Question for Seasoned Christians

[BobbieDoll]

Hi All

Just had a quick question for all of the seasoned christians. How did you arrive at the point where you can say without a doubt that you are a faithful christian? I hope this makes sense and please forgive me if I am not wording this question correctly. I basically wanted to know how did you get to the point where you can say that you are strictly living your life completely and totally for God. Is it a routine for you now? Did you have to work extra hard to get to where you are now? Do you have to remind yourself to read your Bible daily? Do you have to pray daily to ask God to guide you? I'm asking because I am trying so hard to live my life right and become a woman of God but when I think about it I slipp up a lot of times and feel like I have to start over and I just want to be at a point where doing the right thing and living right comes automatic or a little easier. I hope this makes sense and thanks in advance for your help.

 

[HeChangedMyName]

I don't know that I'm seasoned or not, but it is my feeling that every Christian, no matter how seasoned, is still human and prone to err. We have to constantly call our flesh under control no matter where we are in our walk so I would say that so long as you are spending time with God daily and watching your actions, speech, and your walk as a whole, then you are faithful.


Keep in mind that people living totally for God are constantly under attack from the devil too so one could be a devout, seemingly perfect Christian one day, and then fall to sin the next.

I think some old school religion Christians have set us youngins up for believing that they were perfect and without sin, when in fact they were just EXTREMELY secretive with their sin.

 

[Prudent1]

'Seasoned Christians', I think of myself as more of a Christian teenager-. I've been though enough to KNOW that God is real but can't claim to have been walking with the Lord for 30+ years etc. Fortunately,I have some True blue stripe earning seasoned ppl around me IRL. I'll take a stab at your questions though.

Hi All

How did you arrive at the point where you can say without a doubt that you are a faithful christian? I basically wanted to know how did you get to the point where you can say that you are strictly living your life completely and totally for God.
For me it has truly been an evolving process. I arrived here b/c of a number of experiences I had. Experiences that led me on a quest for answers, ones where no logical explanation was available but a supernatural one was, realizing that I actually loved Jesus- for real. That I really wanted to get to know him like I would want to know a flesh and blood friend. IOW, it became personal for me. I still make mistakes but it's not ok with me. I want to change. Before I would rationalize.
Is it a routine for you now? Yes. It is a lifestyle. A cluster of conscious decisions made happily, freely to continue to be educated by the one who knows all.
Did you have to work extra hard to get to where you are now? No. I did have to be real and decide how I was going to use my 24 hours each day. We all get the same amount of time but it seems some are getting more bang than others. I wanted to be in the more bang group. I decided to start disciplining (Ouch flesh!) myself to spend time investing on some eternal stuff. Old habits die hard but it is doable.
Do you have to remind yourself to read your Bible daily? No. I don't have to remind myself. I am always aware that I need to do this. I do not read my bible daily. I am however always reading, singing, meditating, conversing, praying, or getting doses of the word in some shape or form. Is it ideal that i read daily- absolutely! At some jobs/ points in my life I have been steady in reading daily. Right now that is not the case. Will I soon return to that? Yep. I do have a habit of praying and asking God to get to me the info I need daily in whatever format he deems necessary.
Do you have to pray daily to ask God to guide you? YES!! OMG yes!

I'm asking because I am trying so hard to live my life right and become a woman of God but when I think about it I slipp up a lot of times and feel like I have to start over and I just want to be at a point where doing the right thing and living right comes automatic or a little easier.
I think we all feel some of this. That IMO is good. The desire is there. The kingdom in all aspects works on the principles of seed, TIME, and harvest. Some experiences will happen immediately, others over time. Time is something created for our benefit. Something out finite minds can better understand. What is time to and eternal God? He breaks things down in bite sized chunks so that we can digest it all over time. It will become easier. As long as you desire and diligently seek him, you will be able to see progress. That in turn encourages you for the journey ahead. What helped me has been writing down things that have happened. My thoughts etc at certain times. I can reflect and see the goodness of God for myself. It helps me stay focused during the rough times. You are on your way. Hope that helps!
I hope this makes sense and thanks in advance for your help.

**Singing [the hook only!!]** I (we) get knocked down but I(we) get up again, You're never gonna keep me (us) down..

 

[sidney]

Wow, I answered all your questions and it deleted, smh!

Basically, the christian journey is a journey from 'glory to glory.' Not one of us is perfect, but you evolve. Things you struggled with years ago, you overcome. It's a continual pruning (see john 15) process until you become more and more like Christ. The reason I know that I am faithful to God is because he constantly corrects me and shows me what I need to do to become more like him. The bible says "he chastens the ones he love." So faithfulness is not about perfection, it's about being willing and submissive to correction and abandoning the things that God says are wrong when he points it out in your life. It's a continual dying to self. The more time you spend God, the more you thirst for his word and revelation. At that point reading the word is no longer hard and you feel off if you get to busy to get into his word. I wouldn't worry about checking off daily bible reading or this or that because then it becomes a religion and not a relationship. Because you love him you won't be able to stay away from his word and will want to read daily anyway. It does take some discipline in the beginning so just hang in there and you will catch on to it. It won't feel like a chore. The important thing is to let his word convict and transform you, and the rest will come.

Psalm 42:1

 

[sidney]

I don't know that I'm seasoned or not, but it is my feeling that every Christian, no matter how seasoned, is still human and prone to err. We have to constantly call our flesh under control no matter where we are in our walk so I would say that so long as you are spending time with God daily and watching your actions, speech, and your walk as a whole, then you are faithful.


Keep in mind that people living totally for God are constantly under attack from the devil too so one could be a devout, seemingly perfect Christian one day, and then fall to sin the next.

I think some old school religion Christians have set us youngins up for believing that they were perfect and without sin, when in fact they were just EXTREMELY secretive with their sin.

That's why the bible says, "Take heed, lest you fall." You can't be confident in your walk or what you won't do, but take heed by putting yourself in situations. Sin can happen to anyone so guard your eyes and spirit at all times.

 

[CoilyFields]

I heard it put like this today,
As you become a more mature christian you will sin less...but you will feel more guilty.

You're gonna make fewer mistakes but you will feel worse about them because you will have a larger disgust for sin in general and your own specifically. So you will be more grieved in your spirit when you do something wrong.


The Bible says:

Hebrews 5:12
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.


Hebrews 5:14
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil

 

[BobbieDoll]

Thanks for all of the replies ladies, they help more than you know. Please continue to pray for me as I contine on my journey to seek His kingdom and become what he designed me to be.

 

[luthiengirlie]

I heard it put like this today,
As you become a more mature christian you will sin less...but you will feel more guilty.

You're gonna make fewer mistakes but you will feel worse about them because you will have a larger disgust for sin in general and your own specifically. So you will be more grieved in your spirit when you do something wrong.


The Bible says:

Hebrews 5:12
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.


Hebrews 5:14
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil

i wouldn't dare call myself a "season" Christian, I feel like i'm a toddler.. going through my "terrible twos" and YHWH having to put saftey plugs on EVERYTHING and telling me NO NO NO
and let things GO GO GO
IT'S funny because i used to let ANYTHING past my eye, ear, soul, mouth gate and while I probably do let some thangs through that i shouldnt i'm getting more ehh and disgusted and distrubed.. IE Sherlock HOlmes, I twas utterly creeped out by this movie. Yes I understand the supernatural in a very real demonic sense growing up and I understand the power of soul ties so I had no problem watching this stuff what worse could they do to me than they've already done.

However YHWH has been getting on me about what i let deposit in my spirit. I look at thangs SIDEWAYS more and I give things THE SIDE EYE more lol. Maybe that's a part of what He's working in me... maybe i'm growing up. I'm being mroe aware of my emotions and I have a stronger desire to get deeper in His WOrd.

I admit I went through a period of "YHWH please don't hate me, i'm a sinner yes i'm washed due to the blood of Yeshua but i'm a low down dirty trifling sinner. I don't want you to hate me like my earthly father does, I don't want you to hate me like men apparently seem to I don't want you to hate me because imma do whatever it takes. Imma follow Levicitius by the LETTER if i Have to.. Imma speak whatever prayers i have to Imma follow whatever LAW I have to. If it's gonna take me NOT hearing you say "Depart from me fool I never knew You" ahh this is making me cry.

I'm not perfect, i cannot abide by the Law perfectly EVERY time. No one can
THat is why Yeshua died for us so He could stand in the gap His Blood is the BRIDGE to our relationship.

YHWH had to beat into my heart that He loved me and that I chose to stand under His banner even not being perfect and STILL SINNING SOMETIMES. That the desire for improvement is something that He has instilled in ME!!!

As far as the Law goes. I'm gong to choose to honor the Sabbath and the Feasts. Not out of ritual desire but because I choose to want to celebrate. I am still learning only 23 very much a babe.

I have to pray OFTEN .
I know i'm not a seasoned Christian in any sense of the word but I felt the need to reply

 

[aribell]

I think a mark of maturity is focusing less on one's own confidence in their own fath and more on simply affirming and living Christ's lordship. Less focus on one's own feelings and emotions about God and more on setting our feet to walk in obedience to him.

The Christian life is like a race, as Paul says, and you must make it to the end to win. So perseverance is key. There wll be tests and bumps in your walk, but just keep pressing on step by step and He will bring you through.

 

[LatterGlory]

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Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21; Col 3:17; Acts 4:12; James 2:19