Four Essentials to Being a Successful Christian

A)

Read your Bible each day.

B)

Pray each day.

C)

Participate in a local church.

D)

Witness to your family, friends, co-workers and others.

A)

The fundamental building block of life and living is the day. Bible reading and prayer need to become part of that normal cycle.

B)

Bible reading and prayer are to you spiritually what food is to you physically. You need it every day in order to live and grow.

C)

Each day you face many decisions. You also face the attacks and temptations of the enemy. Bible reading and prayer prepare you for the choices and challenges that come your way each day.

A)

It’s important to form good habits early in your Christian walk. Here are some steps you can take to make Bible reading and prayer a daily habit:

1)

Motivation. You can’t form a new habit without proper motivation. Make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of your new habit. Keep it near your Bible to remind you of the importance of what you’re doing.

2)

Commitment. Each day, renew your commitment to read the Bible and pray. Ask God to help you persevere. You may also want to make yourself accountable to someone who can help you keep your commitment.

3)

Planning. The devil will resist what you are doing! That’s why it’s important to prepare:

a)

Associate it with something you already do consistently each day.

b)

Try to do it at the same time each day if possible. Beware procrastination!

c)

Watch your environment. Do it in an area where you are free from distractions and interruptions.

4)

Keep a record. Record keeping is important to creating new habits. Studies show that it takes around 30–60 consecutive days to form a new habit. Take a sheet of paper and make a row for each day. Make a check mark each day to show your progress. Keep marks for the entire period and even longer if helpful.

5)

Reward yourself. For example, every 7 days of consistent progress might mean a special treat.

6)

Sacrifice. It may (and probably will) take extra effort to make Bible reading and prayer happen on a daily basis (Mark 1:35). Remember your motivation!

A)

Don’t be discouraged! The enemy will tell you to give up and that you’ll never be able to do it consistently. He’s lying! With God’s help, all things are possible (Philippians 4:13). Resist his attempts to talk you into giving up.

B)

Analyze. Ask yourself the question, “Why did I not follow through today?” Many times the answer is something that you can avoid in the future. Take that into account and plan accordingly.

C)

Ask God for help. It’s important for you to remember that you can’t live the Christian life in your own strength. You need God’s help each day. These lessons will give you many ideas and strategies for success, but ultimately, it’s God’s grace that will give you the victory.

D)

Remember. Remind yourself of your motivation and commitment. Purpose to do better tomorrow and in the future.

A)

Growth. When you became a Christian, you became part of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12–27). The body of Christ is made up of everyone who is born again. Just as a part of your physical body can’t live and grow when separated from the whole, so you can’t live and grow without the fellowship of other believers.

B)

Encouragement and support. The Bible says, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24–25 NLT).

C)

Accountability. This is one of the most important factors in being a successful Christian. Becoming part of a local church makes you accountable. People will check on you and ask how things are going. That’s why you should make a point of being around fellow Christians as much as possible.

1)

If you find that you’re struggling in a certain area, seek out an older, mature believer and make yourself accountable to them. Many times this will help you overcome something that you can't conquer by yourself.

A)

Witnessing is telling others the good news (gospel) of Jesus Christ and sharing your conversion story with them.

B)

Witnessing will help you in several areas:

1)

It will reaffirm your life in Christ. You will find that the devil likes to put doubts in your mind about your salvation. Telling others about your new birth will help to overcome those doubts.

2)

It will remind you that people are watching you. You witness by both word and deed, and many times your actions are more important than your words. People will notice the change in your life, and they’ll be watching closely to see if it’s genuine. They may even test you to see how you react.

3)

It will encourage you to study the Bible. When you witness, people will ask you questions about God and the Bible. Those questions will motivate you to learn.

4)

It will build you up spiritually. There is nothing like the experience of helping someone repent of their sins and commit their life to God. It builds your faith and strengthens your commitment to Christ.