Christian Priorities

Christian Priorities

On a high hill, overlooking Silicon Valley and San Jose on San Francisco Bay below, I fervently prayed for the lost souls below. It wasn’t long before I heard that the Gideons International Convention was coming to San Jose. As it turns out, I became the Prayer and Witnessing Chairman of that convention. I was responsible for coordinating thousands of Christians from all over the world who went into the community witnessing and handing out Gideons New Testaments. I believe that if a person walks with God, they can do great things. God has a plan and if we walk with Him, then we can be a part of it.

Have there been times you have been in the center of God’s will and seen His hand move in your life? God wants to use us. He wants us to be available for service. Would you pick up a dirty glass to drink? To be used of God, we must keep our heart in tune with Him, harmonized with His plan, and keep our eyes on the Conductor’s hand.

Audrey Mieir wrote a song to capture this theme…

“To be used of God to sing, to speak, to pray. To be used of God to show someone the way. I long so much to feel the touch of His consuming fire. To be used of God is my desire.” Isaiah 26:3 blesses us with this promise that, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

Let’s get there and stay there!

The Holy Spirit is the key to open the door to victorious Christian living. Pray that your life will be used by the Holy Spirit to live for God daily. It’s God’s desire.

FIRST, MAKE SURE YOU’RE SAVED

The primary Christian priority, derived from these key teachings in the Bible, must include initiating a personal relationship with God. Acts 4:12 states, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is NONE other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice is essential for eternal life and defines Christian identity. Without a personal conversion experience of receiving Christ, you can’t begin the wonderful journey of walking with God and enjoying the beautiful blessings of putting God FIRST in your life. John 5:3: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous.” The law of God is the moral guideline for righteous living. Following God’s moral and spiritual laws reflects submission to His authority and paves the road to a successful Christian walk.

In order to begin this quest for perfect peace, you must first make sure you know God. Only then you can truly experience the peace of God in personal decisions. Matthew 22:37-38 says, “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul, and with ALL thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” Deuteronomy 6:5 adds, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” Loving and worshiping God begins with repentance and asking Jesus to come into your heart to save you. This is the core of true Christian faith, encompassing obedience, trust, and devotion.

THE HOLY SPIRIT’S ROLE

How can we consistently stay in the center of God’s will? In order to walk with God, a person must be sure they are saved and a born-again child of God. Without a true conversion experience, the Holy Spirit does not actually live inside you and you are completely unqualified to live the victorious Christian life. Without a true salvation experience, we are still in our sins, unregenerate, and still dancing to the music of our worldly motivations. We are religious but not in a living personal relationship with God. Once you are a born-again saved Holy Spirit indwelt Christian, you can suddenly begin to hear His voice as “…all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you” (John 15:15).

Paul explains that as true regenerated believers, we have the “Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Eph. 3:17). The Bible is clear that God’s Spirit lives in the hearts of believers. In Romans 5:5, the Bible explains that “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Acts 2:38 explains that Christians have the Holy Spirit; “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, … and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” 1 Corinthians 6:19 – “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”

JESUS IN MY HEART

If you have had a true salvation experience, Jesus lives in your heart through the indwelling Holy Spirit and your sins have been washed away and you are now clean and a newborn baby in the family of God, ready to learn to walk with Jesus and your heavenly Father. In 1 Corinthians 2:10, “God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” According to John 16:13, the Holy Spirit now “…will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.”

At the moment of salvation, Jesus comes into your heart, your soul is washed perfectly clean from the stain of sin. Revelation 1:5, “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,” When you received Christ, you were instantly made holy, and became a newborn child of God.

KEEP CHRIST AS LORD

Simply put, the word Lord means ruler. Make Jesus Lord of your life. Lordship salvation is different. It means that you have to make Jesus Lord in order to be saved. Lordship salvation is unbiblical. It means that you have to keep Jesus Lord in order to STAY saved. THAT’S A FALSE WORKS-BASED GOSPEL.

DECIDING TO DEDICATE YOUR LIFE TO CHRIST IS A ONE-TIME DECISION

It’s a one-time decision that Christians make to dedicate their life to the service of God. It is a personal oath of submission to the will of God in everything. This is the beginning of the victorious and effective Christian life. The biblical meaning of making Jesus Lord means submission to His authority and sovereignty in every aspect of life. It signifies a commitment to His will and control of our motivations and priorities. THIS DEDICATION DECISION is essential for DEEPER Christian growth, maturity, and for fully pleasing God. It is a commitment to conscientious daily practice that reflects obedience to God’s commands and the guidance and control by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 14:15-17, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Dedicating our time, talent, and treasure to Him is the least we can do to show our gratitude for what He did on the cross for us.

The FIRST commandment of the TEN commandments of the Bible teaches us to prioritize God above all else in our lives. Exodus 20:3 (and also confirmed in Mark 12:29-30), demands exclusivity; “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

Romans 12:1-2

Romans 12:1-2 is the KEY verse that, as true born-again Christians, we need to continually realign our priorities with those of God; “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” This verse compels us to put our lives on the altar as a living sacrifice in daily service. It means to die to our own will daily. 1 Corinthians 15:31; “…in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.” We start each day by a prayer of commitment to walk with God. We die to our own will and submit to the Lordship of Christ as Lord of our life.

PUT JESUS FIRST IN YOUR LIFE ALL THE TIME

Matthew 6:33 compels us to “Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and ALL these things shall be added unto you.” We need to continually focus on staying in God’s perfect will to stay under that umbrella of protection and to not miss out on the great plans and blessings God has for us. When we put Jesus first, we actually put ourselves first. If you love yourself, the best thing you can do is to remain holy and in the center of God’s will. John 14:26 – “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose,” Romans 6:28. Living for Jesus is worth it; “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly,” John 10:10.

HOLY SPIRIT CONTROL

According to Galatians 5:22-23, the Spirit-controlled life is one of  “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, and faith.” There are many benefits of listening to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit in setting our priorities and guiding us to victorious living. When we read God’s word daily, God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. When we read a verse or passage of Scripture, we get great ideas on how to solve problems, prepare for the future, and trust God to guide and protect us. 2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

BACKSLIDING

Although, at the moment of salvation, you have been suddenly made completely right with God and stand cleansed by the Blood of Jesus, it may not be long before the motivations of the flesh start to creep back into our life. This is called backsliding. This is why we need to continually take a spiritual inventory of our personal priorities and constantly confess our personal sin and live righteously. 1 John 1:9 shows us how; “If we confess our sins (agree with God’s point of view), He is (automatically) faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This is immediate spiritual restoration not to salvation, but to sweet fellowship with God. This is how we keep an open relationship with our spiritual Father and stay close to Him.

When we repent from backsliding, we don’t get our salvation back because we never lost it. We get back the JOY of walking with God. King David knew this to be true: (Psalm 51:12-14) “Restore unto me the JOY of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” The verse gives us more insight: “Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be CONVERTED unto thee.” We AGAIN can be restored to an effective powerful ministry and again see souls saved. Are you seeing souls saved?

When we take back control of our own sinful life, we become our own “god” and we start to revert to our old ways. This is when we start feeling miserable. We actually “grieve the Holy Spirit” in us (Ephesians 4:29-32). When we stop putting Jesus first, we take the reins back and our true “god” is now ourselves. When we backslide, we get into consequential problems resulting from lapses in “waiting upon the Lord” to guide us on our spiritual journey. Our priorities become skewed and we end up paying the price. Christians are to continually give God FIRST place—above everything else—in all areas of our lives including our finances, interests, relationships, schedules, and troubles.

CARE FOR THE LOST

The second greatest priority in the Bible has to do with caring for others. Matthew 22:39 says, “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” In John 13:34-35, Jesus encouraged us; “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples.” Love for others reflects God’s love for all people, encouraging others to also know Him. It is compassion, forgiveness, and service to others. It is godly to be concerned about the salvation of others. John 3:16 exemplifies this: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The importance sharing the message of Christ by spreading the Gospel (Evangelism) is a direct command in the Scriptures. We are encouraged to make disciples and expand God’s kingdom by living for Jesus and speaking out as God leads us. Matthew 28:19-20 commands: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” In Mark 16:15: “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Evangelism fulfills Christ’s commission to share salvation with others.

PRAY CONTINUALLY  

Consistent prayer and ongoing communication with God is critical because it maintains a personal relationship with God, and stays in tune with God’s guidance and strength. Philippians 4:6: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17: “Pray without ceasing.” Regular prayer fosters spiritual growth and continual dependence on God’s provision and daily guidance.

STAY HOLY

Christians are called to live set-apart lives, reflecting God’s character. 1 Peter 1:15-16: “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” Romans 12:1: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.” Holiness involves moral integrity and living in a way that honors God.

LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE CHRIST

Christian service reflects Christ’s example by being sensitive to opportunities to not only help meet practical needs, especially for the vulnerable, but to make a clear presentation of the Gospel of the good news of Jesus. Matthew 25:40: “…inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”              Galatians 5:13: “By love serve one another.” Acts of service, like feeding the poor or helping the oppressed, embody Christian love. Spending time to share the Gospel, hand out Christian tracts, or give out Bibles, is doing the work of God on Earth.

STAY IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH YOUR PASTOR AND CHURCH

Fellowship and working together with other believers leverages the Christian community to strengthen faith and provide mutual support. Hebrews 10:24-25: “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is.” Acts 2:42: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Gathering with other Christians fosters encouragement, service, and accountability.

EVERYTHING WE HAVE OR WILL HAVE ON EARTH BELONGS TO GOD

Stewardship means taking good care of the resources God gives us. Creativity is a godly gift given to us by the Creator. Everything we have; time, talents, relationships, and even future plans are to be considered as Managing God’s gifts responsibly honors Him and benefits others. “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.” 1 Corinthians 4:2: “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” Christians are called to wisely use their time, talents, and resources for God’s glory.

CONCLUSION

The victorious Christian prioritizes prayer, daily devotions, loving God, faith in Christ, daily service, stewardship, aharing your faith, and sensitivity to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in conscientious daily living.

 

Make the decision to dedicate your life today.