While becoming a Christian gets us a ticket into Heaven, it’s about so much more than that. Jesus offers us freedom from sin in our lives that continually drags us down and brings consequence. When we apply Scripture to our lives we can live in that freedom.

The Bible clearly states that we are slaves, but the master is up to us. We can choose to be slaves to sin, allowing the devil to run our lives, or we can be slaves to God and live in obedience. Even when we disobey God, His grace is still extended to us and sometimes that comes through consequence.

There are people in this world that have no idea that there is a spiritual battle going on for their soul and they live wickedly, allowing the devil to win. We must put on the armor of God and fight for them, telling them passionately about God’s love and His offer for salvation.

Just because we are Christians doesn’t mean we are saved from facing any kind of storm in our lives. However, when we stand firm in Christ we become weathered to face those storms and not crumble under them.

We all face situations in our daily lives that can grind on us and often seem unbearable for much longer. While it is important that we pray with persistence in asking God to change the situation, we also need to be open to allowing Him to change us. Our peace comes from faith in Him regardless of our circumstances.

We all have capacity to screw our lives up by living in sin and doing whatever we want to do. We will keep cycling back to the same consequences until we finally yield and say “uncle” to Jesus, repenting of our sin and turning away from it to follow Him.

When we become Christians, God has designed a warning system by placing His Holy Spirit inside of us to tell us when we are about to make a mistake. We need to listen to His warnings, stop what we’re doing, and obey Him so that we can avoid the dangerous consequences of sin.

There are plenty of stories in the Bible of God using sinners to accomplish amazing things for His glory. No matter what has happened in our lives, by our own doing or someone else’s, God can always take us and use us if we would just give ourselves to Him.

God is in the cleaning business, graciously cleaning up our messy lives to make us suitable to His work. When we repent of our sins and allow Him to wash us clean, He uses us to reach out to others and lovingly help them get cleaned.

We too often waste time when issues arise in relationships by avoiding what we know we need to do. When it comes to our relationship with God, we must respond to Him immediately by repenting our sin and living in obedience.

No matter how good we act, our goodness will still be seen as filthy rags to God because we are poisoned by sin from the start. When we trade in our filthiness to accept the forgiveness and grace offered to us because of Christ’s death, we become God’s children and inherit His riches.

Because of Jesus’ ultimate victory over sin and death on the cross, we are God’s children and therefore we are already winners. Though we still face momentary battles that knock us down, we can take heart in the fact that the war has been won and we are on the winning side.

There are many Christians who may be doing all the right things for awhile but then slip back into old sin habits. We need to be watchful for these brothers and sisters to help pick them up when they fall, knowing that there may be a time coming when we will need that kind of help. God promises blessing to those who obey Him to the end.

Although our obedience to God is not what saves us, it is what determines the awards that God has promised in Heaven. The Apostle Paul encouraged all believers to live the godly life that we are called to in obedience, enduring through suffering and trials for Christ’s sake because it will all be worth it in the end.

In a world where it is accepted to choose any lifestyle, especially those that go against Scripture, we must hold onto the truth and be bold enough to speak it. The Bible is clear that we are all born in sin, but we can choose to either give into that sin or to follow Christ who can transform our lives from the inside out.

Jesus tells us that we can be assured of God’s provision in our life by looking at the birds of the air and seeing that they are cared for because God cares even more for us. Bird poop is evidence that a bird has been fed, so may we always be reminded to trust God, knowing that He is the Alpha and Omega and knows our situation even greater than we do and He will always provide what we need.

This world is full of sorrow and pain, and we don’t always understand why God allows the things He does. Rather than giving up on Him, we have the opportunity to know Him deeper as He empathizes with our grief and comforts us through the pain. We can trust that He is in control and that if He is allowing something painful to happen then He has a purpose for it.

The Bible is filled with stories of people experiencing injustice, and yet how God can use their experiences for His good and glory. When we see things in the world that are unjust, we need to follow His lead and speak up when necessary, but ultimately leave vengeance in His hands.

The way that God designed His family is to work together in unity as a team. When we work together, we accomplish the seemingly impossible tasks that He has called us to. It is essential that if we decide to follow Jesus that we participate in His team.

The Gospel is simple, but the world tries to complicate too many things, obscuring where we came from and the purpose of our lives. If we believe in God and call out to Him, He promises to give us the faith to believe and be saved through the death and resurrection of His Son. God picked everyone who would pick Him, and when we turn to Him, He answers us.