A happy Christian life:
There is a false notion which says that if one becomes a follower of Messiah, all his or her troubles will go away and whatever promise or blessing one claims from the Bible will be fulfilled! Unfortunately that is not true. Job 14:1 says,’ Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.’ Troubles follow us wherever we go, no one can escape them. Many Christians are like Martha, “worried and troubled” about worldly things. (Luke10:38-42). Troubles are Elohim’s way of purifying us, to conform to the image of His Son. Elohim wants us to be happy and prosperous. Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant (Psa 35:27).

Elohim is good. ‘Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever’.(Psa.106:1). The very nature of Elohim is his goodness. There is nothing that is bad about him. In our troubles, satan may try to tempt us saying Elohim has no time for us. But we all know satan is a liar, the father of lies (John.8:44). Even when temptations come our way, Elohim will show us a way to get out of them. Like the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, we too have this faith, that there is more to our life than what we are living. Our life is full of hope and a man without hope has nothing to live for.

We must surrender our will to Messiah. ‘For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.’(Rom 14:8 ). We have no will of our own. We must let the Holy Spirit lead us as he wills, and his will is perfect. When Elohim says, "My son, give me thine heart," (Pro. 23:26). He is not asking us for the wishes of our hearts. He wants our will, completely surrendered to him. It is only then that he works his will in our hearts.

We should be always content with what we have. ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain’ (Ti 6:6). We are never satisfied with what we have. We are always comparing our lives with others and try to be equal, if not better than others. In Messiah, we learn to be content. When we trust in the Lord, that he will do good for us, we will be content. ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Mat 6:21 ).’
 
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love Elohim, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Rom 8:28). Remember, nothing happens in our lives unless it is the will of Elohim. Too many people think that their comfortable lives are the result of their own hard work or intelligence. They are wrong. It is only the will of Elohim working in their lives. Elohim is sovereign and all things are his servants, to do his will. He does so because ultimately it will be a blessing to us. Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers, but because of this, he ended up being the governor of Egypt, a position which was to lead to the fulfillment of Elohim’s promises to Abraham.

Living a Christian life is not according to a set of rules. When we are baptized, we are a new creation, the old life has passed away. Renounce all forms of sin and self-centered living. Make a definite decision to get rid of the old life and take on the new in Messiah. Messiah has freed us from sin and we need to believe it and live that way. So everything we do is only Messiah working in us. Don't be like the people of this world, but let Elohim change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.( Rom 12:2).

We should start living by faith and not by sight. “To walk by faith, not by sight is one of the great - and difficult - principles of Christian living. It must amaze the angels that we life for, and serve, and are willing to die for a Elohim we have never seen. Yet we love Him, and live for Him, living by faith, not by sight. To walk by faith means to make faith part of every daily activity. Walking is nothing remarkable in itself; it is one of the more mundane aspects of life. But Elohim wants us to walk by faith” (David Guzik’s commentary). When we walk by sight we focus on the circumstances but when we walk by faith, we see Elohim at work.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of Elohim in Messiah Jesus concerning you.( 1Th 5:18 ). We should be thankful to Elohim for all that we have, for our spiritual blessings, for his mercies, His pardon, his grace, for the hope of eternal life, as well as for all earthly blessings.

Humble yourself before Elohim and He will lift you up. Moses was one of the most humble of men but Elohim lifted him up to be the deliverer of Israel. Humble yourself before Elohim and let him exalt you in His time. It is a wonderful gift of Elohim. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of Elohim, that he may exalt you in due time (1Pe 5:6). 
Meditate daily on the word of Yahweh. He will strengthen you by His Word. Do not let a day go by without reading some portion of Yahweh’s Word. Remember all the promises of Elohim. Take strength in them and rejoice in them. The Bible is full of the promises of Elohim. He has promised to answer your prayers, to supply all your needs, to guide you, guard you, protect you, never to leave you and care for you. Keep a close watch on your thoughts. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1Pe 5:8). The devil does not always attack us physically, he enters us through our thoughts. When faced with such evil thoughts, we should resist the devil and he will flee from us (Jas.4:7)

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.(Phil. 4:8).

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Maranatha Prayer Fellowship. # 311, Agarwal Chambers, King Koti, Hyderabad-500 001, A.P.India.
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