Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

Discipleship

Living a Holy Life

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That persecution is coming is a certainty (2 Timothy 3:12). For many, it will be the first time you experience it, so there is an urgent need to be prepared. In studying the topic, I’ve come to understand that preparation isn’t so much in learning how to deal with what may come, but how to order your life now. Living a holy life is the ultimate preparation for withstanding persecution.

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Unless we have a foundation of holiness, each of us will crumble like houses made of sand (Matthew 7:26-27). If you want to stand strong in the fire, you must fireproof yourself before the flames arrive. The closer we are to Christ before persecution comes, the better we will withstand whatever form it takes.

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How Many Times?

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How many times have you determined to live for Christ like never before? How many times have you promised Him this time you were surrendering for real? If you’re like me, over your lifetime, it’s more times than you can count. As I’ve written before, the ugly truth is we’re as close to God as we want to be. Our commitment is as deep as we desire it to be (James 4:8).

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There is almost nothing we can control in our lives, but how we live for Jesus is something we can control. To our shame, most of us choose to spend our time and energy in pursuits other than studying God’s Word or praying (Matthew 26:41). We can rationalize and make excuses all we want, but when we look in the mirror, each one of us knows the truth.

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Shine Like Stars

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I am not so naïve to believe the times we live in are the darkest days in history. The evil running rampant in our world is not without precedence. Tales of the Roman Empire reveal it was-if you can believe it-even more immoral than today’s culture. The holocaust was even more sadistic than most of the evil occurring today, although recent acts of barbarism make that a close race. But without a doubt, these are the darkest days of our lifetime.

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A day does not go by without gross sinfulness making the headlines. Some of it is criminal. Most of it is becoming not just socially acceptable but societal norms. The world is turning God’s perfect design for marriage and sexuality into perversion. They are exchanging human dignity for murder when having a child is inconvenient. What is good is called evil, and what is evil is called good (Isaiah 5:20). A deep night has fallen across our world, and we must shine like stars to lead others through these dark times.

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A Royal Priesthood

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In Peter’s first epistle, the apostle points out we are a chosen people, set apart to do the work of Christ (1 Peter 2:9). There’s something else tucked into that verse that doesn’t get a lot of attention. Peter states that believers in Christ become part of a royal priesthood. When was the last time you looked in the mirror and reminded yourself that you are a priest?

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If you are like me, the word priest conjures up either a monk from the Middle Ages or a man wearing a black robe in a Catholic church. Neither image is compelling to me. When we look at the role of a Biblical priest, however, and realize we are to carry out similar duties, things get exciting.

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How to Make Disciples

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The last instruction given by Jesus before ascending to Heaven was for us to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). It’s a serious command because it necessitates putting others before ourselves. Jesus did not charge us with becoming successful, powerful, or living our best life now. He made it clear this life is not about us. It’s about furthering His mission. If we love Him, there is no choice but to obey Him (John 14:15).

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And if we’re going to obey Him, we must be about the business of discipling others. But most of us don’t know how to make disciples. We all want to, but lack the knowledge of what we should do. Worse, many believe making disciples is for the super-Christian, those people who seem to possess a knowledge of God we can never hope to achieve. God’s Word is for everyone, no matter how much or how little you think of your abilities.

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