How to Be Faithful in the Christian Walk
Often I am asked how to be faithful in the Christian walk. People think there is some sort of magical formula that you need to know. But, no, there isn’t. The Christian walk is far easier than that. It’s about abiding in the Holy Spirit all day long. It’s about waking up in the morning and greeting God with “Good morning, Daddy! What do you want me to do today?” and ending our day with “Thank you, Jesus!”. The Christian walk is about living with God day in day out.
Our lives get in step with God and all others by letting him set the pace, not by proudly or anxiously trying to run the parade. (Romans 3:28, MSG)
But, sure. I know that sometimes we don’t feel like being faithful in the Christian walk. What to do then?
–What to do when you don’t feel like interacting with God?
Say that to God. God knows it anyway. Cry for help. You can count on God to embrace you faster than you can utter the cry.
–What to do when you are not in the mood of worship?
Worship anyway! Once you start praising God, the Holy Spirit envelopes you with God’s peace.
–What to do when you don’t know what God’s will is in your life?
Pray, tell God what’s on your heart and trust that God will give you wisdom for today’s decisions.
With the words of Theodore Epp “As we trust God to give us wisdom for today’s decisions, He’ll lead us a step at a time into what He wants us to be doing in the future.” Trust is the key for being faithful in the Christian walk. God knows the big picture, we can trust him with little things too.
As we daily interact closely with God, as we walk our Christian walk in the Spirit, as we live in God’s grace, God will lead us a step at a time into what He wants us to be doing in the future.
We are not meant to know very far in the future.
We are meant to be obedient and trust that God knows what he is doing.
We are meant to live in God’s grace and praise the Lord today.
So watch your step, friends. Make sure there’s no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. For as long as it’s still God’s Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn’t slow down your reflexes. If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we’re in this with Christ for the long haul. These words keep ringing in our ears: Today, please listen; don’t turn a deaf ear as in the bitter uprising. (Hebrews 3:12-14. MSG)
The way to be faithful in the Christian walk is to trust God one step and one day at a time. I think I can do that with God’s help. How about you?
Gracious God,
Thank you that you’re leading us every step of our way.
Thank you that there’s no magic formula to follow you.
Thank you that it’s all about you,
it’s all about being in your presence,
it’s all about being loved by you.
Show us today what we need to do.
Give us wisdom for today’s decisions.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Q4U: What kind of questions are troubling you?
Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you continue your Christian walk!
* [As you might have noticed, I enjoy reading the Bible in different translations and love comparing them. I have started linking the Bible verses to Biblegateway.com so you can easily read (and compare) them in the different versions I’ve used while preparing each post.]
Image courtesy of Nicholas Newman, design Mari-Anna Stålnacke. Some parts of this post have been previously published. Linking up today with Unite the Bloggersphere, Three Word Wednesday and #tellhisstory.
8 thoughts on “How to Be Faithful in the Christian Walk”
I love the imperatives you shared to …do it anyway… when we don’t feel like praying, worshiping, or spending time with God. The moment when Is step into obedience is the exact same moment that the weariness leaves and the floodgates are opened to change my course.
Just last evening my prayer was to help me in my unbelief, that I would not give in to the temptation to compare, consider, or even contemplate a path beyond where He would have me walking. Your scripture verse reminded me of the necessity to hold tight to his graceful grip and keep taking one step in front of the other.
Thanks, Mari-Anna.
Blessings,
Dawn
Yes, we all do have those moments when we don’t feel like it. But that’s when we need it most. Obedience is a funny little thing. We think it works against us but in the end it is a blessing. Thanks, Dawn, for sharing how God is working in your life. Wait for good because God is good! And keep walking! 🙂
With you on the journey to keep stepping in faith! Amen to trusting Him in the big & small.
Wonderful to have company on the way! Thanks for sharing & caring, sis! Blessings upon blessings to you, Jolene!
Such wonderful practical tips we all need to be reminded of! I need to tuck these away and pull them out regularly. One step at a time is sooo hard for me. I want to see the big picture first. Thanks for this encouragement. Visiting from The Word Wednesday.
So good to hear this blessed you. Thank you, Jennifer! I am with you, I’d rather see the big picture first but that’s not how it works (most of the time). Hence we need to learn to trust and praise God while waiting. Bountiful blessings to you as you continue your faith journey!
You emphasized that God leads us one step at a time. How thankful I am that He is my leader, but I often have to resist the need to know the future. I want to know what the second step is…what the third step is…and so on before I take the first step. I like to plan ahead…but am learning to let God do most of the planning! He knows what’s best.
I hear you, Laura. It’s not easy but it sure blesses us to do so. Thanks for chiming in. Blessings upon blessings!