Our Christian life revolves around God and our belief in Him. The more we truly believe in God, the more we are able to do great things. We can never obey God if we don't believe Him anyway, right?
Our beliefs dictate what we are doing. If we believe that we are truly saved by Christ, we will not strive for our salvation anymore. If we believe that we are totally forgiven, we will never condemn ourselves for our past sins again; only learn from them. If we believe that Jesus is with us to the end of days as we preach the gospel and make people Christ's disciples, we will do it. Right believing leads to right living.
That said, there are some things many of us say we believe in, but our actions and responses show otherwise. Here are some things we say we believe with our hearts, but don't with our actions.
1. We're Freed From Sin
Every Christian knows that God hates sin, and Christ came to free us from its grasp, yet many who say they believe God commit them anyway. "I'm a sinner," so they say.
The truth is that Christ has totally freed us from sin's power. We are not obliged to obey the lusts of the flesh. We have been made into a new creation in Christ, and our old man has died with Christ. Our new nature is that of Christ: we have been given a new heart, a new Spirit, and we even have the mind of Christ. It's time to start living a life that commits fewer sin to no sin at all.
2. We're Children of God
It's clearly articulated in the Bible that we are God's children if we are in Christ. And if we are God's children, we will do well to obey our Father God. But many Christians don't do that.
Many claim to be children of God but live otherwise. About them, Jesus said "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me." (see Matthew 15:8)
Our confession to be God's children should be backed by living to please Him.
3. God Will Meet Our Needs
We say that God will provide for our needs, but we often worry. We declare that God will never lack but we fail to be generous for fear that we might not have enough for ourselves. We confess that God is our source but scramble to find more sources of income, even if they are not pleasing to God. Such irony, but it's true.
I've known Christians who don't look for a decent job or work an honest living, saying that "God will provide for me." I've also known Christians who use the name of God in order to gain more money, material possessions, and other worldly pursuits.
Sadly, these people loved by God dishonour Him. Let's not be like them.
