Sustaining a strong connection with Christ!

“For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13

This is the third lesson in a series of establishing, nourishing, and sustaining a strong connection with Christ. And, it is the most difficult of all!

It is relatively easy to make a decision for Christ and to seek Him out through worship and prayer. You can walk with God by yielding to the Holy Spirit which requires discipline and some practice but can be experienced by all who are serious about God. So it is possible to find harmony in Christ and hear His voice without a lot of difficulty.

At this point, the challenge is sustaining a strong connection with Christ. In other words, learning to accept the reality of Christ. This is very difficult primarily for a couple of reasons:

You have unrealistic expectations about Christ.

Your perception of who Christ is has been tarnished by the false teaching of religion.

For the most part, religion (including Christianity) has elected to whitewash the role of God in the life of a believer. God can do with you as He pleases. He can test you similar to Job who lost everything but His life. He can make you wait for years to find His purpose. Moses tended sheep for forty years before He was ready to serve God.

There is no predictable pattern in walking with God. The Israelites were taken by God on a nonsensical journey lasting forty years.

Then there is the conflict between faith and living by laws and regulations. Religion tends to brand you as a puppet with a long list of laws and works to justify yourself with God. Many leaders teach you must fall under the authority of religion to be blessed by God. Nothing can be further from the truth and the freedom in Christ.

The fact that Christ rules with retribution is mostly overlooked in religion. God blesses and He curses. You and I are accountable for all our actions and have to live with the consequences when we drift away from God.

Most importantly, Christ wants you to walk by faith and express the doctrine of faith in every aspect of life. Faith is living in the promises of God and never the circumstances of life. Faith is a lifestyle of living that touches your every thought, word, and action.

If you are serious about God you will be severely tested and at times nothing will make sense. Life with God can be unpredictable and at times seem very controversial.

In summary, you can sustain a strong foundation in Christ by accepting Him for who He is and walking by faith without any expectations.

Your life belongs to Christ!