Good Time To Test Your Convictions Again

Welcome to the year 2018! Just to mention, I intended to post my blog earlier than I would normally because it is the beginning of the year, but I didn’t though the blog was ready – the power of habit. Thank God we have power over habit which is another reason to celebrate the presence of Christ in our lives; some there are, who would want to break a habit and can’t because they are not been empowered by the Holy Ghost. Grace is not available to them. We really must thank God always. No wonder your resolutions often fail. Commit them to God, lean on our Helper and it will be different this time.

1 Thessalonians 5: 18a “In everything, give thanks”

As we begin another year, it is another season wherein we ought to test our convictions about our faith and life in Christ. We need to be certain that it is what it should be and firm as it should be. So much has happened in the past few years that have impacted on our lives in several different ways and eroded the faith of many who loved Christ as a result of which some have obviously walked away from Him whilst some others have unknowingly left Him. It would be sad to have walked away from Him and still believe that one is in Him assuming, falsely, that everything is okay. No believer deserves to be deluded about their walk with God. It is sad to think one is one thing when they are in truth, another. It will be painful to attend church regularly, maybe even helping out in church or preaching zealously and end up in the wrong place because one did not realize that they had disengaged from God and the Holy Spirit had left them. It is like building on an imaginary foundation. So it is wise to check once more so that if there is a problem, it can be fixed immediately. Some damage are not really obvious except one is deliberate about checking.

1 Corinthians 2: 15a “Those who are spiritual can evaluate all thing.”

Hebrews 12: 12 “So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fail but become strong”

Life has not been the easiest and reality is that life happens to all, both believers and unbelievers alike. Someone recently told me that they were not aware that bad things happen to believers, the truth is that they do; but God goes through it with us and ensures that we come out better than we were before the challenge. He works all things out for our good. However, the pressures of life’s challenges can wear one out and satan knows this so he attacks believers repeatedly despite that he knows he already lost the battle. The strategy is to wear us out to the point where our faith collapses because we are battle weary. Every fight takes its toll on us and if that happens consistently, anyone can be tired if they do not learn to renew their spiritual strength. Whilst there are believers who deliberately turn their backs on Christ for selfish reasons; there are some who don’t even know their backs are turned on Christ and never intended for that to happen but it did because they just lived and never took out time to check their convictions. We cannot afford to be careless about our faith. Our enemy goes around constantly looking for whom he can destroy. We must not be unaware of his ways and act wisely.

Isaiah 52: “Wake up, wake up, o Zion! Clothe yourself with strength.”

Ecclesiastes 9: 2 “All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him ...”

Whilst we are testing our convictions, it is advisable to also think on the things we admire. We as believers, are enjoined to set our eyes on Jesus Christ and make Him the object of our greatest admiration but we often have our eyes everywhere else. If your eyes are on “the world” for long enough, you will begin to admire the things of the world and it won’t be too long before you walk toward what you admire and as a result, walk away from God. Whatever you gaze at consistently becomes your idol which is ultimately what you worship. You can’t worship the world and all that is in it and remain steadfast in this faith that we profess. Moreover, no one goes forward looking back. There is no room for looking back on this journey. If we must go forward, we must set our gaze ahead on the one who has gone before us and done it successfully – Jesus Christ. You must see Him for yourself; don’t see Him through some other person’s eyes. You must ensure you have your personal convictions about Him. You have to know Him in whom you have believed. If you don’t please fix it. He is waiting to help.