by Brandy Webb
Do you ever ask yourself what you are supposed to do now that you are a Christian? I do. I know that I can’t rely on someone else to do my Christian walk for me. I know that there is no one in between my Savior and me. I also know that salvation is a gift from God, not something we earn. However, we are to live lives that let our “light shine before others, so that they may see [our] good works and give glory to [our] Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16, emphasis mine). Continue reading
Humans in general can tend to be very selfish and sometimes egocentric. Some may call it our survival instincts. But usually I believe, we just we like to get our way, and we do not like it when we don’t. However, I have long figured out that things usually do not go our way, and that people don’t always agree with my opinions either. In fact, the world does not and will never revolve around me, so I better get over myself if I want to enjoy life in general. 
Do you ever find yourself asking God to tell you what He wants you to do with your life? Well, I do a lot. Especially during those times when I thought I was going in the right direction, but nothing was going well for me. I started getting confused and started doubting my decisions. During these times I wish God had a cell phone that He would answer. I know that we have prayer, but wouldn’t it be nice if He told us exactly what He wants us to do in every situation we face in life? Wouldn’t it be awesome if we weren’t looking through a dark glass (1 Corinthians 13:12) and instead we had complete clarity? 
The other day I was thinking about what am I doing with my faith? It all started from a scripture in Isaiah. God is speaking to Isaiah in regards to Jerusalem because of all their sins, and He makes a statement in verses 13 that kind of hit home to me (emphasis mine):
Are we showing the world the benefits of being a Christian or are we giving them reasons to dislike us? I have been wondering for a while why it seems that to the outside, Christians aren’t very loving. Isn’t that one of the major requirements of being a Christian? Are we actually our worst enemies when it comes to spreading God’s Word and light to others? What if we are stumbling blocks by our actions, reactions, and condemnations of others? We are told in Leviticus 19:14 not to “curse a deaf man, nor place a stumbling block before the blind.” I know this probably meant literally, but it definitely can be applied spiritually. We are not to curse those who do not know the truth nor cause them to stumble. I am not saying we need to compromise our beliefs. I also do not intend to compromise my beliefs either. What I am saying is we need to pay attention so that our actions reveal Christ to others and not self-righteousness. 
The Church of God International Springfield, Missouri 