Did You Think to Pray?

Ere you left your room this morning, did you think to pray?

In the name of Christ our Savior, did you sue for loving favor, as a shield today?

O how praying rests the weary!

Prayer will change the night to day;

So when life seems dark and dreary,

Don’t forget to pray

When you met with great temptation, did you think to pray?

By His dying love and merit, did you claim the Holy Spirit, as your guide and stay?

When your heart was filled with anger, did you think to pray?

Did you plead for grace, my brother, that you might forgive another, who had crossed your way?

When sore trials came upon you, did you think to pray?

When your soul was bowed in sorrow, Balm of Gilead did you borrow, at the gates of day?

O how praying rests the weary! Prayer will change the night to day; 

So when life seems dark and dreary, don’t forget to pray!

by Mary Kidder

Do you know how to follow Jesus?

To my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in my generation: Do you know how to follow Jesus? Do you claim Him in name only, or are you actually following the living Jesus daily? Do you know Him as a Bible character where His legacy is forever captured in the Bible, or do you know Him as a living Person who is personally interacting with you today? How often do you talk with Him? How old were you when you became a Christian? How much deeper in love with Him are you today than when you first knew Him!? Do you know how to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn from Him? Do you know what it means to be His disciple? Do you recognize Jesus for who He really is? Do you personally know Him as your Savior? As your Teacher? As your Rabbi? As your Master? As your Discipler? Oh, do you personally know Him as your dear Friend!?

Have you learned how to discern the solitary voice of Christ and follow that alone? Better yet, do you personally know and love the Person of the Holy Spirit!? Do you know Him as the Helper that He is? Do you let Him help you hear Jesus calling to you? Do you depend on the Holy Spirit to help you understand Scripture as you read it? Do you know how to go in your room, close the door, and meet the Holy Spirit in prayer? Do you allow Him to guide you in your prayers? Have you learned how to be still and know the gentle leading of the quiet Holy Spirit? Are you, alone, able to make important decisions in your life based solely off the leading of the Holy Spirit and the peace He gives you with the choice He led you to make? Have you recognized that the Holy Spirit will never claim glory for Himself, but that His one purpose is to only and always glorify the Son? Oh, do you long to never grieve the precious Holy Spirit, then!? Do you personally know the Holy Spirit as the best helper in the world who alone can enable you to follow Jesus by faith?

If Jesus asked you to sell all that you have and keep following Him, could you? If He asked you to leave home, or family, or career, or your country, to serve Him somewhere else, would you? If He asked you to lay aside the one thing you want most in life, could you? If He asked you to do the one thing you don't want to do most, would you? If He asked you to stay single your whole life for His sake, could you? If He asked you to marry for His sake, would you? Have you learned what it means to deny yourself? Do you know what it means to carry your cross? How often do you go ahead of Him, because you lack the patience to wait for Him to lead? Oh, are you trying to daily deny yourself, just so you can daily follow Christ instead!?

If every believer around you was abandoning Jesus, would you keep following Him? If the one Christian you admire most turned against Christ, would that ruin your faith in Christ? Would you also deny Christ? Would it make you doubt God? Or, is your devotion to Christ so strong and so solid, that no matter what the believers around you do, you will faithfully follow Jesus even till the end of your days!?! Are you willing to be an over-comer and brave the stormy seas of life, even if everyone abandons you!? Do you have the courage to stand for the Truth even against a Goliath-sized opposition!? Are you prepared to use the sword of the Spirit to fight against the powers and principalities of this spiritual battle we are in!? Who are you dependent on most? Have you learned how to be fiercely dependent on Christ alone!? When you are in trouble, who is the first person you run to? Is it the Person of Christ? When your heart is bursting at the seems with joy, do you happily share it with Jesus!? Oh, are all your affections placed on Christ!? Is Jesus the love of your life!?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus is very much alive today!!! He is asking you, His disciple, to follow Him today. Are you following Him? Don't be discouraged if you're not sure you know how to...just keep loving Him daily, keep praying with Him daily, and keep reading His Word daily, and He'll do the rest...He'll always be with you, He'll never give up on you, He'll always be patient with you, He'll never leave you or forsake you, and even when you are unfaithful to Him, He'll still faithfully and lovingly disciple you every day until the day you die and are gloriously face to face with Him in eternity; He died so He could live to personally lead you in your life and show you how to daily follow after Him :)

Following Jesus is simple, just keep trusting Him with faith like a little child!

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." 

2 Cor 5:7

A song in my heart!

One Day

Wilbur Chapman, 1908

One day when heaven was filled with His praises,

One day when sin was as black as could be,

Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin--

Dwelt among men, my example is He!

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me; Buried, He carried my sins far away;

Rising, He justified freely forever: One day He's coming--O glorious day!

One day they led Him up Calvary's mountain,

One day they nailed Him to die on the tree;

Suffering anguish, despised and rejected;

Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He.

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me; Buried, He carried my sins far away;

Rising, He justified freely forever: One day He's coming--O glorious day!

One day they left Him alone in the garden,

One day He rested, from suffering free;

Angels came down over His tomb to keep vigil;

Hope of the hopeless, my Savior is He.

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me; Buried, He carried my sins far away;

Rising, He justified freely forever: One day He's coming--O glorious day!

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer,

One day the stone rolled away from the door;

Then He arose, over death He had conquered;

Now is ascended, my Lord evermore.

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me; Buried, He carried my sins far away;

Rising, He justified freely forever: One day He's coming--O glorious day!

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming,

One day the skies with His glory will shine;

Wonderful day, my beloved ones bringing;

Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine!

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me; Buried, He carried my sins far away;

Rising, He justified freely forever: One day He's coming--O glorious day!

Oh, rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ!!! Such a glorious day that I sing and yearn for!!! :)

Real Faith

One of the most influential people the Lord has used in my life has been George Muller. I don't think I've ever read a more condensed, clear, wise, and encouraging summarization of this man's life in faith, than in this article, "Real Faith." Of course, it was written later in his life, after all his years of experience of living in faith and walking with the Lord. These are words from a wise, seasoned, Christian who was dearly in love with the Lord and has fought the good fight before us; words of which my generation would be wise to heed. So, although I know it's long, if you prayerfully read his words and God's Words below, it is to your gain, and I believe, well worth your time. Now, more than ever, I passionately believe this is exactly what this generation needs to come back to--REAL FAITH. Oh, how my soul magnifies the Lord tonight after reading this! As always, to God be the glory!

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." Hebrews 11:1,3

  "First:  What is faith? In the simplest manner in which I am able to express it, I answer: Faith is the assurance that the thing which God has said in His Word is true, and that God will act according to what He has said in His Word. This assurance, this reliance on God's Word, this confidence, is faith.

  "No impressions are to be taken in connection with faith. Impressions have neither one thing nor the other to do with faith. Faith has to do with the Word of God. It is not impressions, strong or weak, which will make any difference. We have to do with the written Word and not ourselves or our impressions.

  "Probabilities are not to be taken into account. Many people are willing to believe regarding those things that seem probable to them. Faith has nothing to do with probabilities. The province of faith begins where probabilities cease and sight and sense fail. A great many of God's children are cast down and lament their want of faith. They write to me and say that they have no impressions, no feeling, they see no probability that the things they wish will come to pass. Appearances are not to be taken into account. The question is--whether God has spoken it in His Word.

  "And now, my beloved friends, you are in great need to ask yourselves whether you are in the habit of thus confiding, in your inmost soul, in what God has said, and whether you are in earnest in seeking to find whether the thing you want is in accordance with what He has said in His Word.

  "Secondly:  How faith may be increased. God delights to increase the faith of His children. Our faith, which is feeble at first, is developed and strengthened more and more by use. We ought, instead of wanting no trials before victory, no exercise for patience, to be willing to take them from God's hand as a means. I say--and say it deliberately--trials, obstacles, difficulties, and sometimes defeats, are the very food of faith. I get letters from so many of God's dear children who say: "Dear Brother Muller: I'm writing this because I am so weak and feeble in faith." Just so surely as we ask to have our faith strengthened, we must feel a willingness to take from God's hand the means for strengthening it. We must allow Him to educate us through trials and bereavements and troubles. It is through trials that faith is exercised and developed more and more. God affectionately permits difficulties, that He may develop unceasingly that which He is willing to do for us, and to this end we should not shrink, but if He gives us sorrow and hindrances and losses and afflictions, we should take them out of His hands as evidences of His love and care for us in developing more and more that faith which He is seeking to strengthen in us.
  "The Church of God is not aroused to see God as the beautiful and lovable One He is, and hence the littleness of blessedness. Oh, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, seek to learn for yourselves, for I cannot tell you the blessedness! In the darkest moments I am able to confide in Him, for I know what a beautiful and kind and lovable Being He is, and, if it be the will of God to put us in the furnace, let Him do it, that so we may acquaint ourselves with Him as He will reveal Himself, and that we may know Him better. We come then to the conclusion that God is a lovable Being, and we are satisfied with Him, and say: "It is my Father, let Him do as He pleases."
  "When I first began to allow God to deal with me, relying on Him, taking Him at His word, and set out fifty years ago simply relying on Him for myself, family, taxes, travelling expenses and every other need, I rested on the simple promises I found in the sixth chapter of Matthew. I believed the Word, I rested on it and practiced it. I took God at His Word. A stranger, a foreigner in England, I knew seven languages and might have used them perhaps as a means of remunerative employment, but I had consecrated myself to labor for the Lord, I put my reliance in the God who has promised, and He has acted according to His Word. I've lacked nothing--nothing. I have had my trials and difficulties, and my purse empty, but my receipts have aggregated. I have received thousands and thousands of dollars, while the work has gone on these fifty-one years. Then, with regard to my pastoral work; for the past fifty-one years I have had great difficulties, great trials and perplexities. There will always be difficulties, always trials. But God has sustained me out of them, and the work has gone on.
  "Now, this is not, as some have said, because I am a man of great mental power, or endowed with energy and perseverance--these are not the reasons. It is because I have confided in God; because I have sought God, and He has cared for the Institution, which, under His direction, has one hundred schools, with masters and mistresses, and other departments of which I have told you before.
  "I do not carry the burden. And now in my sixty-seventh year, I have physical strength and mental vigor for as much work as when I was a young man in the university, studying and preparing Latin orations. I am just as vigorous as at that time. How comes this? Because in the last half-century of labor I've been able with the simplicity of a child, to rely upon God. I have had my trials, but I have laid hold upon God, and so it has come to pass that I have been sustained. It is not only permission, but positive command that He gives, to cast the burdens upon Him. Oh, let us do it! My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee. Day by day I do it. This morning sixty matters in connection with the church of which I am pastor, I brought before the Lord, and thus it is, day by day I do it, and year by year; ten years, thirty years, forty years.
  "Do not, however, expect to obtain full faith at once. All such things as jumping into full exercise of faith in such things I discountenance. I do not believe in it. I do not believe in it, I do not believe in it, I do not believe in it, and I wish you plainly to understand I do not believe in it. All such things go on in a natural way. The little I did obtain I did not obtain all at once. All this I say particularly, because letters come to me full of questions from those who seek to have their faith strengthened. Begin over again, staying your soul in the Word of God, and you will have an increase of your faith as you exercise it.
  "One thing more. Some say, "Oh, I shall never have the gift of faith Mr. Muller has got." This is a mistake--it is the greatest error--there is not a particle of truth in it. My faith is the same kind of faith that all God's children have had. It is the same kind that Simon Peter has, and all Christians may obtain the like faith. My faith is their faith, though there may be more of it because my faith has been a little more developed by exercise than theirs; but their faith is precisely the faith I exercise, only, with regard to degree, mine may be more strongly exercised.
  "Now, my beloved brothers and sisters, begin in a little way. At first, I was able to trust the Lord for ten dollars, then for a hundred dollars, then for a thousand dollars, and now, with the greatest ease, I could trust Him for a million dollars, if there was occasion. But first, I should quietly, carefully, deliberately examine and see whether what I was trusting for, was something in accordance with His promises in His written Word."

-George Muller, 1872

"An Hour With George Muller"

"But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

Matthew 6

LOVE

I don't think any word could more perfectly summarize the message of the Holy Bible than love. Nor could any word better describe who the living God is to me than love. Love is truly the strongest bond on earth and in heaven.

"For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again."

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

A few months ago I read an article by a pastor who listed some of the "one another" verses in the New Testament as a reason for the importance of being part of a local church. Although I would agree with him, I saw so much more in it than just that. I was utterly humbled to my knees at realizing the enormity of the Father's love for us is the reason why He wants us to have an enormity of love for one another. It led me to think of things going on in the Church today; of why so many believers are living in the slums of the world's mediocrity, or why so many are going astray from the Lord, and I became convinced that the ultimate solution to our problems lies in this verse: "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.'" Mark 12:30-31.

There is absolutely nothing mediocre about love! Our love is merely an imitation of the love with which we are loved by God, and I think most of the time we don't even realize this. I think it is possible to fall from love, because when we fall from love, we are falling, as sinners, from the glory of God, which is encapsulated with love. Even when unbelievers love, their love is a reflection of our Creator's love, because "He has put eternity in their hearts" Ec 3:11. Apart from God, love does not exist. So then, of all peoples on earth, it should be the Church who shows forth God's love the most. We should be the least judgmental, the most forgiving, the most gracious, the least back-biting, the most kind, the least quarrelsome, the most long-suffering, the least boastful, the most humble, the least selfish, the most giving, the least arrogant, the least envious, the most gentle, and absolutely the most loving. These things will merely be the fruit of the strong bond of love between you and our precious Lord Jesus Christ, for "the fruit of the Spirit is love" Ga 5:22.

There is a time and place for everything, which is why I think there are so many important "one another" verses, but nothing outweighs them more than loving one another, for I've found that love is the foundation of them all; "Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." 1 Cor 13:13. If love is sincerely your center, it is unique in that it makes the faults of others just simply melt away. No wonder, then, why Paul said, "Let all that you do be done with love" 1 Co 16:14, and, "Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us" Eph 5:2. When you become "rooted and grounded in love" Eph 3:17, you'll discover the fullness of living life in Christ! It is then, that we can declare with Paul and Timothy that "the love of Christ compels us" to live no longer for ourselves but for Christ! Instead of doing everything backwards in the Christian life, instead we will be driven first by His love to want to do the things that please Him most. His love will compel us to hate sin more and more and love holiness more and more! His love will compel us to love the brotherhood! His love will compel us to tell others about the good news of His great love! We will find that the things we do, as Christians, is done not because we think we "have" to do it, but because we are so driven by His love that nothing could ever possibly hold us back from living our absolute all for Christ. Oh, how the sweet, sweet love of Jesus overflows in me!

So...go fall in the love of Christ today before you do anything else! May we love in the Church the most, so to God "be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever" Eph 3:21. Oh, may the love of Christ compel us to do all these things toward one another!

Have fervent love for one another   (1 Pe 4:8)
Pray for one another   (Jas 5:16)
Have peace with one another   (Mr 9:50)
Be kindly affectionate to one another   (Ro 12:10)
Love one another   (1 Jo 3:11)
Have compassion for one another   (1 Pe 3:8)
Forgive one another   (Col 3:13)
Through love serve one another   (Ga 5:13)
Love one another   (2 Jo 1:5)
Greet one another with a holy kiss   (2 Cor 13:12)
Be like-minded toward one another   (Ro 15:5)
Be kind to one another   (Eph 4:32)
Love one another as I have loved you   (Jn 15:12)
Break bread together with one another   (1 Cor 11:33, 23-34)
Edify one another   (1 Th 5:11)
Bear with one another   (Col 3:13)
Abound in love to one another   (1 Th 3:12)
Bear with one another in love   (Eph 4:2)
Greet one another with a holy kiss   (Ro 16:16)
Don’t bite and devour one another   (Ga 5:15)
Have love for one another   (Jn 13:35)
Confess your trespasses to one another   (Jas 5:16)
Give preference to one another in honor   (Ro 12:10)
Don’t envy one another   (Ga 5:26)
Love one another fervently   (1 Pe 1:22)
Speak to one another in Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual songs   (Eph 5:19)
Have fellowship with one another   (1 Jo 1:7)
Receive one another, just as Christ also received us   (Ro 15:7)
Love one another   (Jn 15:17)
Forgive one another   (Eph 4:32)
Greet one another with a kiss of love   (1 Pe 5:14)
Exhort one another daily   (Heb 3:13)
Love one another   (1 Jo 4:11)
Don’t judge one another   (Ro 14:13)
Be hospitable to one another   (1 Pe 4:9)
Don’t lie to one another   (Col 3:9)
Love one another   (1 Th 4:9)
Don’t provoke one another   (Ga 5:26)
Be of the same mind toward one another   (Ro 12:16)
Don’t speak evil of one another   (Jas 4:11)
Love one another   (1 Jo 4:7)
Greet one another with a holy kiss   (1 Cor 16:20)
Submit to one another   (Eph 5:21)
Admonish one another   (Ro 15:14)
Love one another   (Jn 13:34)
Stimulate one another to love and good deeds   (Heb 10:24)
Be submissive to one another   (1 Pe 5:5)
Teach and admonish one another in Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual songs   (Col 3:16)
Love one another   (1 Jo 3:23)
Don’t grumble against one another   (Jas 5:9)
Have the same care for one another   (1 Cor 12:25)
Wash one another’s feet   (Jn 13:14)
Owe no one anything except to love one another   (Ro 13:8)
Bear one another’s burdens   (Ga 6:2)
Comfort one another   (1 Th 4:18)
Minister your gift to one another   (1 Pe 4:10)
Encourage one another to not forsake assembling together   (Heb 10:25)

"And above all things have fervent love for one another,  for 'love will cover a multitude of sins.'"

1 Peter 4:8

Discipled to Christ

"Let us see that to be the Lord's disciple it cannot be based upon your own strength, it has to come from Him. He is the One who calls and He is the One who will work it out. It does not depend upon yourself. Do not think because you have an iron will you can be His disciple; do not assume because you have natural love you can be His disciple; do not think because you understand you can therefore be His disciple. If you try to be a follower by relying upon yourself you will completely fail. If you try to be absolute with the Lord in and of yourself, let me tell you that you cannot. It is impossible. With man this is utterly impossible. Nevertheless, you need not be afraid. The Lord knows you. The Lord does not expect you to be His disciple on your own basis. For hear again the gracious words of the Lord: 'Fear not, I am with you; I will do it; you are but clay in My hand.'

"...The skill of the Master is shown in transforming the dullest and the most worthless into the wisest and the worthiest. All which is needed of the disciple is a full committal and willingness to learn. And so we see that Peter left everything and followed the Lord. And by such action this discipleship was sealed at last, and from that day onward we find Peter in the school of Christ--full time, totally committed, and following the Master.

"O Lord, show Yourself to us, show us Your glory. Make us to see You and hear You that we may respond to You as we ought. Reveal Yourself to us in all Your beauty, greatness and loveliness that we may be completely abandoned to You. So fill our hearts with Your love, Lord, that we may be constrained to rise up and follow You.

"We do desire that Your image shall be seen through us as Your disciples. Yet Lord, evermore tell us that it does not depend upon ourselves to be a good disciple, but that it depends upon You. May we learn to entrust ourselves into Your hands and let You mold and shape us to be a new vessel for Your glory. We ask that as You do call us, let none of us escape; even so, we cannot escape, for You have attracted us.

"Lord, You know our hearts. Search us. Do not let this day pass by without something very real being done by Your Spirit in each one of us. To those who have not heard Your call, make us hear; to those who are hesitating, make us see You in all Your glory; to those who are afraid and feel unworthy -- oh, overcome us by Your worthiness and by Your strength and obtain in us disciples for Yourself.

"O Lord, we wait upon You, we trust You. We praise You and worship You, our worthy Lord, our worthy Master. In Your precious Name we pray. Amen."

-Stephen Kaung, Discipled to Christ, 1976

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me, [for] whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple, [because] you did not choose Me, but I chose you that you should go and bear fruit, [and so] become fishers of men.

-Mt 16:24; Lu 14:27; Jn 15:16; Mr 1:17

Don't Forget Our Liberty (Part 2)

"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

How wonderful of a verse this is! What a privilege we have to be able to always boldly go and be in the presence of Christ, (for how often are we not in need?). Even though it is our liberty in Christ to be able to come boldly to the throne of grace, how slowly and timidly we approach Him sometimes, if not at all. Why is that? Perhaps it is our lack of simply going to Christ daily that so many young people struggle in their walk with the Lord today? I often hear Christians say that being a Christian is hard. Even though I get what they're trying to say, it still makes me cringe every time I hear it. I seriously cannot think of anything more misleading, more far removed from the Truth, more dead, more unattractive, less appealing, boring, or more of a turn-off than saying that. I am young and I am a Christian, and let me tell you, being a Christian is absolutely wonderful and thrilling!!! Seriously, I could take a year just describing how wonderful it is to follow Jesus!! Being a Christian, better put, being in Christ, is not hard at all, but is easy, heavenly, spiritually refreshing, safe, exciting, comforting, peaceful, and life-reviving!! Life, however, is hard, because the ugliness of sin has ravaged this world, and dealing with sin is hard. When we aren't in Christ, we are more easily swept away with sin, which is hard to deal with because the Holy Spirit is constantly poking and prying at our spirit to turn us back to Christ. Not only that, but the enemy of our souls is constantly trying to destroy any light, love, or goodness of the Lord in us and in this world, and that is hard to deal with. I don't think it's being a Christian (being in Christ) which is hard, but that NOT being a Christian (NOT being in Christ) is when it gets hard to live in this sinful world. Being in Christ is our sanctuary from sin. When we are in Christ, we are able to draw from Him everything we could ever possibly need for life, and then some!

"that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith...that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" Eph 3:17, 19

I am a simple person. I take the Bible simply for what it says, and try to not take away or add to it. I take Jesus' words simply. Jesus said to "follow Me," so that's what I'm doing. Jesus is simple and His message is simple, so why shouldn't living in Him be simple? I've heard people preach the Gospel as a simple thing, but then they complicate the Christian life after salvation to no end at all. I think it is often times the complications, duties, and strictness of "being a Christian" that causes young people to burn out, give up, and drift away from Christ. If only they had given even the short time that they did give, towards simply being in Christ, rather than "being a Christian," then they'd be happy in the Lord, and we'd have a lot more warriors of faith in my generation today.

"For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you. Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?" 2 Corinthians 13:4-5

In my last post I said, "what need have I for another person to disciple me?" I don't want this to be misunderstood, as if you think that I think I am somehow a better or stronger Christian than others, because the truth is, I am the exact opposite of that. It is because I know how weak, needy, and small in faith I am that I say this. I so desperately need the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Vine, and I cling to Him as if my life depended on it, because, truth be told, my life does depend on it. I need Him every hour. What I directly need is a living Savior, not a Bible character or idea of a man that once lived, not a regiment or class, not a set of rules or program, not Christian books or workbooks on Christian living, not a discipler or even good Christians in my life, but the living Christ. For me, I had to lay aside all these things to simply see Christ in faith and know He is literally alive today and is literally dwelling in my heart by faith.

However, I didn't always believe this. I use to think I needed to live a strict, disciplined, Christian life if I wanted to grow stronger in my walk with the Lord. I constantly piled up guilt and pressure on myself, perfecting and forcing myself to be more and more like Christ. I kept myself busy with studying the Bible (aided by commentaries), studying theology, reading Christian books, listening to certain Christian music, keeping busy in the church, and constantly taking the advice of other Christians. It was hard. My prayer time usually lasted a couple minutes, because I'd wander in thought, then give up. Reading the Bible was good, but it was stagnant, it wasn't alive like I always heard people say it was, because it didn't lead to anything else (which is why I used the commentaries). My biggest downfall was that I didn't understand the role of the Person of Holy Spirit, nor did I personally know Him, which is why I didn't know how to rely on Him. Thus the reason why I relied on other Christians to give me spiritual growth and not on Him, (if only I knew, back then, that other Christians can't grow my spirit, but only the precious and loving Holy Spirit can!).

"...that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man" Eph 3:16

I'm not saying that through those years I didn't grow close to the Lord at all. I absolutely grew close to Him, but it wasn't because of the methods I used, it was only because of His grace that He lovingly drew His wayward child close to Himself. Believe me when I say that all of those things, accompanied with my lack of faith, didn't help me grow spiritually at all, but actually crippled me spiritually. Yeah, outwardly, I may have been a better looking Christian, but how deceiving looks can be! Inside, I felt like such a failure as a Christian. My ugly, life-destroying, pride was in the way of even admitting this to other Christians, because I didn't want them to see me as "weak." Because of that, I struggled quietly without anyone knowing it, and struggled with the frustration and weariness of constantly falling short of God's standard of holiness, (or at least I foolishly thought that at the time!). Satan can use that to destroy a Christian, you know. I've seen it.

BUT, I believe that even in the worst of our situations, He works for good to those who love Him and are called according to HIS purpose, because of His grace! He used my isolation from others for SUCH good in me, because I was in such need and was at the end of my rope, that I finally had no where else to turn but to Christ alone! The light bulb finally turned on...whoa, He really is ALIVE!! Oh, see Jesus Christ and let Him bring you to Himself, Christian!!! It was in that brokenness that I finally saw my utter inability to meet His standard, even with being the best Christian that I knew how to be, it still didn't meet His standard. Even though I knew it in my mind, He opened my heart to finally realize that His standard for me was already met by the blood of Christ, which was already covering me. It is finished, declared Jesus! I am complete in Him, how liberating!!! It was in that complete dependence and intimate openness with Him that I finally saw I didn't need all those other things, but that, all along, I only ever needed the Person of Jesus Christ alive in me by faith! It is because He knows we are such irreversibly weak sinners, that He made salvation and living in Him so simple. He slowly broke me from all my lack-of-faith crutches, and strengthened my weak feet to stand on Him alone by faith. The Holy Spirit helped me realize that it is not only by grace and not of works, that I am saved, but it is also only by grace and not of works that I live for God through Christ. Life in Christ is a beautiful and living gift of God.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Eph 2:8-9

My point is that I did anything and everything to try to grow stronger in Christ, except simply be in Christ. I used my free time doing all those methods to be a better Christian, except simply spend quiet time with the Lord in prayer and reading His Word through the Holy Spirit. No doubt, I have a lot of weaknesses, but my weakest and most damaging one was that I walked by sight and not by faith. I took what was physically in front of me and expected those people or Christian materials to make me closer to Jesus Christ, and not take Jesus and expect Him to make me closer to Himself. I didn't realize how vitally important faith is and how little of it I needed...truly, only a mustard seed is all we need to personally know Christ. I know this must sound terribly arrogant, but the truth is that I didn't believe in Christ's power to change me, so I tried to do it myself. It wasn't even that I had a lack of faith, but that I had no faith; it was only by His grace that He sustained me spiritually those years, because apart from that, there is no reason why I should spiritually be where I am today. How very weak our faith is in Him, and how very tiny we make our mighty God out to be sometimes! What will it take for me and for all of us to see the exceeding riches of God's grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus!?

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Cor 5:7

So then, after all of that, perhaps you can understand why I said what I said about being discipled by another person? For someone to want me to step back and let another person come stand between me and Jesus Christ and let that person disciple me instead of letting Jesus disciple me, is unfathomable to me. And then, to tell me that I need to be accountable to that person instead of to Christ? I take my accountability to the LIVING God infinitely more seriously than I ever would to a lowly creature of the Creator. Christian, where is your fear of the Lord??? With all sincerity and respect toward my brothers and sisters in Christ I say this, but, why would I choose a person to disciple me, who is a sinner saved by grace, like me, and can't give me spiritual growth, over Jesus who is God and is literally dwelling in me and giving me overflowing fountains of living spiritual water all day long!? I mean, I don't even know how to adequately put into words the drastic difference between the two?? Of course Jesus Christ is directly discipling me and of course I'll follow Him alone and of course I'll lead others to Him so they can be discipled by Him!!! I'm choosing to follow Him alone for the same reason why John's disciples left him to go follow Jesus instead, and for the same reason why Paul never claimed or called Timothy and/or Titus his own disciple. They knew that there is One who is so much greater than John the Baptist, the Apostle Paul, or even the best of Christians: and that is the Person of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God who died for us, was risen for us, who is alive in us today, and who is lovingly and gently discipling us! The Lord Jesus Christ IS our Discipler...can you believe this, Christian? Oh, I pray that you would, because there is SO much in store for you if you do!!!

I so passionately believe that God made walking by faith purposely simple because it is the life every Christian is meant to live in Him, especially young Christians! There is nothing out of the ordinary about me; I'm just a normal Christian, still with all the same struggles that most young people have, and yet, Jesus Christ has taught me and is still daily teaching me how to walk by faith. I think, when it comes down to it, all my generation really wants is the real thing. I've found the real thing!! The real thing is the Person of Christ Jesus! The real Christian life is simply being in Him by faith! That can never be fabricated. His grace really is sufficient, I just needed to see that through the eyes of faith, for faith is the evidence of things not seen. I think what my generation desperately needs more that anything else is the living CHRIST and His power working in our lives by faith. Oh, how I want to see the power of Christ in this generation!! How often I pour out my heart in prayer for us to not only be a generation of faith, but to be a generation that loves to pray, and to be a generation that will be faithful to both God's Word and to whatever else our living God directs us to do.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." 

Hebrews 11:1

Though Jesus Christ is my discipler, I certainly don't walk or learn alone. I can't thank the Lord enough for all my brothers and sisters in Christ that He has placed in my life to encourage me, edify me, exhort me, lift me up, fellowship with me, and love me, and so, through the grace of God and with all the love that is in my heart for them, I try to do the same toward them. My arms are linked together with many brothers and sisters in Christ, where our aim, our attention, our allegiance, our obedience, our listening ear, our very heart is set on the Lord Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith, as we build up His beloved Church, spread His simple gospel message of love and forgiveness (even to the ends of the earth), and press toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ. This is our liberty, oh thrilling liberty in Christ!!!

"For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified...that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

1 Corinthians 2:2,5

"What is Biblical Discipleship?" by B.P. Harris