How to Avoid Being a Miserable Christian

Greetings,

Here are 5 terrible habits I used to have that kept me from having a healthy relationship with God and a happy life.

1. I Wouldn’t Read My Bible

If you never spend time in the word of God, you’ll never be able to improve spiritually or better understand your faith.

Set a daily specific time to read the Bible.

Just be sure the time you choose works best for you and that you won’t be halfway falling asleep during it.

Even if it’s only 5 minutes, it’s better to give God our best in a short period of time than it is to read for a long period time while not actually being present with Him.

2. I Wasn’t Serving Anyone but Myself

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20‬:‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If you have a church home, it’s almost a guarantee that they need help in some shape or capacity.

Check out the different ministries you could serve in (just make sure you pick one you can actually help in).

In other words - If God didn’t bless you with a beautiful voice, but he made you great with numbers, maybe help your church with finance instead of singing in the choir!

Now you don’t just have to focus on serving in church. You can start by serving the people in your own home. Your neighbors, classmates, friends, or coworkers.

Serving someone could simply look like

“Hey is there anything I can pray about for you?”

3. I Wouldn’t Spend Time in Prayer.

“Never stop praying.” ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ NLT

If you never pray to God, you’ll never be able to build a healthy relationship with him.

It’s also pretty tough to get the answers you’re looking for if you never ask HIM the questions.

Remember closed mouths don’t get fed.

4. I Would Skip Church and Avoid Community

Without church attendance or a Christian community, it is extremely difficult to grow in the faith.

Isolation is needed at times, but God says a city on a hill cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14).

He also says

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭27‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It’s nearly impossible to understand scripture without any spiritual leaders to break down the word for you.

So find a local church or Christian group in your city.

Or at least try to find some Christian friends.

You can use social media to find Christians in your area or to join online Bible Studies!

5. I Would Never Fast.

You can miss out on opportunities to grow insanely closer to God and break free from cycles of sin If you don’t fast.

If you’ve never fasted before,

You could start out by skipping 1 meal and dedicating that time to the Lord.

Consult with your physician before proceeding.

You can also fast from social media, video games, etc.!

The point is to focus more on God instead of our daily distractions.

6. I Would Never Memorize Scripture.

If you never memorize scripture, you’ll likely never be able to quote scripture in the midst of temptation to help you overcome it.

One easy way to memorize scripture is to read a verse 10 times over and then say it aloud 10 times without reading it.

Repeat until you can quote it with ease.

Circle back and do it again the next day until you feel as though it’s locked in that awesome brain of yours.

Imagine if you just memorized 1 verse a week…

That’s 52 verses a year!

Don’t be lazy.

I pray you learn from my mistakes and become the best version of yourself you can be.

It all starts with Jesus.

In Christ,

MTH