What is an Awesome Christian?

An Awesome Christian is a Christian who strives to live the best life he or she can live—within the will of God.  There is a constant communication and interest in doing the will of God, particularly as a 21^st Century dweller.  Technology, lifestyles and so many other forms of thought have focused primarily on the individual and try to pull us away from a need for God.  There is also the un-popular view of the limitations of being a Christian.  As Christians, we are expected to follow a morality test when considering what we will or won’t do.  This, for some, is biblically based or based on the requirements of the denomination or church to which we belong. 

It’s easy to do what our human selves would want to do—focus on our own pleasures and do as we want.  Besides, there are so many voices pulling us in that direction.  Media, co-workers, other Christians, non-Christians; there is so much peer pressure to strive to do as the popular view would have us to believe is the way to live.

I found that even though I had dedicated my life to Christ, went to church, took part in church activities, there was something missing.  I was floundering in feelings of inadequacy because my heart knew what was right, but what I saw and what looked good to me was telling me I wasn’t good enough.  So, my focus became finding those things that would make me become good enough for “them”…”the world”.  I kept discovering that whatever they were offering really wasn’t good enough for ME and always left me feeling unsatisfied in every aspect of my life.

I eventually decided to rededicate my life to live in God’s Will and something interesting happened—God let me know that traits that I originally thought were “less than” were actually what God had placed in me and were exactly what HE needed from me.  I started feeling a confidence that I had never felt before!  The things I choose not to participate in don’t leave me feeling inadequate or left out anymore because I’m doing what God wants me to do.

Do you want to live in God’s will?  Here are some suggestions:

1.     Pray consistently that you are living in God’s will.

Prayer is the main source of communication with God and only He knows what His plan for you will be.  We can’t look to man to know that, so pray and listen!!

2.     Start looking in your life for things that you know are not in God’s will.

You need a period of discovery—study what you read, watch, eat, how you speak, etc.   Are your actions and habits within God’s will?  As you pray and listen, God will show you.

3.     ELIMINATE THEM.

Be a “cold turkey” kind of person—if God has shown that a change needs to happen, make that change and immediately set up a plan to ascribe to the new behavior.  If you ease into your new ways, you will begin a process of straddling the fence:  living both God’s way and your way.

4.     Continue prayer and discovery.

In order to cement these changes, there must be continual prayer and research on how best to make the change.  I decided to eliminate as many chemicals and processed foods from my diet as possible.  I research new plant based foods and recipes every day and daily ask God for guidance as I’m walking within His will.

Living in God’s will.  It might not be the popular way, but it’s the best way and THE way that an Awesome Christian lives!

Onward!

A New Way of Life—from Worrywart to Warrior

I’ve been a worrywart for a long time.  It’s served to cause me stress and even experience illness as a result.  In fact, many people deal with worry, stress and illness on a regular basis due to life experiences, disappointments, and other events that can leave one feeling pretty down and low.

As a Christian, worry and stress have always gone against the foundations of faith and trust in God that those of us who were born into a Christian home were always taught.  Our humanness gets in the way of our Christian-ness and we lose sight of the fact that though Jesus died, He rose and continues to rule and take care of us even now.

I started my adult life full of the belief that everything would be as I expected:  I would have a great job, husband, 2.5 kids, home with the white picket fence, and financial stability—to me, that was a full life. 

As you all know, life doesn’t always work out the way we planned.  I’ve endured infidelity, divorce, breast cancer, layoffs, bankruptcy, loss of my house, death of my father, and so many other life events that could surely take me out mentally, spiritually or physically.   At one point, I even thought I was a jinx—that I brought only heartache and despair to anyone who interacted with me.  I was in a pit of despair.

Over time, however, I kept coming back to the belief that God was with me.  I never stopped going to church, so God had a few hours to let me know that He was with me and that He would take care of me.  Over time, I found that my faith was getting stronger and though I still faced tests and trials, I had the proof that God was continually on my side—His validations continued to come through difficult times.  I began to see myself as a warrior:  a person engaged or experienced in warfare and shows or has shown great vigor, courage, or aggressiveness.

Being a warrior doesn’t mean that everything will happen as I planned or as I liked.  It means that no matter what happens, I will always believe that God is in control and that He knows what’s best.  I used to think that my struggles were because of something I did wrong and that I needed to pay some “penance” for my being such a horrible person.  Yes, I know that we need to pray for forgiveness of our sins that we commit, but our sins aren’t always the reason we go through.  Sometimes it’s to bring us back to God, or to be an example to others; for me, a big reason was to increase my faith. 

God is good.  Believe that.  He knows EXACTLY where you are, what you’re doing and how you feel.  Even when He is quiet, He is there.  The key is to develop and maintain the Warrior stance—believe through your anguish and your tears that God will bring you through.  Then walk in that belief!

My aim is to help you.  There are so many components to being a Warrior.  Not just in your spiritual life, but in your life in general:  spiritual, mental and physical.  A Christian Warrior’s life is an optimal life.  My life’s work is now focused on living an optimal life—a life focused on eating, exercising, living, and striving for the best relationship with God.

Here’s to a wonderful beginning of discovery, improvement and a stronger relationship with God.

Onward!!