Mike Kestler is the President of CSN International and the host of the Bible question and answer radio program, "To Every Man an Answer," which is heard weekdays at 5:00PM (Central Time) on CSN.
Mike is also the Pastor of the River Christian Fellowship in Twin Falls, Idaho.
More information is available at csnradio.com
IT'S TIME TO GROW
INTRODUCTION
How about you?
Rather than assume that the reader is already a Christian, we would rather to be sure. If you have not yet received Christ as your Savoir, and would like to, here is how you do it.
First, you must BELIEVE THAT GOD LOVES YOU and sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross as payment for your sins: That Jesus rose from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and is NOW the King of kings and Lord of lords in heaven and earth. (John 3:16 and Luke 24:6).
Secondly, you must HUMBLE yourself BEFORE GOD and confess your sinfulness, and ask for His forgiveness of all your sin that Jesus paid your debt to God for you. God will on that basis cleanse you of all sin as you confess to Him. (Acts 1:9, Matthew 28:18, 1 Peter 5:6, Isaiah 57:15, 1 John 1:9, and Mark 1:15).
Finally, you must TURN FROM SIN and give Jesus full control for your life. As you do this, He will send His Spirit into your heart to change you from the inside out. As your thoughts change, your words will also change, and so will your actions. (John 16:13).
Now what?
If you have already turned your life over to Christ, read on. If you have not, NOW is the time to do it. Go back through the last three steps and complete them and you will be ready to read on.
God's Invitation
God has put out a general invitation to all mankind to come to Him through His Son Jesus Christ, for forgiveness of sins and rest from burdens that sin has caused. Many people are content to receive these benefits and do no more. But that is not God's plan. Once we have received Christ, we are given a job to do. We are to help Jesus recruit other disciples into God's kingdom, and teach them how to do the same; until it is your desire to do what God wants, you are now a part of His new creation. (Matthew 11:28-30, Acts 2:38-39, Matthew 16:24-27, Mark 16:15, Habakkuk 2:14, and Isaiah 65:17).
You are a new creature in Christ. Keep going.
THE CHRISTIAN WALK
New Creature
When you become a Christian you become a new person in Christ. You are NOW a child of God in your spirit and you are going through some radical changes. As a newborn child of God you must humble yourself before Him and submit to His every word in order to grow into the mature person that He wants you to be. So be meek (humble and teachable) and you will inherit the earth. (II Corinthians 5:17 and Matthew 4:4).
Water Baptism
Before Christ came into you, you were in spiritual darkness. your decision to follow Jesus opened the door to new life for you: Eternal Life. Water baptism signifies the end of your old life and the beginning of your new life. The Holy Spirit will fill you as you rise in newness of life with Christ. (Ephesians 5:8, Matthew 5:5, Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:12, and Acts 2:38).
Learning To Walk
As an infant in Christ, you are not alone. The Spirit of God is in you to help you. Children learn to walk by trial and error. As you are learning to walk in the Spirit, you will make mistakes; but do not give up, God will save you from temptations that would pull you away from Him, because He loves you. After each failure confess to God, receive His forgiveness, and get on with your new life. Do not look back at past failures. They can kill you! When you have confessed them, forsake them. They are gone! Keep your attention focused on Jesus, your loving Savior, and you will grow fast and strong and become like Him. (Matthew 28:20, I Corinthians 10:13, I John 1:9, Philippians 3:13-14, Hebrews 12:1-2, and II Corinthians 3:18).
The Church
In being joined to Christ, you are also joined to the rest of His body - the church; a world wide family of believers with the same Father; God. You will learn to love them as you learn the scriptures and find out who you are and who they are. Your brothers and sisters in Christ will be very helpful to you at times, if you can overlook their faults and appreciate them for who they are; fellow disciples of Christ. (Acts 2:47, Ephesians 3:14-15, and Romans 15:1).
Your Source
Even though you may expect your brothers and sisters in the Lord to help you from time to time you must always remember that God is the source to meet all your needs and people are his vessels. Your new walk is a very personal relationship between you and your Lord, and you alone are responsible for maintaining it. You must push yourself to learn God's word even when you do not feel like it. As you read the scriptures, the Holy Spirit will teach you how to walk in wisdom toward all people. (Philippians 4:19, II Timothy 2:15, and Psalm 119:105).
READ THE BIBLE AND WALK IN THE SPIRIT
Chastening
When you disobey God's word and yield to ungodly temptations, you depart from the narrow way that leads into life onto the broad way that leads to destruction. To save you, God will discipline you or chasten you to get you back on the right track again. Be thankful that He cares enough to correct you when you need it and praise Him for it. (Matthew 7:13-14 and Hebrews 12:6-11).
Other people
Do not be surprised if some people do not like you. Many hate Jesus and will hate you also for following Him; but when you suffer as a Christian, you are blessed. (I Peter 4:12-16 and Matthew 5:10-12).
Testing
Sometimes you will feel like God is very far from you; but He is not. He may be testing your faith to make you strong for the battles ahead in your life. The tests also weed out those who follow Jesus for the good feelings He gives, instead of following Him for who He is - Lord! The tests also teach us to rely on God's word instead of our feelings. He promises to "never leave you or forsake you." All of us go through trials; and it is normal for Christians to be persecuted by Satan's people. But persecution works for those who believe in the Lord and causes them to draw closer to Him and to one another. Then the Manifestation of His body occurs. Together we are one body under Christ Jesus, our head. (Matthew 13:20-21, I Peter 5:10, Hebrews 13:5, John 15:19-21, II Corinthians 4:17, and Ephesians 4:4).
Time For Commitment
Have you counted the cost? If so, now is the time to commit your life, your body, and your works to the Lord. As you do, your thoughts will be established by the Spirit of God within you, and you will make fewer mistakes than ever before. One day you will not make any. Total commitment eventually brings total deliverance from sin. Now is the time! God bless you as you make that total commitment to your Savior NOW! Let us go on to perfection NOW! Amen! (Proverbs 16:3, Matthew 5:48, and Hebrews 6:1).
Spiritual Food
Newborn spiritual babes need spiritual food. Just as you have fed your body all your life to stay alive and healthy, so must you also feed your spirit to stay alive and remain healthy spiritually. Your spiritual food is God's word, and the primary source of God's word is the Bible. Read the Bible as often as you can and you will grow strong in your spirit. The Holy Spirit will interpret the scriptures to you as you gain faith by reading them. Also, reading the scriptures aloud or listening to them on tape will be twice as effective as reading them silently. But either way, be sure to take in the total content of the Bible - as often as you can. It is your necessary food! Without God's word, you will die. (I Peter 4:2:2, Jeremiah 15:16, Matthew 4:4, John 16:13, I John 2:27, Romans 10:17, and Job 23:12).
Endure Hardness
Many things in the Bible will be hard for you to understand at first, and will challenge your ability to believe. Just keep on reading all of it and the things you do understand will build your faith. Trust the Lord with the parts that confuse you and the Holy Spirit will teach you what you need to know. As you continue, the rest will become clearer in God's perfect timing. (1 Corinthians 13:12, Romans 10:17, and Matthew 24:36).
Who Am I?
That is a question that many people ask themselves from time to time. The Bible tells us who we are. We are man (male and female). All men are created of three parts: body, soul and spirit. Before you received Christ your body (or flesh) ruled your soul (mind, emotions, and will). Your spirit was dead in sin. But now that you are spiritually alive again through the Spirit of Christ within you, the battle has begun. Your flesh wars against your spirit and the spirit against the flesh. Your spirit lives in God's new creation, but your flesh stills lives in the old world, and the two do not agree. War is the result. Your soul is the battleground. (Genesis 1:27, I Thessalonians 5:23, Ephesians 2:1, Galatians 5:17, and Luke 21:19).
The Real Enemy
Satan will try to control you through your flesh, using every trick that he can think of : lust, pride, bad habits, rejection, persecution, etc. But God will fight for you through His union with you in your spirit. The decisions that you make in your mind will determine who wins. The devil votes against you; God votes for you; and you cast the deciding vote. If you vote with the devil, you lose. If you vote with God, you win. But be sure that you do not wait too long to vote. The polls close eventually. Putting off your commitment to Christ can be as deadly as if you had never known about Him. If you yield yourself to Satan, the result will be sin in you. If you yield your mind to Christ, the result will be righteousness of Christ in you and victory over the enemy. (I Peter 5:8, Deuteronomy 1:30, Proverbs 3:5-6, Romans 7:21-23, Proverbs 29:1, Galatians 5:16, and Romans 8:31).
Yielding To God
Whatever you receive in your mind will determine your spiritual condition. There are four things that you must do to maintain good spiritual health. (Romans 8:6 and John 8:31-32).
As you read the Bible, pray, and fellowship with the rest of your spiritual family, your mind will be renewed by the Holy Spirit who now lives in you. The Holy Spirit inhabits Bible Study, prayer, and Christian fellowship; so if you continue to do these three things, you can not lose. Praise God. (I Thessalonians 5:17, Hebrews 10:25, Ephesians 4:22-24, Psalms 22:3, and Romans 8:31).
Tithing
The giving of one-tenth of one's income has been a law of God since the beginning of time. Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek; Jacob vowed to give God tenth of all He blessed him with; and the people of God were commanded to give the tenth to the Levites who were also told to tithe one-tenth to the priests for the service of the Tabernacle and distribution to the needy. Jesus tells us to give and it will be given to us. The Bible clearly teaches us that God is fully aware of our investments in His kingdom, and He will see to it that we will be rewarded accordingly. Paul the Apostle wrote that he who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully. It is God's will to bless us with all that we need, but sometimes we limit that blessing by not investing enough in our account. Giving is really more satisfying than receiving. God does not need our resources. It is our privilege to give to the Almighty Creator. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. All that we have, all that we are, we give to the Lord. If you truly desire to do God's will. you will give to the work of His Kingdom. A tenth is only the beginning for those who are committed to God's plan. So give and it will be given to you. (Genesis 14:20, Genesis 28:22, II Chronicles 31:4, Numbers 18:26, Luke 6:38, Matthew 6:19-20, Matthew 6:33, II Corinthians 9:6, and Acts 20:35).
The Bible
The primary source of God's word is the Bible. A constant intake of the scriptures is your necessary food, God's word is your source of life. God is in His word. The Spirit of God entered into you when you received His word to you, and the Spirit will fill you as you continue to receive all of God's words. Do not neglect this great salvation which God has had written down for you. Read the Bible as often as you can; not just parts of it, but the whole Bible. A balanced diet is essential to full growth. Reading the whole Bible will keep you balanced in your spiritual life. (Matthew 4:4, Luke 8:11-15, Romans 10:17, Hebrews 2:3, and Deuteronomy 8:3).
The Enemy Camp
Satan is much more than one individual. Satan has multiplied greatly in the earth as man has multiplied. There are demons or evil spirits all over the world that will try to persuade you to fall into sin. But Satan was defeated when Jesus died for your sins and rose again for your salvation. Satan is now rendered impotent by your faith in Christ's atonement for you. So do not listen to the devil or any of his family. Stay in God's word and prayer, and in fellowship with other Christians, and Christ will destroy Satan out of your life. (John 8:44, I Peter 5:8-9, John 12:31, Colossians 2:15, and Revelation 12:11).
Sin
Sinning is for fools. But you are not a fool any longer. You are wise through your knowledge of Christ and God your Father. If you truly love the Lord, you will not deliberately sin against Him. However, since you are young in the Spirit, you will be fooled by Satan's subtlety at times and you will believe one of his lies. Then the Holy Spirit will convict you of the sin of believing the devil instead of God. His goal is to convict you of sin, but not cause you to feel condemned. As soon as you realize what has happened, confess the sin; or you will suffer unnecessarily. The devil will also try to tell you that sin is unavoidable; but that is not true either. Jesus would not tell us to be perfect if it were not possible. (Psalms 119:98-99, I John 5:3, I John 2:1, I John 1:9, and Matthew 5:48).
God's Love And Mercy
God understands that you are young in the Spirit and that you have a lot to learn. This is where the blood of Christ comes in. Jesus' blood covers all your sin as you continue to seek God with all your heart. But do not be deceived. Sin will destroy you if you do not continue in God's word. So avoid every temptation that you can, confronting them directly if necessary in the name of Jesus. As a Christian with the Word of God and the Holy Ghost, you have the power to defeat the devil just like Jesus did. Satan hates God's word and will flee from you as you quote it to him. God's word is like a fire to Satan, and he does not like to be burned by it. A few battles with the devil will teach you how important it is to know God - SO READ THE BIBLE. (I John 1:7, II Timothy 2:22, Luke 10:19, James 4:7, and Matthew 4:1-11).
The Word Wins
Jesus Christ is the true King of the universe. The Bible calls Him the Word of God because His words are the words that God the Father puts in Him. He never speaks His own words. He only speaks what the Father gives Him to say. But most people are still listening to the devil; therefore the devil is called "the god of this world" (II Cor 4:4). And since Satan is the god of this world, then this world is not the friend of God or of us, His family. But now, through Christ, God has given us the authority to take back what the devil has stolen through his lies to people. Many people, deep down in their hearts really want to be delivered from the power of Satan. They long for the coming of Christ, i.e. the revealing of God's sons. That is where we come in. (John 1:14, John 14:24, I John 2:14-17, Luke 10:19, Romans 8:37, and Romans 8:19).
Chosen To Rule
We have been chosen to rule with Christ and to convert the people on earth from Satan's grip into the Kingdom of God's Son. The method that we are to use to convert them is to quote the word of God to them. It's called "preaching the gospel to every creature." The more of the word of God we can quote to people, the easier it is to convert them, if they are convertible. We are in the world, not of it; among the people, but not controlled by their world; but rather controlled by Christ and God's word. (Luke 22:29-30, Colossians 1:13, Mark 16:15, John 17:15, and Romans 6:18).
About God
1) GOD IS A FATHER - As your Father you can expect God to be compassionate when you make mistakes, and you can expect Him to discipline you when you need it. God is both merciful and severe. He is merciful because He loves us, but He is severe toward those who disobey Him. Every good father on earth loves his children, even though they make mistakes. But He also corrects them when they need it: so that they will grow in wisdom and maturity. God is like that too. He wants us to love Him, respect Him, and fear displeasing Him; because if we do not we will be worthless, miserable and incomplete. (I Corinthians 8:6, Matthew 6:9-15, Romans 11:22, Psalms 103:13, Proverbs 3:11-12, Hebrews 12:7-9, and John 1:1-14).
2) GOD'S WORD CREATED AND RULES THE UNIVERSE - Christ is the Word of God to mankind. He came directly out of God before the earth was made, and then all things were made by Him. The man Jesus prayed to the Father with the full understanding of who He is; the Word of God made flesh. It is through Christ that God, the Father, created and maintains the universe. (John 17:5, Colossians 1:16-17, and John 4:24).
3) GOD IS SPIRIT - God Himself cannot be seen by man's physical eyes because He is spirit. However, God has revealed Himself to men by many different types of physical manifestations over the centuries of mankind. He has revealed Himself through the presence of angels, through prophets, through miracles, etc. But the greatest manifestation of God to us is through His own Son, Jesus Christ. A study of Jesus is a study of God, because Jesus is God in human form. (Genesis 32:1-2 and John 14:9)
Our Goal
Since God is our Father, our first and our most important goal is to know Him and to do His will, like a good son or daughter should. Without God, we will die. It is God who right now is giving us the breath of life. If we are not thankful for our life, it will be taken from us at some point in time. GOD IS OUR LIFE! (John 17:3, Philippians 3:10-11, Acts 17:25, and Deuteronomy 30:20).
God's Will
God wants us to know and to understand Him; so He has revealed Himself to us by His word. God's word is the extension of Himself. See John 1:1. Though God's word is spoken in its original form, He has had it written down for us, so that we might know the things that are freely given to us through His Son Jesus Christ; and so that we might never doubt again that He is concerned about us. (John 1:1 & 14, I Corinthians 10:11, and I Corinthians 2:12).
God's Tabernacle
Jesus Christ, God's own Son, is God's Tabernacle for all eternity. God will be expressing Himself through Jesus from now on and forevermore. The body of Jesus is God's permanent dwelling place; His home; and we who have received Christ are now part of that everlasting Temple. As God revealed Himself through the Tabernacle in the Old Testament days, so now He is revealing Himself through the Body of Christ, His New Testament Tabernacle. We are now the manifestation of God's ear to hear, let him hear! (John 2:19, Ephesians 2:7, Colossians 2:9, I Corinthians 3:16, Numbers 7:89, I Corinthians 12:27, and Revelation 21:3).
The Restoration
Jesus is God's way of restoring us to Himself. Jesus teaches His disciples how to please the Father and walk in His Kingdom. He demonstrated God's active concern for people by healing the sick and performing many other beneficial miracles while on earth, and He continues to do the same works now, through those disciples who believe that He is the same God that He has always been. But the greatest work that Jesus did was when He took our sins into His own body, so that we might be free from sin to serve the living God and do the same works that He does. Jesus on the cross is God's word personified and magnified - - - "I LOVE YOU." (John 14:6, John 14:23, Matthew 8:16, Mark 16:15-20, I Peter 2:24, Romans 5:8, Colossians 2:13, I Corinthians 15:3-4, Acts 10:36-42, Hebrews 7:25, and Hebrews 12:25).
The Holy Ghost
After His ascension, Jesus poured out His Spirit (the Holy Ghost) to His followers, making them the extension of His own person in the earth. As those disciples shared the Word with other people, many more became disciples of Christ, as the Holy Ghost entered into them. The same process has continued through the last 19 centuries; disciples making more disciples, by sharing God's Word and Spirit. The result is Christ's Body on earth, ministering reconciliation given through Christ by the Holy Spirit. As a receiver and believer of God's Word, you are now a part of the ever-growing part of the body of Christ. You may shout now if you like! Glory! (Acts 2:1-4, Acts 2:46-47, Acts 4:4, II Corinthians 5:18-19, and I Corinthians 12:27).
Holiness
Everyone who is baptized into the Body of Christ is expected to live a holy life. We are separated to God; to know His Word and do his will, as it is revealed to us in the Bible and by the Spirit of God in us. The "baptism in the Holy Ghost" (or Holy Spirit) endues us with the ability to be holy (separated to God and His will). The Spirit also gives us the boldness to speak the words that God puts in our spirit to speak. The Spirit comforts us in all our tribulations, teaches us what we need to know, and is the seal of God's ownership on us. (I Peter 1:16, James 1:22, I Thessalonians 4:7, Acts 4:31, and II Corinthians 1:4).
Be Filled
The Bible tells us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We cannot finish God's plan without the Spirit's control in our lives. The Holy Spirit will relate to us in any one of three ways. (Ephesians 5:18).
1) Before you received Christ, the Holy Spirit was WITH you, convicting you of sin, righteousness and judgment and drawing you to Jesus for salvation. (Romans 8:11 and I Peter 1:23).
2) When you received Christ as your Savior, the Holy Spirit came to live IN YOU. You were born again by the word of Christ and His Spirit, as He breathed eternal life into you. At that time, you began to realize that you are NOW a child of God, because the Spirit of God is your inner witness. (Romans 8:15-16 and Acts 1:8).
3) Having the Spirit in you gives you the potential of being FILLED with the Spirit. The filling of the Spirit brings to you the power to destroy the Devil out of your life. The fullness of the Spirit also gives you power over the evil spirits in other peoples lives. By using God's Word accurately, you will discover that you can destroy the words of Satan in all who are ready for God to rule over their lives too. (Luke 10:19 and II Corinthians 10:5-6).
Where And When?
Jesus is the one who baptizes us in the Holy Spirit; and He can do it anytime and anywhere that He chooses. He tells us to ask and we will receive. You may receive the "Baptism" through the laying on of hands of another disciple of Jesus, or while listening to a Spirit filled believer speaking God's Word; or you may receive it while you are alone. (Matthew 3:11, Acts 2:33, Luke 11:9-13, Acts 8:17, Acts 10:44, and Romans 8:14).
To Prepare
Surrender your will completely to God. Be sure that you are willing for Him to control your life from now on. (James 4:7 and Luke 11:13).
1) Ask the Lord to fill you.
2) Receive the "Baptism" by faith. The Holy Spirit will fill you as you yield yourself to Jesus and God's Word. (Galatians 3:2 and Acts 5:32).
Note: Do not back up from doing God's will or the Spirit will be quenched in your life and you will become miserable until you get things straight between you and your Lord. (I Thessalonians 5:19).
Maintenance
Ephesians 5:18-21 tells us how to maintain the Holy Spirit's control in our lives. (Ephesians 5:19 and Philippians 4:8).
1) "Speaking to yourselves in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, making melody in your hearts to the Lord." Stay away from heathen songs, philosophies etc. and keep presenting yourself to God continually. (Ephesians 5:20).
2) "Giving thanks to God always for all things." Keep thanking and praising God for all things. God will make all things that happen, work for your good as you trust Him and refuse to doubt His love for you and His presence with you. (Romans 8:28).
3) "Submitting yourselves to one another in the fear of God." We have been called to serve one another, not to be served. So prepare yourself to honor the Lord by honoring His people, your fellow servants in the Kingdom of God. In serving others, you will be serving the Lord Jesus, who is already serving you. You will also be inheriting the Kingdom, which God has been preparing for you since the world began. He who serves is greater than he who is being served; as ministering to others is greater than being ministered to. (Ephesians 5:21, Hebrews 6:10, Matthew 25:34-40, and Matthew 20:25-28).
Lifetime Vocation
Following Jesus is now your lifetime vocation. He is the most important person in your life from now on: and pleasing Him is the most important thing that you will ever do. Most of the world around you will not understand you, because you are different from them and they do not want to be like you. (Ephesians 4:1 and John 14:17).
Most people will ignore you, but others will hate you: and some will even try to hurt you in some way. You may be even called upon to even die for your loyalty to the Lord, but your reward will be far greater than anything you may suffer for His sake. As you continue to walk with Jesus, you will experience great joy and peace from His presence with you and in you, and nothing will offend you. As you continue in His Word, you will see Him clearer and clearer, with the eyes of your understanding; and you may even see Him in person. Many have. As you read the Bible, the Holy Spirit will improve your ability to see God's will and do it. The Word and the Spirit agree; and two witnesses are all you need, to know and do God's will. The Holy Spirit will use the Word within you to accomplish God's will in your life. So READ THE BIBLE. (John 15:19, Matthew 24:9, Romans 8:18, Psalms 119:165, Hebrews 9:28, I John 3:2, I Corinthians 15:5-8, Ephesians 1:17-18, and Romans 8:14).
Body Ministry
Sometimes God will lead you through another member of the "body." You may not like criticism, but if you will remain humble and teachable, and not be defensive, you will gain much in your relationships with other disciples of the Lord. Even if you do not like it, their advice may still be of great benefit to you. (Hebrews 13:7-8, Matthew 5:5, and Ephesians 4:15-16).
God's Family And You
Since God is the Father of all true Christians, we are all one family in Heaven and earth. The greatest manifestation of our relationship with God in His family, is our concern for one another. When we are mature in Christ, we will show it by our active concern for the welfare of our brothers and sisters in the Lord. We will be eager to minster to their needs, both spiritual and physical. We will have compassion for one another, and a desire to help in time of distress. God's family transcends the boundaries erected by individual churches, because all true believers in Christ are ONE CHURCH. (Ephesians 3:14-15, John 13:35, I Corinthians 13:1-13, Acts 2:44-45, Hebrews 4:16, and Ephesians 4:4-6).
Fellowship
As members of the ONE CHURCH, we are called on by God to fellowship with one another, and exhort one another to continue in the doctrine of our Savior. Every part of the "Body" is important to the fulfilling of God's plan. Ask God to show you where and when He wants you to serve Him. As you continue to read the Bible and listen to the Spirit, He will lead you to the fellowship ministry that He has planned for you. (Hebrews 10:24-25, I Corinthians 12:14-22, and Roman's 8:14).
Continuing
Your journey into the perfect will of God will not be finished until you are like Jesus. All along the way, you will be tempted to turn aside from God's will or be distracted in some way, from continuing on to your goal. It is not enough to say that you have "accepted" Christ, therefore there is a mansion in Heaven waiting for you someday. To relax and let the rest of the world go by, is not God's plan for His sons and daughters on earth. We are to grow in our knowledge of God, and find out what He wants us to do NOW! The Bible contains the plan. We are to read the Bible over and over until we understand the plan. We are to listen to the Spirit's teaching and leading until we know that we are doing what God wants us to do. Therefore, we must lay aside all hindrances, and run the race that our heavenly Father has set before us. Do not give up. Persevere to the finish line. There is a crown of life there for you. (Philippians 3:9, I Peter 5:8-9, Hebrews 10:38-39, John 15:4-6, Hebrews 12:1-2, and Philippians 3:12-14).
READ THE BIBLE AND LISTEN TO THE SPIRIT
Shaking
As you continue in your walk with Christ, your faith will be tested. One of the main ways it will be tested is by the divisions that you will see in the "church," when immature Christians fight with one another. You may wonder why God allows such ugly things to happen in the "church." You will even find out that some are not real Christians after all, but hypocrites. Just about every "church" has some. Trials, persecution, and divisions often occur so that the true Church will manifest. The best thing for you to do when such divisions occur, is stay in your Bible and prayer, and listen to the Holy Spirit's direction. He will show you what to do. Just be sure that someone else's sin does not pull you away from the Lord. (I Peter 4:12, Hebrews 12:26, I Corinthians 11:18-19, Matthew 13:30, Matthew 13:41-43, Ephesians 5:11, and Exodus 23:2).
Continue In Prayer
The kingdom of God grows by the Word of God and prayer. But not all prayer is effective. You should pray, first of all, that God's will be done. Next, you should read the Bible to find out what God's will is. (Acts 2:41-47, Matthew 6:10, II Timothy 3:16-17, and Romans 8:27).
Then the Holy Spirit will help you pray in the will of God. Always pray believing that God hears you, and do not doubt that God hears you, and do not give up until you get some kind of answer from Him. Be persistent and you will receive what you need. The only thing that will break your direct line to God is unrepentant sin. Nothing else can sever your connection. God Loves you! (Mark 11:22-24, Luke 18:1-8, and Psalm 66:18).
Warning
Satan will try to keep you too busy to read the whole Bible; but he can not if you are sincere in your desire to do it, God will bless you mightily in it.
