How To Live The Christian Life - 12 Important Principles To Practice

by Pastor Art Kohlupdated January 31, 2005

1. Believe the record that through faith in Christ, you have received eternal life.
1 John 5:10-13 “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." Remember that you are now a living testimony of the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ. The life of Christ is in you, the believer. Are you sure you have accepted Jesus as your Saviour?


2. Love God and Others.
Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength according to Mark 12:30, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." Love your neighbor as yourself as commanded in Mark 12:31, “And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandments greater than these." Make these the highest goals of your new life in Christ. There is nothing you can possibly do greater than these in your life. Ask the Lord to help you love more and more. 1 Thessalonians 3:12, "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:"


3. Read and study your Bible, memorizing portions that are helpful to you.
Give special attention to the promises of God. Meditate on these and they will be food for your soul. 1 Peter 2:2, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." Remember that the Word of God, the 1611 King James Bible, is the light to your path. Psalms 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." It is the weapon of our warfare against temptation, Ephesians 6:17, "And take ... the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."


4. Pray daily to God, your heavenly Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank Him for all things. Ephesians 5:20, "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Praise God for His blessings. Ask God to give you victory over sin and weakness. 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Pray for the needs of others when praying for your own needs. Remember that your prayer life will keep you spiritually strong and growing. Don't recite prayers. Pray and talk to God from your heart in your own words with respect.


5. Confess the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour as often as you can.
Water Baptism by immersion is the first step to take in confessing Christ, see Acts 8:36-38. Continue confessing Christ to others. Matthew 10:32, "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven." Use every opportunity you have to tell others what the Lord Jesus Christ has done in your life. Try to lead them to accept Christ as their Saviour as you did.


6. Avoid temptations.
The Bible tells us that they will come. But we must be careful not to walk in their path. Psalms 1:1 "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." When temptations arise, remember that God has promised a way of escape for those who faithfully serve and obey Him. 1 Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." Pray that the Lord will help you avoid temptation. Matthew 6:13, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." Jesus quoted Scripture when the devil was tempting Him. (See Matthew 4:1-11.) Learn Scriptures that pertain to your weaknesses and memorize them. Quote them often.


7. Witness to others about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Many today do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. Who will tell them? Romans 10:13-14, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" The believer’s greatest joy is the privilege of telling the good news of the Gospel to every creature. Witnessing for Christ is not only a blessed privilege but a divine command, Matthew 4:19, "And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." The Lord will use you to win souls to Him.


8. Serve the Lord with gladness.
Psalms 100:2, "Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing." God has a regular ministry for every believer. (Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-21.) Assemble regularly in a Bible-believing, separated church. Hebrews 10:25, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Invest your time, talents and money for eternity. Colossians 3:1-3, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God."


9. Stand firmly on the Word of God.
(See Ephesians 6:10-18.) Beware of false teachers and false doctrines. 2 Peter 2:1-3 "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." Test everything by the Word of God, not by experience. Isaiah 8:20, "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Remember that God has promised the victory to those who honor Him and His Holy Word. 1 Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."


10. Commune with the Holy Spirit.
II Corinthians 13:14 "... the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen." Get to know the Holy Spirit as personal as you know the Father and the Son. He is a person. John 16:13, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." Talk to Him. Commune with Him. Ask Him to help you with all the things mentioned on this leaflet. Do not try these things in your own flesh, but with the help of the Spirit. Galatians 3:3, "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" 2 Corinthians 3:18, "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”


11. Be a separated Christian.
II Corinthians 6:14-18 says, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” Not only should we be separated from unbelievers, but our Lord prayed for us to be separated from the evil in this world. John 17:15-16 says, “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” Be an answer to Jesus’ prayer, stay away from evil. Try to win unbelievers to Christ but be separated from them and their lifestyle. I Timothy 5:22, “...keep thyself pure.”


12. Forgive each other.
All of us have been hurt by somebody in our life. Some to a small degree, some very greatly. We, too, have offended a Holy God and our sins led Christ to die for us ... yet ... the Lord forgave us. We are to follow His example. Ephesians 4:31-32 says, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Take a moment and read the story about forgiveness in Matthew 18:23-35 in your Bible.


Copyright © 2005-00Permission granted to freely copy.Scripture verses are from the King James Holy Bible.