please god
There is so much joy and peace for those of us who are living a lifestyle that is pleasing to God. We can all agree that while it has its rewards, there are times when it seems very difficult and painful (especially in college, where you can get anything you want). Those moments when we feel like giving up because it seems like we’re the only ones. people who live in holiness while others are not. I can identify with the frustration, the pain, and the aggravation.
I used to have that attitude. But as I grew (and continue to grow) in my walk with God, I began to understand that just because everyone else isn’t living by God’s word doesn’t mean I don’t have to. Each one will be judged according to what he did. Let’s look at some of the blessings:
A holy lifestyle impresses God
The windows of heaven will open
A closer walk with God
Attract others to the Jesus that you
A holy lifestyle impresses God
In Leviticus 11:45, God said, “Be ye therefore holy, for I am holy” (emphasis added). I speak or had an encounter with. I remember once in high school, while I was in the gym working out. One of the young women I fell in love with came in. When I saw her, I ran to the bench press machine and asked someone to help me with the weights as fast as I could.
I put on as much weight as I could to impress her. When I started lifting it, that’s when I realized it was too heavy. Boy, did I feel embarrassed. There I was, trying to impress this girl. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out.
You might be saying what does this have to do with pleasing God? Well, it has everything to do with it. See, sometimes we try to impress God so much but we don’t know how. Reading your bible just to tell people you read it doesn’t impress God, dancing in church to brag doesn’t please God, or quoting scripture without understanding it doesn’t impress God either. Do you want to know what impresses God? Then learn to live in holiness. Why does living in holiness impress God?
We are commanded to “be holy.” God’s word didn’t say, “Please be holy,” or “I’ll pay you if you’re holy,” but “Be!” in command of us. God is impressed when you live in holiness because you are being obedient to his commandments. Doesn’t it feel good when someone obeys you? So it is with God. He loves it when you don’t put yourself in a situation that brings you down.
He also knows how challenging it can be to live holy on a college campus, especially in today’s society where everything is perverted. You have to understand that He was on earth and went through what you and I did. The scripture says, “The word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). He understands exactly how you feel. However, although he was tempted in all areas, he was without sin. Which means he never sinned.
The windows of heaven will open
There is a story about a young man in the book of Genesis 37 named Joseph, the son of Jacob (God later changed his name to Israel) who was sold as a slave to the Egyptians by his brothers because they were jealous of him. .
While in Egypt, God blessed him tremendously. However, before God poured out his blessings on him, he was tested. Potipher’s wife (Joseph’s slave master) was very attracted to Joseph and wanted him to sleep with her, but he refused.
One day, while working on the house, she grabbed him by his clothes and dragged him to sleep with her. In the midst of all this, he stepped away from her leaving her shirt behind.
José was only seventeen years old when that happened. At that age, I know his hormones were kicking. He could have easily chosen to sleep with her, but he didn’t. He knew that if he slept with her, he would not be pleasing to God. Because of his actions, God made him second in command in Egypt, one of the greatest nations of the day.
When you are obedient to the word of God, there is no limit to how much it will hurt you. “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, mind has not conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (I Corinthians 2:9). God will reward you for your holiness.
During my first year in college though I had some personal struggles. I was still able to receive some of the blessings that God had for me because of his grace and mercy. My dad had lost his job because of 911. He had to support me. It was only by the grace of God that I survived.
It hurt me academically, I was fine. After my first semester I had a 4.0 GPA (to God be all the glory). All my basic needs were met in one way or another.
Is there something you would like to have but cannot afford? A car, a house, etc. I wanted a car my freshman year, but because of my financial circumstances, I couldn’t afford one, so I had to get on the bus like everyone else.
Whatever it is, God wants to bless you with it; What about your future spouse? Do you want God to give you someone? I hope not. You want the best. There are so many ways that God can bless you. However, when some people think of God bless them, they only think of materialistic things. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that. God can hurt you in any way he chooses. Don’t limit God’s blessing to material things only; God wants to bless you; Are you ready to receive it?
A closer walk with God
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:7-8, emphasis added). When I first came across this verse, it literally changed my life. However, I made a mistake that most people make in that; I did not apply the whole verse, but part of it. To understand this verse, we have to break it down. Will allow me.
“Therefore submit yourselves to God.” How do you submit to God? For a while, I thought submitting meant simply saying, “God, I submit to you.” Before answering that question, let’s define the word send. To submit means to yield to the authority, power, or wishes of another.
To my surprise, submitting to God was more than saying. When you give God your authority, power, and desires, you are saying “Lord, I don’t want to be the head of my life anymore, I want you to be in charge.” Remember, God will only go where he is welcome. Send is an action word, which means you actually have to do something. Although it hurts at first, the rewards, however, are greater than any pain you will go through. Trust me.
This became more effective in my life after I understood the verse better. As soon as I had that revelation, it changed my whole life. I began to be more victorious in my spiritual battle.
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” One of the questions she used to ask was how can you resist the devil? When you resist the devil, you stop doing the things you used to do, hang out with people you used to hang out with, watch shows or visit websites that are not spiritually healthy for you. Resisting it is just another way of saying, “don’t succumb to temptation.”
The moment you stop doing the things you used to do, you are essentially telling Satan that he has no authority over you. You are a child of God and you were bought with a price. I will be very honest with you; it takes a lot to get through this stage. However, the ones you do, not everything else is so difficult.
When you stop hanging around people who negatively influence you, it shows that you are not willing to be corrupted by their sinful ways. This is one of the areas that most people struggle with. One of the reasons is that it can be very difficult to break certain relationships or friendships with people you know or have been with for a while. But until you do that, you are not resisting the devil. You are allowing him to use those individuals to spoil your walk with God. “Conform no more to the pattern of this world” (Rom. 12:2).
When you stop watching certain shows like Howard Stern, real sex, Sex and the City, etc. or going to uncensored websites, you are letting the devil and his “guys” know that he It is not have control over your mind. More men are affected in these areas than women. For a while, I couldn’t understand why most women don’t fight the battle of the eyes like men do. Then I learned that men are visual while women are emotional. Putting dirt on our minds will not bring us closer to God.
“Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you.” Some I saw a T-shirt that said: “If God seems far away, who moved?” I found it very interesting because sometimes we feel that God is very far from us. God is as close to you as your finger is to your nail. The scriptures did not say: “He will draw near to you when you draw near to Him” but quite the opposite. He is already near you, waiting for you. The closer you get to Him, the better your relationship with Him will improve.
This verse will not be effective if you do not apply it fully. It is sad to say that sometimes when we read certain verses, we only take the part that we feel is most important to us. We are all guilty of it. When you learn to apply the entire verse, it changes your life forever.
Attract others to the Jesus in you
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
Most of us know or have met certain people whose walk makes you want to know God better, even unbelievers. Have you ever met someone and feel like you can say anything to them without being afraid of others knowing?
I remember one day after I got back from class, one of the students came up to me and said he needed to talk to me. He said, “I don’t really know you very well, I see you here and there and say hello, but I feel like I can talk to you about this problem I have.” I didn’t know this guy, I had seen him on campus and our relationship was kind of “what’s up” and “bye-bye”. He didn’t know anything about me other than that I was a Christian.
The point I want to make here is that as Christians we should all strive to be like Jesus. Others must be drawn not only to the Jesus in us at church, but also to the church in us at school, in bedrooms, etc.
Learn to live a lifestyle that shows others that the God you are serving is real. And He can change you if you let Him. Many people call themselves Christian when their actions do not reflect it.