Many people don’t realize there’s a right way and a wrong way to live as a Christian. I’m not talking about living in sin. Every Christian has a God-given purpose that must be fulfilled. These five things will keep you from successfully accomplishing what God has called you to do.
1. Don’t Lead Anyone To Christ This Year
The whole point of living for Jesus Christ is so that we can show someone else how to escape hell’s death grip and experience the abundant life of Heaven. The Bible says:
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise wins souls.” Proverbs 11:30 NASB
My Grandfather used to say jokingly, “If he that wins souls is wise, he that doesn’t win souls is otherwise.” We must be constantly living the gospel of Jesus Christ and showing His grace and mercy to others.
2. Don’t Read the Bible
If you’re trying to fail, don’t read this book! The words inside are literally life-giving freedom (See John 6:63 and 8:32). A recent poll found that only about 20% of Christians read the Bible daily. That’s a perfect plan if your goal is to fail. The power to succeed and prosper (Joshua 1:8), to receive healing (Proverbs 4:20-22), or to break free from bondage (John 8:32) is found only in God’s Word.
3. Don’t Pray
Prayer is divine access to supernatural power (James 5:16). Anyone who has ever done anything great for the kingdom of God, (from Jesus to Martin Luther to Billy Graham), has been a person of intense prayer. It’s time to get introspective. What kind of frequency do you see in your prayer life? Often? Seldom? Never? It’s time to get back on track. God has great things ready for you; prayer will take delivery of them.
4. Don’t Attend Church Regularly
I know, regularly is a relative term. I don’t consider once a month to be regular attendance. If you aren’t in church every Sunday, (and during the midweek if your church has one), then you don’t understand the importance of church. The Bible instructs us to gather more often as we see the end of time approaching (Hebrews 10:25). Furthermore, the Bible tells us that God set men and women as gifts in the church so our faith can be perfected by their lives and teaching (Ephesians 4:11-13). You might think you can do that at home through live streaming or podcasts, but don’t forget your part in this process. God has called you to be an encouragement to your fellow believers! Hold them up in love and build them up in faith! Get together in God’s house more often.
5. Don’t Tithe or Give Consistently
Two things happen when you tithe and give. First, you access God’s Law of sowing and reaping allowing Him to bless you abundantly, and second, you fund the Kingdom of God and spread the Gospel. There is an obvious attack against the teaching of sowing and reaping because the enemy does not want the Body of Christ to have the means to accomplish God’s Purpose on this earth. We cannot be so foolish that we live selfish lifestyles. We must become what the Bible refers to as “hilarious givers.” (In 2 Corinthians 9:7 the word cheerful is derived from the Greek word hilaros where we get the English word hilarious.)
Obviously, you don’t want to fail. No one does. However, it’s easy for Christianity to become like our New Year’s resolutions. We have great intentions and noble desires, but lack of follow-through brings ultimate failure. I believe this will be the year you see more fruit in your Christian life than you ever have before.
What do you think is the biggest obstacle that stops Christians from accomplishing these five things? Drop me a comment!
