DAY FIVE - How Can I Be A Strong Christian?
As a Christian, you need strength for two reasons:
- To live an overcoming life
- To serve the Lord.
You may feel inadequate.
Good! You must feel your need before the Lord can help you.
POWER FOR OVERCOMING
The first time you fail, you can expect the devil to tell you, "It's
no use. You can't live the Christian life. You might as well give
up." This is one of Satan's favorite tactics.
You may even feel defeated because you were tempted even though
you didn't yield. Remember this: temptation is not sin. Even Jesus
was tempted.
Know Your Weak Points. You have read,
or will read, about Peter today. When the apostle learned
Jesus would be betrayed, he boldly said he was willing to
die for the Lord.
But before the night was over he had denied the Lord three times.
If you have trouble with temper or some other human weakness, be
on guard.
Cooperate with God.
Rely on Jesus to help you overcome. A little girl said, "Jesus
is stronger than the devil, so when the devil comes to the
door of my heart, I send Jesus, and when the devil sees Jesus,
he goes away."
THE COMFORTER
Christ lives in your heart through His Holy
Spirit, who is called "the
Comforter," meaning one
called alongside to help." He will develop
in you the fruit of the Spirit (see
Galatians 5:22,23)
which together are the character of Christ. (Remember from
Day 4, God's purpose is to make you like Christ.) Try underlining
in John 14 and 16 the things which Jesus promised the Holy
Spirit would do.
An obedient attitude will help. Obey the Lord when He suggests something
to you. Listen to the pastor and other mature Christians. They've
been over the road; they can help you. Cultivate a sense of the
Lord's presence. This is part of the abiding Jesus mentions in chapter
15. Let your thoughts go out toward Him throughout the day.
Don't get discouraged.
You don't need to give up, and you shouldn't. A baby starting
to walk often falls, but it mustn't give up. Simply come to
the Lord as you did the first time, ask Him in sincerity to
forgive you, and go on.
POWER FOR SERVICE
The Holy Spirit has a work to do for you, after salvation and different
from it. It is called the baptism in the Holy Spirit and is the
same experience written about in Acts 2.
Before He went away, Jesus told His disciples He would baptize them
in the Holy Spirit. As a result they would receive power to witness
unto Him. This happened on the Day of Pentecost and changed the
lives of all who received. Ask your pastor to tell you more about
this.
Jesus Is the Baptizer.
How do you receive? The simplest way to put it I can think
of is to tell you to get just as close to Jesus as you can.
Move toward Him in worship and praise. Then yield completely
to Him. Your experience will be just like that on the Day
of Pentecost.
The Baptism Is a Beginning. Sad
to say, some stand still spiritually after they have been
baptized in the Holy Spirit. This should not be. It should
be the beginning of a wonderful new kind of life. Through
you God can work supernaturally.
Stay Spirit-filled.
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is not a once-for-all experience.
As you continue to stay close to the Lord in prayer and reading
His Word, you will receive from Him more and more of His life
and blessing.
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SCRIPTURE
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TODAY'S BIBLE READING:
John 13, 14, and 15
BIBLE STUDY FOR DAY 5
(answer in your own words)
John 13:34,35
What was Jesus' new commandment?
John 14:6
What is the only way to come to God?
John 14:13,14
What is the secret of receiving answers to our prayers?
John 14:15
How do we show our love for Jesus?
John 14:27
What has Jesus promised to give us?
John 15:5
Who is the vine, and who are the branches?
John 15:18,19
What attitude can we expect from the world (unbelievers)?
GOOD VERSES TO MEMORIZE:
John 13:35
John 14:6
John 14:14
John 14:27
John 15:5
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