When Faith Gets Into Your Lifestyle

A Christian Outreach Center Blog

One of the most beautiful things about coming to Jesus Christ is discovering that salvation is the beginning of a journey.

We receive Christ.

We believe.

We are forgiven.

We belong to Him.

But after that, something else begins.

Our faith has to start working its way into our lifestyle.

It begins to touch the way we think, the way we speak, the way we handle conflict, the way we treat people, the way we respond when we are offended, the way we manage our emotions, and the way we live when nobody is watching.

And that does not always happen overnight.

Everybody Grows at a Different Pace

For some people, transformation happens quickly.

They come to Christ, and almost immediately you begin to see major changes in their attitudes, habits, relationships, and priorities.

For others, it happens much slower.

God may spend years dealing with pride, fear, anger, insecurity, selfishness, wrong thinking, or deeply rooted habits.

And then there are people who receive Jesus Christ but never seem to experience much visible transformation in their lifestyle.

They believe in Christ. They trust Him for salvation. Yet much of their earthly life may never fully reflect the depth of what they believe.

Only God knows every heart, and salvation belongs to Him.

But Scripture continually calls believers to something deeper than simply beginning the journey.

It calls us to grow.

Peter wrote:

“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” — 2 Peter 3:18

Paul said:

“Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” — Romans 12:2

Salvation is a gift.

Transformation is a process.

And spiritual maturity happens when what God has done inside of us begins to become visible through us.

Faith Eventually Has to Reach Your Lifestyle

There can be a period in our Christian journey where there is still a gap between what we believe and how we live.

We may know Scripture and still struggle with our temper.

We may believe in forgiveness and still hold grudges.

We may talk about humility and still have difficulty admitting when we are wrong.

We may worship God publicly while privately struggling with pride.

That does not mean God has abandoned us.

It means there are areas where He is still working on us.

The goal is integration.

Your faith should eventually reach your thoughts.

Your faith should reach your words.

Your faith should reach your emotions.

Your faith should reach your relationships.

Your faith should reach your decisions.

Your faith should reach your lifestyle.

James said:

“Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.” — James 1:22

Christianity was never designed to remain only in our heads.

The Word eventually has to become life.

When Truth Gets Personal

Imagine a man who has been in church for twenty years.

He knows Scripture.

He can pray.

He can teach.

He can explain doctrine.

Everybody sees him as a strong Christian.

But one evening someone who loves him sits down with him and says:

“You talk about grace, but sometimes you are very hard on people.”

“You talk about humility, but you rarely admit when you are wrong.”

“You teach forgiveness, but there are still people you refuse to forgive.”

His first reaction is defense.

He begins mentally building his case.

He starts remembering everything the other person has done wrong.

Then something happens.

A Scripture comes to his mind:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart.” Psalm 139:23

And for once, instead of using Scripture to examine someone else, he allows Scripture to examine him.

He gets quiet.

Then he says:

“Maybe God is trying to show me something about myself.”

That moment may not look dramatic.

Nobody shouted.

Nobody ran around the church.

Nobody heard an organ.

But something deeply spiritual just happened.

Truth moved from his theology into his lifestyle.

That is transformation.

Truth Is More Than Information

The Bible tells us:

“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth.” Ephesians 6:14

And Jesus said:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6

The highest truth we can encounter is not merely a principle.

Truth is revealed in Jesus Christ.

And when Christ gets deep enough into our lives, truth begins changing us.

Truth teaches us how to say:

“I was wrong.”

“I need to apologize.”

“I should have handled that differently.”

“I need to forgive.”

“I need to grow.”

“I need God to work on me.”

That kind of honesty is not weakness.

It is spiritual maturity.

The Word Becomes a Mirror

James compared the Word of God to a mirror.

“For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass.” James 1:23

A mirror does not condemn you.

It shows you what is there.

That is what the Word does.

It reveals attitudes.

It exposes motives.

It challenges our thinking.

It shows us areas we would rather ignore.

And when we stay in front of that mirror long enough, God begins changing what we see.

This Is Not About Pretending to Be Perfect

None of us are perfect.

Spiritual maturity is not reaching a place where you never make another mistake.

It is reaching a place where you become increasingly willing to allow God to correct you.

A mature believer can say:

“I missed it.”

A mature believer can apologize.

A mature believer can listen.

A mature believer can change.

A mature believer can admit that there is still work to be done.

John wrote:

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.” 1 John 1:8

Christian maturity is not pretending that you have no flaws.

It is becoming honest enough to let Christ deal with them.

Truth Makes You Easier to Be Around

One of the beautiful results of walking in truth is that it begins changing how people experience you.

You become more approachable.

More honest.

More transparent.

More compassionate.

Less defensive.

More willing to listen.

More willing to forgive.

More willing to acknowledge your mistakes.

Truth does not make you walk around announcing every flaw you have.

Truth is not performing authenticity.

Truth is not constantly trying to convince people that you are “real.”

Truth becomes a state of being.

You simply want to do right because you love God.

You want to be honest because you love God.

You want to treat people well because you love God.

You want your private life and public life to agree because you love God.

Be Patient With the Process, But Never Stop Growing

Some people grow faster.

Some grow slower.

Some areas of our lives change immediately.

Other areas may take years.

There are battles God may deliver us from quickly, while other things require prayer, discipline, correction, maturity, and time.

But we should never become comfortable with refusing to grow.

Paul said:

“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after.” — Philippians 3:12

That is the posture.

Not perfection.

Pursuit.

Not pretending.

Growing.

Not comparing your journey to somebody else’s.

Following Jesus.

And eventually, something beautiful happens.

The Jesus you believed in begins showing up in your attitude.

He shows up in your conversations.

He shows up in your marriage.

He shows up in your parenting.

He shows up in your friendships.

He shows up in how you handle disagreement.

He shows up in how you forgive.

He shows up in how you serve.

Faith gets into your lifestyle.

And perhaps that is one of the greatest testimonies a Christian can have:

I do not just believe in Jesus. Over time, Jesus has been changing the way I live.