So many times we want God to reveal Himself to us. We question if He is real. And if we do believe in Him, we expect Him to really put Himself on display in big ways.
What I’ve discovered the 27 years since I’ve become a Christian is that I’ve learned more about God by focusing on the priorities—the main things He asks us to do—in the Bible than any other way.
It seems the Bible is made up of a lot of rules, but actually when we focus on the few most important things, the rest are taken care of.
When we do what God has already asked us to do, He will reveal so much more about Himself and His ways. I learn about Him by turning to Him, depending on Him, thanking Him, and loving others.
What does He reveal? His loving heart. His willingness to provide for us. And His concern for people in this world. As I follow Him in these ways I am changed and the world is impacted for God.
What are the main things God asks us to do?
1. Believe in Jesus.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household,” Acts 16:31.
Understand because of your sin you deserve to be separated from God for eternity, but through the sacrifice of Jesus you can be saved from punishment and can spend eternity with Him. All you need to pray is, “Jesus, I believe in you. Please take my sin and give me eternity with you instead.” It’s that easy.
2. Put living for Jesus first in your life.
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well,” Matthew 6:33.
This means daily seeking Jesus, reading the Bible, loving others as Jesus did, and trusting He will care for your needs.
3. Read the Bible.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work,” 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
When we read the Bible, we learn more about God and His ways. We learn how to live life more effectively. When you sit down to read the Bible pray, “Lord, help me to understand.” Also, ask someone who has been reading the Bible for a while to help you to understand better.
4. Become involved in a local Bible-believing church and seek friendships with Christ-followers.
“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near,” Hebrews 10:25.
We are not meant to follow Jesus alone, but we gain help and encouragement from other believers. When you join with other Christ-followers regularly, they will be there to help and support you, and you can do the same for them.
5. Forgive others.
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven,” Luke 6:37.
People will hurt us … a lot. Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting. It means turning it over to God and allowing Him to handle the situation. God doesn’t take sin lightly, trust that.
6. Live your life with thankfulness, not complaining.
“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation,” Philippians 2:14.
When we spend our day thanking God for all we have, instead of complaining about what we don’t have, everything changes, starting with our attitude and our view on life. We will notice the difference in our attitude during the day and others will, too.
7. Pray all the time.
“Rejoice at all times. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus,” 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
Pray without ceasing just means when you’re thinking about something over and over, it’s a good sign that it’s something you can pray about. Ask God to help the situation and give you wisdom on how to handle it.
8. Love others.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails,” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
When we love others like God asks us to they benefit and we do too.
9. Care for the widows and orphans.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world,” James 1:27.
A symbol of being a Christian is not doing all you can to take care of yourself, but doing all you can to take care of others.
These things don’t sound easy do they? The truth is that everything God asks us to do is impossible, unless we turn to Him and ask Him for help and strength. If you want to obey God in these ways, ask Him to help you. We cannot live as a Christ-follower in our own strength.
The first step is to pray this prayer:
Jesus, I want to follow you in these ways. Please help me, and please bring people in my life to show me Your ways.
Now, I want to pray for you:
Dear Jesus, you see my friend and you see his/her desire to live as you ask. Please help him/her today to draw closer to you and desire to do these things. And as he/she does I pray you will reveal yourself in amazing ways. Amen.
I can’t wait to hear how God is going to reveal Himself to you! Please let me know.
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