There are many variations of Christianity in today’s society, and because of this, there are many variations in what people believe about following and being right with God. Some feel that if they simply believe that a God exists and if they don’t do any major harm, that they will go to Heaven. Others believe that God is in everyone, therefore, we are all gods. But what do you believe?
The Holy Bible is God’s written word. It is the source that we must study if we want to know the true God. It also clearly defines what it means to be a Christian and exactly how we are saved, and how we are expected to live. The term Christian has lost much of its meaning in society, as it’s difficult to know what someone really means when they use the term. However, the term Christian was meant for those who follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Do you follow Jesus Christ? Do you proclaim Him as Lord of your life? Many people think He was just some prophet who lived a long time ago. Yes, He did prophecy, and yes, He did spend 33 years on earth a long time ago. But the bible tells us that Jesus is God, and not simply a prophet.
Related: How To Grow Your Faith In God
Table of Contents
Jesus is God
If you understand that Jesus Christ is the true God, and you want to follow Him, you can and He will give you strength. But the bible also warns about being a lukewarm Christian. God expects Christians to be devoted to Him alone, and not divided in loyalty with Him and anything else. Are you divided in loyalty or can you honestly say that you are fully devoted to following Jesus?
Let’s look at the following verses in the Bible that show us that Jesus is God.
Jesus is referred to as “The Word”.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. ”
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.So, the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”
Jesus Himself, says that He is the way to get to the Father God.
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
Jesus is the ‘stone which the builders rejected.’
“This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
God refuses the lukewarm Christian
God is about honor and loyalty and trust. Just like a King, God expects to be honored and followed wholeheartedly. We are told that God is a jealous God, but not in a sinful way. He created the world and everything in it, and He is ruler above all. He created us to worship Him and with the expectation that we would cling to Salvation and spend eternity in Heaven.
“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”
However, Satan has deceived so many people and even though they think they are on their way to the Promised Land, they are in fact, headed in the same direction as the devil. This verse in Revelation is saying that people who are divided in heart, those who don’t follow God completely are going to get spit out; they are going to be refused access to Heaven.
If you know of any areas in your life that are pulling you away from God, now is the time to change up your priorities. As long as you have breath in your lungs, you can make a choice to follow Jesus in full surrender. But life isn’t promised to anyone, and when God calls you out of this world, that is it; no other chance to get right with Him.
Being lukewarm is easy because just about everything of the devil is pleasurable and feels good to do. But denying yourself of these pleasures goes against your fleshly nature, and for this reason, many don’t keep following Jesus. They start strong, but it’s short-lived.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”
Satan will try to entice you with all sorts of wonderful things. He will also give you certain thoughts that create certain attitudes. Pride is what got Satan, who was once Lucifer – a glorious angel of worship, thrown out of Heaven. So, he does his best to cause others to become prideful, as he knows that God hates pride.
Regardless of how he operates, his goal is to deceive. He studies the person and finds their weak point. If money is the weakness, he may make it abundant for that person, because when he does this, that person then becomes one with their money and rejects God. But the same is true of many things.
Being worldly doesn’t necessarily mean that you drink alcohol and swear and listen to evil music. Being worldly means virtually anything that isn’t Holy or of God.
Focusing on self is worldly. Striving for perfection and power and popularity is all about self. Waking up in the morning, and instead of acknowledging God and praying and reading the bible, only thinking about how you will advance and achieve your goals is considered worldly, and is not from God.
If you follow God wholeheartedly and in obedience, He will lead you into a good life of enjoyment and success. If you go against Him and try to do everything the devil’s way, you risk, not only falling on your face, but also being rejected by God as a lukewarm Christian.
If you are wanting to dig in deep into learning the bible, then you will want to learn about Bible journeling while you study the bible is the Trust in the Lord, Bible Journeling kit by Sara from theHolyMess.com. You can sign up for her Free Bible Journaling Printables here including step-by-step instructions to get you started.
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”
When a believer becomes lukewarm, God can’t use them. He may still use them in some fashion, but most likely won’t. Also, the lukewarm Christian won’t be committed and willing to face the persecution and ridicule a devoted Christian would endure for the sake of Jesus.
God’s plan for every one of His children is to first, worship Him and be saved through Jesus, and secondly, to use the talents and Spiritual Gifts God gives them to lead others to Christ to be saved. So, if you are lukewarm and unusable for the Kingdom of God, then what purpose do you serve and what will God say to you on Judgment Day?
It is difficult to live solely for Christ these days, as much of the world is rejecting His name. But if you are willing to fully surrender to Him and to be of service for Him, He will lift you up and strengthen you. He will complete His work through you, regardless of what the world thinks. God doesn’t operate the same way the world does. He is supernatural and when He chooses to accomplish something, there is nothing that can prevent it.
Related: What Does It Mean To Surrender To God?
Finally, if you choose to live your own life, you risk missing out on your full potential. You may run into roadblock after roadblock and into every wall and still not hit your target. However, with a life devoted to God, you will not only reach your targets, but you will also live a fulfilling life of purpose.
Accomplishing goals feels good, until the goal is achieved. Then, it’s soon forgotten, and we become restless again. The feeling that comes from helping others is addictive and is far more enjoyable and lasting than our own personal gain through goals and achievements.
Conclusion
We are all given the privilege of free will and choice. We can choose to accept and follow God, or we can choose to live in hot pursuit of the things of this world. But our choices have consequences; eternal consequences. God gives us all the information we need concerning this, and through grace, He even gives us ample time to make a choice to follow Him. But this grace period will run out and we will then move into our eternal consequence, whether good or bad.
If you have been living a lukewarm life, or maybe not even for God at all, I encourage you to seek Him out and move yourself into His Kingdom today. Immediate and temporary pleasures from this world are just that, but the Inheritance of Eternal Salvation is a forever blessing that never fades. The choice to chase the things of the world will undoubtedly result in eternal separation from God, but full surrender to Him will surely result in complete deliverance from the enemy.
Today is the day to make your choice; lukewarm or devoted?
If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, you can follow this link (Prayer for Salvation) to find out how. Also, if you need prayer for your life or your family, feel free to fill out a private prayer request in the provided prayer box in this article. My wife and I would love to pray for you.
Take care!