We are already 3 months into the year 2021, and that leaves us with 9 months to keep our Faith hoisted up in the sky like a banner, doing everything possible not to let it down.
2020 had its battles, but in the end, we sang victory songs. Now, we’re almost done with the first quarter of the year 2021, and this is a good time to start composing the first verse of our victory song.
It’s no secret that our Christian Faith is one that is usually under trial. We live in a world that condoles everything contrary to our belief, and with every passing day, our Faith is tested. And so it is our uttermost duty to consciously take measures that would keep our faith burning.
Here are 3 strategic ways to maintain our Christian Faith.
- Talk To God More Than You Talk About Him
- Detoxify Yourself Daily
- Renew Your Mind
Talk To God More Than You Talk About Him
Most Christians just love the idea of Christianity. They love the fellowship, the titles, the tags, the languages, the names, the glory-hallelujah-amen moments, and other religious packaging. But they don’t like the content, they don’t fancy the seeking, the relationship, the trials, the prayers, the rebukes, the spiritual exercises, the submission, and other things that form the skeleton of a True Believer.
God desires a personal relationship with us. He gave his Son to serve as a bridge between Him and us, so there’d be no hindrance to our knowing and enjoying Him.
So while we cruise around singing Christian songs, speaking Christian languages, and telling people that the “Lord is Good”, we need to make sure that our relationship with Him is intact. We need to understand that it’s relationship before fellowship. The fellowship was designed to help start a relationship with God or strengthen one that is already existing.
So now in maintaining our Faith, talking to God consistently is vital. Here are some reasons why.
Insight: The book of Jeremiah 33:3 says “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”
Call here could be in the place of prayer or quiet time, but the instruction is clear, “Call”. Call and He promises to answer. He promises to give you insights, wisdom, out-of-the-box ideas that you would never know of if you don’t call.
Providence: When you are in a good relationship with someone in authority, you won’t be too worried about the problems you have that are related to the field of such a person. You have an assurance that your problem is half solved simply because you have someone there.
And that’s the same way it is with God. It was written in Hebrews 4:16 “Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
That means you can’t come boldly to the throne of grace if you have neglected the King that sits on the throne.
Sustainability: As Christians who desire to maintain our Faith, we need to stop seeing God as a quick fix, a rehabilitation center, or a medicine. We need to see him as water (the water of life), something we need to take every day to live and survive.
The bible says in Psalms 42:1
“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 42:2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?“
Our souls, spirits, and bodies should always thirst for God on a daily basis. And like a tree planted by the waterside, our lives will always be sustained and we will know no dryness.
Rest: Living in a world that is flawed and broken as a human being is tiresome. The troubles of life rise up daily like a tempest, poised to toss us off the ship of life at every chance it gets. And sometimes when we carry the weight of these troubles, the storms push us to sink into the ocean of depression.
But the good news is, Jesus came with a lifeboat to rescue all those who are sinking already. He came with a yoke that is easy and a burden that is light. He came to lift up our heavy burdens and give us rest, only if we come to him just as He commanded in Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest.“
Detoxify Yourself Daily
Since the error of Adam and Eve, the world has been a breeding place for all manner of toxins. With each passing day, new layers of sin are being unraveled; they include toxic habits, unchristian attitudes, immoral behaviors, and many other things that endanger the soul. We face these things every day, hence the need for daily detoxification.
Here are some ways to detoxify:
Filter Your Thoughts: A human mind is a powerful place, it’s usually a cross-section of wild thoughts and imaginations. Some of these thoughts are usually profane and carnal because they’re inspired by the flesh, with the sole aim of leading us to do something ungodly. Spiritually battles are mostly started and won in the mind, and that’s why we need to filter our minds, by blowing off thoughts that aren’t inspired by the Holy Spirit and adhering to the verse Proverbs 4:23, which says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.“
Choose Positivity: In line with filtering your thoughts, it is important to paint the whole of your being with positivity—from your thoughts to your words. There’s power in the tongue and so we often possess what we confess. And when we dwell on negative thoughts, our mind tends to walk in the direction of what or how we think.
So, we should endeavor to choose Positivity every day, lacing every word and thought that proceeds from our mouths and minds with grace, love, and truth. See Proverbs 18:21
Get Rid of Stubborn Roots: Sometimes when we fail to filter our thoughts and choose positivity, we’re faced with repercussions. Toxic influences, sinful behaviors, immoral habits, and addictions are some stubborn roots that need to be uprooted. The longer they stay, the more havoc they wrought because they’re poisonous and extremely unhealthy to the life of a Christian. In getting rid of them, there’s a need for repentance (returning to the cross) and a thorough surgical work of sanctification — all these aided by the help of the Holy Spirit.
David made an outcry to God for cleansing (detoxification) in Psalms 51:7 “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” The whole of chapter 51 was a cry of repentance after Nathan the Prophet had visited, following his adulterous affair with Bath-sheba. We too can also do the same.
Renew Your Mind
Now, this is the culmination and bottom line of all the other points, it is the final step that keeps the other factors in orbit.
The Bible says in Romans 12:1
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
The whole point of maintaining your Faith as a Christian is to not be conformed to the world but to be transformed into that perfect will God has designed. Renewing your mind goes beyond getting over worldly behaviors, but going as far as being renewed spiritually, mentally, and morally.
It is about replacing all the roots of Adamic natures and tendencies with a full tree of the fruits of the Spirit. It is about getting completely unyoked from the bondage of sin and living in the freedom that Christ has given. Paul best explains this in the book of Ephesians 4:23
“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.“
Maintaining one’s Faith isn’t as easy as it sounds, in fact, it’s easier to read how one can do it than actually doing it. And that’s why we all need to hire the Holy Spirit as a mental coach, everything is easier when He’s on the same page with us. His reminders, purges, guidance, and presence are enough to keep us on the run, as we write our victory song.
One Response
Really helpful information. Thanks!