It all starts in his heart, and it's the same in our Christian life. How much do you want to walk? How seriously do you want to be strong? How much do you want to be free from sin? You may say, "Well, I have a weakness in this particular area." Or, "I'm not very strong here." But it all starts in your heart.
When coaches of championship ball teams are asked the most important ingredient in a good player, they say it again and again, "it's the heart, it's not the skill level." Many people are born with natural skill but don't have heart so they never develop themselves to their full potential.
I believe it's the same way in Christianity. Young people raised in church have a natural tendency to do Christian things. But they often don't have a heart that really desires to compete and to grow. They don't have the spirit and determination to get up and walk.
First John says:
But if we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.What does it really mean to walk in the light as He is in the light? God needs Christians to start living like Jesus.
(1 John 1:7)
How desperately do you want to live like Him? If you need to, ask the Lord to change your heart. If you're finding that a spirit of determination is not in you, maybe you're over-familiarized with Christianity. Are you like that athlete born with natural talent but who doesn't have the heart to really want to win a championship?
Do you know the things to do, but don't have the drive to really want to grow? Ask God to change your heart. Ask Him to give you the heart of a child to really want to get up and walk.
Take three minutes right now to memorize 1 John 1:7. Write it on an index card and carry it with you all day today. Pull it out throughout the day today and meditate on it.
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