You won’t transform spiritually if you continue to conform culturally.

There is tremendous pressure to conform to our culture. Few of us want to stick out where we are subject to ridicule. It is much safer, we think, to blend in and go along with the group mentality. But have you noticed that the group mentality is usually wrong? This shouldn’t come as any shock to us, because our own natural instincts are usually just the opposite of how God wants us to respond to any situation.

Check your life to see if society is influencing your thinking. You probably haven’t been brainwashed totally, but there is a strong chance that your thinking has been influenced. If you are going to be a fully devoted follower of God, you’ve got to make sure that you don’t conform to the culture in any significant way that would compromise godly principles. A transformation of your thinking process may be required, but God can handle that if you allow Him to.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world…

Romans 12:2

Your willingness to listen is your gift to others.

The most important part of communication is listening. We all know that, yet we are so quick to tell others what we think, and only then do we listen (mainly to hear what they think of what we just said).

Like it does so often, the Bible offers a difference way. Listen first, then talk. There are at least two benefits to this pattern. To start with, the only way to learn something is to listen (you will never learn something from your own mouth, unless you want to learn how careless you are with your words). The main advantage of hearing others speak first is that you may realize what you were about to say is completely wrong or meaningless.

The other benefit is that you are less likely to get upset if you listen before you speak. Our own words will incite us much quicker than the words of others.

Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

James 1:19

The real test of how much your care for your friend is whether you are willing to confront your friend.

Today we’re going to talk about a subject that you aren’t going to like: confrontation. It is our humble (but probably correct) opinion that you avoid confrontations. How do we know this? Well, if you are like most people, you don’t even have enough nerve to tell someone that they have a piece of spinach stuck between their teeth.

The Bible tells us that we are to confront a friend if we notice some aspect of our friend’s life that is contrary to the character of Christ. Spotting the fault is not usually the problem. Saying something about it is where we get hung up.

Maybe you’re reluctant to mention a problem in a friend’s life because then your friend may feel the freedom to do the same to you. But you should welcome that kind of confrontation in your life because it will help you stay close to God.

Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path.

Galatians 6:1

Appreciate the commands of Scripture as much as the promises.

How we love the promises of God! When you read the Bible and uncover a verse like Hebrews 11:6–”God…rewards those who sincerely seek him”–it’s like you’ve found a treasure. Our natural inclination is to want to “claim” a promise of God like a prospector stakes a claim on a rich vein of gold.

But what about the commands of Scripture? For some reason we tend to interpret a command like Mark 16:15–”Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere”–as being more general in nature. Instead of personalizing it, we figure it applies to other people, especially those in full-time Christian service.

Is it okay to take God’s promises personally while applying His commands generally? We think you know the answer to that. All of God’s Word is personal. All of it–the promises as well as the commands–applies to all of us.

You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands.

Psalm 119:73

Faith placed in God prevails. Faith placed anywhere else fails.

At its core, faith is believing that someone or something will be worthwhile in your life. The problem with the world is not that people lack faith. The problem is that their faith is misplaced. Most people have put their faith in things or in people that will someday prove unreliable and unfulfilling. Have you been hesitant to have faith in your future because the people and circumstances in your life are unreliable?

For faith to ultimately work and last, it must be placed in something that will not fail in the future. God is the only unfailing place for your faith. He always makes good on His promises. No one who has ever known Him has found God to be unfaithful. He will do what He has said. You can hold on to His promises. Nothing and nobody else but God is worthy of your complete trust.

“Have faith in God…All that’s required is that you really believe and do not doubt in your heart.”

Mark 11:22-23

The sharpest object you will ever handle is the Word of God.

There’s a reason why the Bible is the world’s bestselling book and why its message changes millions of lives every year. The Bible is God’s Word. The Bible is not a collection of ideas about God that a bunch of people had centuries ago. The Bible is God speaking to you right now. That’s why it’s so powerful and so full of insight. God knows your inner thoughts and has a message of love and hope just for you. God has great plans for you, and just about all of them are contained in His Word (see Jeremiah 29:11).

When you pick up your Bible to read it each day (you are doing that, aren’t you?), handle it with care. It isn’t just a book, it’s a device so sharp and penetrating that it will cut you to the center of your being. The Bible will open you up so God can pour His words into you.

For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are.

Hebrews 4:12

God is more likely to speak to you with a gentle whisper than with a loud voice.

Prayer isn’t talking to God. Prayer is really talking with God. It is a conversation between you and Him; it is a dialogue where you each take turns talking as well as listening.

Most of our prayers include a lot of our own talking, but they usually lack the important aspect of listening. Of course, we don’t mean to suggest that you are going to hear a celestial voice booming in the heavens like the sound of thunder. We don’t even think that you’ll hear an amplified voice like God speaking through a megaphone. That is not how He works. God usually speaks in quietness. You hear Him, not audibly with your ears, but internally in your heart and soul.

The Holy Spirit is God’s voice inside of you. He wants to speak to you, but you need to be quiet for a few moments so you can hear Him.

“Be silent, and know that I am God!”

Psalm 46:19

The more you look up to God, the less you will look down on people.

Have you ever noticed how poorly people treat each other? We’ve all been there. We’ve all said something disparaging about another driver who cuts us off in traffic. We’ve all read an article about some unfortunate soul and said, “He got what he deserved.”

Why are we so quick to look down on other people? Is it because there’s no other way to make ourselves feel better? That can’t be it, because when it comes to others, the only way to improve our lives is to help them.

No, we think it has more to do with God. The less time we spend learning to know God and what He wants us to do, the more time we have to criticize others. On the other hand, the more we invite God into the details of our lives, the more likely we will be to encourage and lift up other people rather than tear them down.

Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ.

Ephesians 5:2

If you lose your temper, you’ve lost.

There are two kinds of anger. There is “righteous” anger that comes out of a righteous response to sin. This is the kind of anger that Jesus displayed when He chased the money changers out of the Temple (Mark 11:15-17). You might express this type of anger, too. You can express this emotion and still have God in control of your life. In fact, it is the Holy Spirit inside of you that reacts and controls your responses.

The second kind of anger controls you. You lose your temper. You say or do something you later regret. Don’t try to give God credit for this type of anger. He doesn’t have anything to do with it (and He doesn’t want you to, either). This is the kind of anger that the Bible warns against because it can take over control of your life.

Only God should have control of your life. Make sure that your temper is not pushing Him out of His rightful place.

Don’t be quick-tempered, for anger is the friend of fools.

Ecclesiastes 7:9

Next time you write out your priorities, make sure you put God at the top.

Whenever you set goals for yourself, it’s important to prioritize them. Decide which ones are most important, and do these first. Too often we waste our time on lower shelf, easy-to-attain goals when we should be striving for the goals on the top shelf, even if they are harder to reach.

As you get to know God better, you will find that He will ask you to operate at a higher level of living. He wants you to reach for the top shelf. This has nothing to do with moving to the mountains or getting a promotion at work. What it means is that you shouldn’t worry about your short-term, personal needs (they’re important, but don’t let them consume you). Make God and His Kingdom–which He is building in this world through the hearts of those who follow Him–your highest priority. Then trust God to provide for the everyday stuff of your life.

“He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.”

Matthew 6:33