If you would like a pdf copy for yourself, send an email to yourlifegodsway@outlook.com and one will be sent to you by email.
If you would like a pdf copy for yourself, send an email to yourlifegodsway@outlook.com and one will be sent to you by email.
In this short and hopefully easy to read book, written not just from studying the Bible but also from trying to live it, you'll find ways to live a life that's pleasing to God; ways to live a more fulfilling life; and ways to set ourselves apart as followers of Christ. You’ll also find ways to help Jesus know you and who you are.
21“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’” Matthew 7: 21-23 NLT
You knowing who Jesus is but living your life as you’ve always done isn’t enough; Jesus must know you. This book gives you ways to show Jesus who you are so that He will come to know you and welcome you into the Kingdom of Heaven.
PART 1
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH,
AND OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS, GOD AND JESUS
LOVE GOD AND JESUS
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
Mark 12:30, NIV
Jesus told us this was the most important commandment. We must also love Jesus in the same manner because He is the Son of God, our savior, and He died for us; all of us. Every Christian loves God and Jesus to some degree; some with our heads and some with our hearts. But some people love them with every fiber of their being, down in their souls, which is what God wants from every one of His children. The good news is if you’re not there yet, you can be. It’s just a matter of going through the process of maturing in your relationship with them.
If you’ve ever been deeply in love with another person, it’s the same kind of process. You spend time with them, get to know all about them and let them get to know you. Over time you become so close and develop such a deep relationship that you realize you’ve fallen madly in love with them.
It’s the same way in our relationship with God and Jesus, except they already love us. We need to spend time with them (pray) and get to know them (study your Bible). We’ll come to a point where we love God and Jesus with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. We’ll want to spend time with them, listen to them and do what they know is best for us.
PUT GOD AND JESUS FIRST
“You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Exodus 20:30, NIV
Our God is a jealous god; He wants to be first in our hearts and lives. He should be! After all, He gave His son Jesus as a sacrifice for each and every person so we don’t have to suffer eternity in hell. Jesus willingly suffered and died for our sins so we don’t have to. He gave everything for us. Don’t they deserve to be number one in our lives?
Every day we face decisions, temptations, and choices. They’re part of life and sometimes it’s not very easy. But if we look at God and Jesus to put them first, and ask ourselves how God’s eternal kingdom will be impacted, our decisions, temptations and choices become easier to deal with. When we ask God what He wants us to do, what would be best for Him and His kingdom, we honor Him and He is pleased, and I truly believe He will bless us in our decisions and choices.
As Christians we should want our words and actions to please God, not the world. While it may hurt when people make fun of us because of our beliefs, we should be joyful because we’ve been faithful and have shown others that God and what He wants are first in our lives. We must always consider who we’re trying to please; other people, ourselves, or God.
PRAYER
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6, NLT
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He’s done. Prayer: it’s how we communicate with God. It’s how we tell Him about everything that’s going on in our lives; our needs and concerns, our successes and accomplishments, decisions to be made, everything. Sure, He already knows, but He wants to hear it from us.
Some people call (text, email, Facebook, X-Twitter) their friends and/or parents every day, several times a day, just to keep them up to date on what’s happening in their lives. We should do the same with God. That’s how we build a relationship with Him.
When is the best time? Anytime and all the time. For many people it’s first thing in the morning, before any distractions of the day can creep in. For others it’s just before going to sleep. It doesn’t matter when as long as you set aside a period of time every day.
How long? A church we attended in another city had a prayer chain and people prayed for an hour every day. Our spiritual growth during that time was great but not everyone can devote an hour to prayer. On the other end, 280 characters, the maximum length of a “tweet”, is not nearly enough. Find what works best for you and your schedule, but I would suggest at least fifteen minutes of uninterrupted time. For those who are so busy you can’t set aside even fifteen minutes, multitask. Pray while you’re in the shower, or while you’re driving; just don’t close your eyes.
That brings us to where; anywhere and everywhere. But more specifically, some place that’s quiet, where you won’t be disturbed or distracted works best.
Finally, what should we pray about? Basically, anything and everything. Advice from many years ago would be to “let it all hang out.” God knows it all anyway so you can’t hide anything or surprise Him.
What many people like to do is:
1. Praise Him, for who He is.
2. Thank Him, for what He’s done.
3. Ask for forgiveness, for what we’ve done, or haven’t done.
4. Talk with Him about whatever is on your heart. God knows our every need before we do but He has this crazy requirement that He won’t meet that need until we acknowledge to Him what that need is, and that we can’t meet that need without Him.
5. Be aware of what is going on around you. Sometimes the Holy Spirit will bring a person’s name into your mind for no apparent reason. Quite often that means God wants you to pray for that person. Pray for people you see during your day. You may be the only person that has ever prayed for them.
6. Listen to what He wants to tell you. God will speak to you. Probably not in an audible voice, but more likely in that still, small voice we hear about. Ask Him questions and He will give you answers, you just need to listen. I’ve asked Him about situations and whether I should handle something this way or that way and He told me to do it a completely different way. And it worked! Ask, and then listen. Prayer is how we draw close to God and let Him draw close to us. Don’t neglect it; make it a priority and habit. Do it just because you love God and want to love Him even more.
These are just 3 of the 21 ways in this book to live your life the way God wants you to. To request the complete manuscript, send an email to YourLIfeGodsWay@outlook.com.