What it Means to Be a Christian.

The sinner's prayer, we hear it all the time at the end of Church services and often are encouraged to say it with those who are praying it for real. But, what happen's after the prayer? There is nothing magical about that prayer. You aren't a Christian just for repeating it. So what need's to happen in order to really be transformed by God and actually be a Christian (Christ follower). Although it is preached more often than anything else, being a Christian is not just about love, grace, forgiveness, and prosperity. Yes, God does offer that to us, but not because we said a simple sinner's prayer. That prayer is only saying to God "I want you to come into my life, change my heart, and make me a new person in you. I want to love you, worship you, and know you." In order to do that it take much sacrifice, hard work, determination, and sometimes hardship! I will not stand here and tell you that being a Christian is easy, it is very hard! But it is the most rewarding and worth the time and effort things you will ever come to know.

1. You must turn from sin (darkness) and run to God (light). Your sins cannot be forgiven until you do so, but once you do, your sins will be forgotten forever. (Acts 26:18 "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." and 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" ) You cannot be transformed into a new being through Christ if you hold onto your old self. How can an alcoholic ever overcome his disease if he never put's the bottle down?( Proverbs 3:7-8 "Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones."
2. In order to truely become a Christian you must give the reigns over to God. Forget about your plans, because more than likely he will change them. You must come to know that God know's best. He knows the desires of our heart and it is his wish to grant us those desires (Psalm 37:4 "Take delight in the Lord,and he will give you your heart’s desires.") What I mean by this is don't have your life all planned out to the point where you get bend out of shape when something runs off schedual or God forbid if something doesn't happen all together. You should still have an idea of where you are headed, but acknowledge God and he will help you (Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him And He will make your paths straight.") This really is the hardest thing to do, because this requires you putting God first in your life, but there is absolutely nothing more rewarding and fulfilling.
3. Obey God and abstain from sin. ( Exodus 20:1-17  ¹ Then God gave the people all these instructions ² “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. ³ “You must not have any other god but me.⁴ “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. ⁵ You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. ⁶ But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.⁷ “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.⁸ “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ You have six days each week for your ordinary work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.¹² “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.¹³ “You must not murder.¹⁴ “You must not commit adultery.¹⁵ “You must not steal.¹⁶ “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.¹⁷ “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”) The 10 Commandments, also found in Deuteronomy 5, are the Laws of God and it is written on our hearts wether we learn that these thing are wrong or not. Everyone feels guilty when they do something wrong, that is why. Another thing that I would call the 11th Commandment would be giving all your first's to God. The first part of any earnings (10%) to the Church (not so they can use it an abbuse it, it is God's design that it goes to the Church because from there he will multiply it and it will come back to serve you and other in need, just be sure you are really going to a capital C Church (see previous post to know what a capital C Church is like)), the first part of your day, your first child, your first anything. Why? Think of it as a savings account. Your money starts to build and once you reach a certain amount you can go blow it on something that you really wanted, a nice vacation, etc. God takes that 10%, multiplies it, uses it in ways that you cannot even imagen, and then rewards you for it. But, do not give for the reward. Give out of the goodness of your heart and the knowlege of what is right. (Proverbs 3:9-10 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.¹⁰ Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.")

Now, a little side note on talking to God for new believers and old ones who have never really gotten it. I was raised in Church, but was never a real Christian untill 13 years of age. It was then that I developed a real relationship with God (see a previous blog) but I won't go into that. I just wanted to encourage who ever is reading this that you are not the only one who think's talking to God is a little awkward, because it is. Haha! It takes awhile gettting use to it, but you will feel so close to God. What I had to do was literally talk to God. It is easy to talk to him in your head and listen for him in that way too, but in my junior year of high school I decided to step out of my comfort zone, and get closer to God. I made the time I spent driving to school (20minutes) my time with God. I started literally talking out loud to him. I, like a lot of people I'm sure, didn't know what to say sometimes, so I would just look around and the surroundings and thank him for the flowers and comment on how cool things were. Haha! I just became my self with God, I was real with him. Don't get me wrong, there were times where I even said to him "people going by probibly thing I'm crazy talking with no one in my car and laughing." That was the closest I ever felt to God, and the most meaningful 20 minutes of my life that I could ever spend doing anything. I laughed so much with God those mornings, sometimes at myself, and I broke a communication barrier. Everyone knows, or should know, that all relationships will struggle, if not fail, if there is lack of communication. It is the leading cause to arguments and misunderstandings, and it is just as vital to your relationship with God as it is to your family, friends, and significant other.

This blog is not a crash course on how to be a Christian. I wrote this for new believers and ones who have been on the ride for awhile because this is what a Christian should look like. Real Christians do not live in prideful sin (being proud or ok with your sin), because they are so consirned with how God thinks of them, living in heaven, and setting an example for fellow believers. It's not about who's the best or worst Christian, it's about living a life that put's God first, a life worth living, a life so full, and a life worth talking about and being remembered once you pass. I don't think that I'm the only one who has ever wondered, "What if we are all fooled, what if I die and there is just nothing." Well, honestly, God has proven himself to me way too many times for me to ever not believe in him. And even if he hadn't, I wouldn't change a thing. I am a better person, people look up to me because I am on the right track, and I have never felt so much joy, love, fulfillment, and purpose as I do being a Christian. I have fallen off track before and I didn't like who I was, at all.