Once a person becomes a Christian the problem exists once the initial wave of enthusiasm passes, and it will, there is an inclination to settle into a kind of treadmill mentality. Once that excitement passes, life returns to dealing with the day to day pressures that surround us. So before any more steps are taken, we need to learn how to maintain momentum and stay charged. We must allow Christ to hold us accountable to staying true to living as Christ taught us to live. It is not easy to completely change from living as a sinner to living a “saintly” life. Old habits are difficult to break. Otherwise, we would have our weight under control and living much healthier lives. Our self-centered nature continues to want complete control. If we live to please Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to direct us, our chance of living a Christian life improves greatly.

Every morning read the Bible for daily instructions. Then, as if you were making a telephone call, ask God to guide you through His Spirit throughout the day. There are times you may sense there was no connection and will not call again until possibly meal time. Learn that it is you who breaks the connection because God never hangs up.

You may think: what advantage may I have if I continue to stay connected. I don’t need God to make decisions as I have been doing it all my life. May I suggest that before every decision you make, ask God: “God, what will the unintended consequence be if I make this decision”? Read what Scripture says.

John 15:5 & 7 – “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” “ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

You may think: God’s Spirit is with you every second and you are never disconnected. How much do you ignore the advantage of having Him with you at all times. It may be that you think of God being in Heaven, when in reality He is with you right now. Therefore, your problem may be one of not being perceptive. If Jesus were standing next to you every minute of the day, would you be talking to Him? Though God’s Spirit is invisible He is within you and you can neither see nor hear Him; you may block out that the Spirit of Christ is watching and hearing everything that happens. Do you wonder if He would forewarn you if you were about to make a mistake? If you never ask, you know He would never interfere, but allow you to decide whatever you want.

Here is what I have learned. Scripture says if I stay connected to Christ I will bear much fruit. However if I stay disconnected I cannot do God’s Will on my own. If I do God’s will I am promised tremendous blessings. It is a conditional promise requiring that I must live according to the guidance God has laid out. This means I must have a continual discourse with Christ through the Holy Spirit to have God’s promises fulfilled. I then must ask: is it worth living a holy life? It depends on what kind of a life I want to deal with. It does not mean I will never encounter any problems, just that I will have someone to talk me through them.

I have learned that many Christians are not willing to surrender, deny themselves and follow the principles that Christ taught. The world and what it offers is just too appealing to them. Yet, it seems that being a Christian they find little difference from the life they had prior to their conversion. That doesn’t mean they are not saved, just missing the blessings and possibly the fruits of the Spirit. Then again, it may be that I have not interpreted Scripture correctly as follows.
So if I “remain in me (Christ)” means if I believe Jesus is the Son of God, He is Lord and Savior and He is doing what God says, I will bear much fruit. The much fruit is found in Galatians 5:22 – 23 – “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Jesus tells us the only way to live a holy life is to stay next to Him as if you were a branch connected to a tree. If you don’t you may not receive the gifts of the Spirit. Once you have received the gifts of the Spirit, you can ask for anything and it will be given to you. Realize once you have the fruits of the Spirit you will be careful what you ask for. But rest assured, when tragedy strikes, as it sometimes will, the Holy Spirit is there to bring you through it as a learning experience to help you prepare for life’s circumstance. Always remember—God never hangs up and the Holy Spirit, through Christ, is our Connector!

Sometimes God gives us gifts that come wrapped in trials and serious problems. We never know the consequence until the gift is unwrapped. It can be His way of building our faith and trust in Him. However, no matter what life brings I want to know the Holy Spirit will bring me through it. I have had a few of those problem gifts. As long as I have Christ as my accountability partner all things will work out for the good.