To live a life connected to Christ you must set your self apart from the world, commit to following Him when others won’t, and consistently seek Him.
During my churches 2017 New Year Revival, Bishop TD Jakes said the words we needed to get in our minds were Consecration; Commitment; and Consistency. Immediately my mind started to think of all the lessons I heard in 2016 regarding these words. I went to Webster grabbed the definitions and noted what I recalled my ministry leader and pastor share with me.
Consecration
To make or declare sacred; set apart or dedicate to the service of a deity.
You must set yourself apart from the world. Do you look like Christ or do you look like the world. Do you sound like Christ or do you sound like the world. Are you willing to separate from your sin? Ask God to show it to you; repent and turn from it. In God there is no gray only Black and White; Righteousness or Sin; Clean or Unclean; Like Him or Like the World. You can not be both.
1 Corinthians 5:9-13 says:
“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner— not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.””
Romans 12:2 says:
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Commitment
To give in trust or charge.
Commit your life to Christ. When your friends want you to go back to your old ways and old places will you commit to Christ? When you want your way and God has told you to do something different, which way will you go, will you die to what you want and follow Him?
Follow Christ isn’t always easy. You will lose friends and at times have to make tough choices. It takes a trust-faith to follow Christ.
Mark 8:34-37 (NLT) says:
“Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”
Consistency
Steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc.: There is consistency in his pattern of behavior.
To live a life connect to Christ we must Consistently:
- meet Him in prayer,
- read His word,
- attend worship,
- give thanks,
- be obedient, and
- live according to His will.
God does not want to compete with other things/people/hobbies/entertainment in your life. He wants you to be consistent in your fellowship with Him.
Matthew 4:4 (NKJV) says:
“But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”