Let’s be honest and not just biblically correct, although I want to also be biblically correct. I find I’m frustrated with so much that is going on in the world that I have to wrestle a lot with my emotions. After all, there is so much to get anyone mad who is awake. From politics, to the economy, to people loosing their business and people loosing their jobs– there is plenty to get me fired up about. The thing that bugs me a lot is feeling like I can’t do anything about it. Do you find yourself in the same boat? Read on.

In this study I have proposed a few key attitudes and behaviors that gain favor with God. In the first article we learned that having favor with God is developed and acquired through choice and discipline. Proverbs 12:2 states that “A good man obtains favor from God.”  In other words, our choices and conduct affect our standing, either good or bad, with God.

We have been looking into what the “Favor” of God means as well as the importance of how you grow in Favor with God. From my experience, this subject is rarely talked about because so many pastors and teachers are afraid of being labeled a “Works” person. The subject of God’s grace is so hammered into most Christians that people are often blind to the obvious truth that what we do matters. If you haven’t read the first two article in this series, please read those first before continuing with this one.

The incorrect belief about grace and works clouds the ability of many to reason out the scripture with common sense. In Romans, Paul challenged young believers to be renewed in their thinking because their pagan upbringing clouded their reasoning and judgement. By challenging believers to get “renewed” or “rewired” they could think more clearly and reason out the scripture as they were intended to be understood. The Jews in days of Jesus thought much like the religious people of our day who learn scripture but never really apply them.

In these articles on “Who Takes The Initiative” I have been trying to build a case for not waiting for God to command us to do something but rather to take the initiative in desiring God to approve what we see is a current or pending need. I have encountered many believers who have come to the false understanding that if God wants us to do something he will tell us. The point I made in the second article was that God created us to be like him and therefore he gave Adam the first task of naming the animals. God wanted us to take the initiative in creating and managing the world we are in. If you haven’t read the first two articles please do so before proceeding. 

As Christians, we want God to move in our lives on a daily basis, not just when we respond to Jesus’ offer of being born again.  The problem: who is suppose to initiate? Is God suppose to tell us when he plans to move or are we suppose to ask him to move? Truthfully, I think it is both!

I am always amazed when I learn that todays Christians hardly ever read from the Old Testament, other than the books of Psalms or Proverbs. There is such a wealth of information about how and why God moved in individuals and groups of people, not to mention the nation of Israel. There is a reason why the Old Testament is so much larger than the New Testament. One reason is that it can guide us in our own personal walk because it gives us a detailed history of people’s lives.

I read two articles recently about two very different Christian leaders. Both are high-profile men who speak to thousands of people daily yet they are so different in both their personal lives and their weaknesses. They both have learned to live with these weakness, one by covering it up and the other by confessing and leveraging it. They both are respected throughout the body of Christ and you would recognize their names. They are responsible for thousands of people in ministries as well as millions of dollars worth of assets. Now, I’m not so impressed with people who have such influence until I discover what’s going on behind the scenes and whether their ministry and personal lives are honest reflections of themselves as genuine followers of Christ.

When I was a young boy I dreamed and played “Army” with my friends. As young boys we played such games because we had heroes with character traits that we admired. John Wayne was one of the people that we looked up to as a “man’s man”. He portrayed courage in the face of fear and valor when the battle was raging.

I started this series, “What Kind of Christian Are You?”, because I think many Christians believe that God has a very loose standard regarding who he embraces as his adopted child.  I believe God has a greater standard and greater aspirations for us!

Recently, I started to teach a six-week class at church on the book of Colossians and was reminded of the disconnect many Christians have regarding who they are meant to be a believers. I have often heard pastors and teachers say we are “Sinners” saved by grace in one sentence and then move on without giving an explanation of what they meant by that statement. For the average Christian believer, they get a “Mind Set” that that’s who they are and will always be until either Jesus returns or they die and go to be with the Lord. This, however, is far from the truth and often cripples the believer to always live in either a guilt ridden state or a weakened resolve to live as Jesus intended, which is free from a sinful lifestyle.