I was born into a good Christian home. I grew up in Independent Fundamental Baptist churches. My first few years of schooling were spent in a Christian school, and from then on, I was home schooled. My parents have always made sure I've sheltered from the world. When I was young, my father was a full-time Christian worker. We were taught to be involved in the church, and thus we were. I was always one of the “good kids”. I was taught exactly what to do. I was in church the very first service after I was born. My parents put me in Sunday Schools from K4, and have taken us to church every time the doors are open. We pray over every meal. We do everything 'right'. And they made sure I do. I know every answer to any question, pretty much. (Though, I hate answering questions such as in church. I got hated by some kids because I always answered the questions. Never again. Lol ) Growing up, they put us where we were surrounded by the Bible. They home schooled me so I wasn't surrounded with other influences. I was ‘sheltered’, they were ‘strict’. The rules were there, lots of them. But for many teens that have 'grown up Christian', that's as far as their faith gets. So, Christianity became a religion of externals. - Do all the right stuff, and you’re a good Christian. But, that couldn't be farther from the truth. Christianity is about a relationship, not a list of rules. - I've heard many a message about being real. You can’t just act like you’re a Christian on the outside, you have to be a Christian on the inside. What a Christian does on the outside IS important, but what it flows from is more important. Man looks on the outside, but God sees your heart. He sees the real you. If your heart is right with God, it will desire the things of God, and want to do them. If your heart is toward Him, your life will show Him. But, you can’t be an outside Christian and not be close to Him on the inside.You may be able to fool a lot of people, but you will never be able to ‘fool’ God.
I've grown up being told to do this, don’t do that; this is wrong, this is right, yet there comes a time in all of our lives, we must believe it for ourselves. My family has convictions, but not all of them are MY convictions. Some I don't understand, or don't know why. I have to accept the convictions as my own. Oftentimes when young adults get out on their own, it is easy for them to ‘fall’ into sin, because the convictions were their parents’ or their church’s, but they never made it their own personal conviction. It’s wasn't a big deal to them, and that was the problem. They had nothing to stand on. They relied on their parents’ faith and didn't ever truly accept it as their own. Yes, maybe they were saved, but aside from that, you couldn't tell. When they were living at home, they were leaning on their parents faith and their parent's convictions, but not their on their own. They move out, their parents aren't with them, so they fall. Don’t lean on people, people will fail you every time. I learn that lesson time and time again. And, I fail people over and over. No matter how hard I would try, I do try, I fail. But God never will. He can’t disappoint, He can’t fail. He will never let you down. Trust Him. Follow Him. Look to Him to see what’s right. Search the Bible, and see what it says. Find out why you do everything you do. The Bible doesn't leave us hanging, He gives us reasons for everything. Find them, and pray about them. Ask God to show you what He would have you do in each area. Each person’s convictions are different. Some people can do things with a right conscience before God that another Christian couldn’t. It doesn’t mean that one is a better Christian than the other necessarily, but rather, one has been convicted by God in a matter than the other hasn’t. Some areas are clear on what God wants us to do, and there should be no question whether or not we will do it. But on the ‘gray’ areas, the areas in which the Bible never clearly has a 'thou shalt not', that is between you and God. The new few months I'm going to spend a lot of time searching the scriptures for the reasons I do things, what I believe and why. I wanted to be firm in my beliefs before I go out on my own and am questioned on them. Every area I want to be strong on what and why I believed it, and be able to explain it. I don’t want it to be an area the devil can get me to fall. I don’t want it to be used as a weakness. I've made a list of convictions I can think of and will search it out myself; claiming convictions as my own. I would encourage you to do the same. I want you to set a clear standard in your mind, and a definite line in your heart that you shouldn’t cross. In each area whether it be music, dress, relationships, etc, ask God to help you set clear boundaries in your life. Just because you have ridden in a car doesn’t mean you are qualified to drive a car. In a sense, we have been passengers in the car of our parent’s faith. But because we have watched others display their faith, doesn’t mean we have the same faith. Salvation and convictions are a matter of your heart, not your parent’s hearts. You must have faith, You must believe, You must be convicted. What you do on the outside should be a reflection of what’s inside. And it is for that reason, our heart, that many of us struggle through life, because we don't know where we stand. So, we fall for anything. You must make God YOUR God. He is a personal, everyday God. And that is awesome! Christianity is not a religion, it's a relationship.
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January 2023
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