ability to choose for themselves what they want to believe. This ability to choose can derail your faith if not managed properly.
Every believer is one choice away from kaboom! All it takes to derail your faith is to make ONE wrong move or say ONE wrong thing to cause you to stumble or keep someone from coming to Christ.
Each of us needs to wake up each morning with this kind of attitude: “Lord, thank you for your mercies are new every morning. I need for You to lead me today for I fully understand that I am capable of going kaboom with my mouth and actions. I need the Holy Spirit to direct me. I will follow you today.” Then, you walk in obedience according to God’s Word. And you do it again the next day and the next.
It is imperative that you live in His Word daily for truth will protect you. Any word or action that doesn’t align with God and His Word will cause kaboom! Hurtful words or selfish actions hinder your heart as well as those watching you.
God brought the seriousness of living faithfully to my attention when I first got married. As I was maturing in my faith, I worked hard at gaining my in-law’s respect. I became aware that what I say and do will reflect how they see God in me. God was teaching me that how I lived life mattered. Now that I was learning to walk by faith, I became more aware of how I think, what I say, and the actions I take all reflect the glory of the Lord or the lack of it.
I remember being at a carnival at our church with my kids when they were elementary-school age. There were firetrucks and police cars that you could look at. As we were looking into a police car, either my husband or I told the kids, “All it takes is one wrong choice and you could find yourself sitting inside one of these. It matters what kind of choices you make in life.” While this is sound parenting in teaching your children how to live in society, it is more important spiritually with God.
What you say and do is crucial to how you are reflecting your Lord and Savior.
It matters in your marriage. Have you aligned yourself up to God’s standards for it? Men, are you stepping up spiritually and leading your wives? If not, great tension will abound and differences magnified; read Ephesians 5:25-33 and see how you are doing. Ladies, are you respecting your husbands; read Ephesians 5:22-24? When both spouses are accepting their God-given roles, their marriage will be united in love.
It matters with your children. You can’t raise godly children if you are not godly yourself.
It matters at work. It matters with your neighbors. It matters with extended family. It matters with your church family. The choices you make matter. If they are not aligned to God and under His authority, then kaboom happens.
Thankfully, you can repent when you go astray and confess to those you have bruised for God will reset your heart back towards Him and you can begin again. This is God’s grace, mercy, and unconditional love abounding; read 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 along with Matthew 5:23-26. God will help you to stay the course and make your way home to Him.
“Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.” (Hebrews 12:14-15)
Carol J German 