Signposts to becoming a better believer

This days, it is easy for believers to forget the kind of people God expect them to be when they become satisfied with the title of a believer more than the progressive work that should continue in the life of a believer as long as they live. No doubt, every now and then, we feel the nudging of the holy spirit of God in us to get better, either in our walk with God, in our prayer life, love toward others or evangelism etc. But it is left for the believer to move in the same direction as the holy spirit, to experience a remarkable change and witness spiritual growth.

In this post, I just want to give four quick highlights that serve as signposts to becoming a better believer. They include;

1. The things we feed on
2. The friends we keep
3. The people we listen to
4. The things we do

The Things we Feed on

In a technology driven world where the internet has taken over, it is becoming almost impossible not to feed on something each day. what is even more interesting is that, even the internet and social media platforms are capable of showing us those things that may be of interest to us based on our previous or mostly carried out activities. That means, if you have been seeing a particular kind of content stalking you over the internet, it perhaps, means you’ve been interacting with them lately, or at least, things related to them.

Colossians 3:16 admonishes, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…” But for the word to dwell richly in us, we first need to feed on the word. Becoming a better believer therefore entails looking into the word of God daily and meditating on it. That is where we see all that Christ has in store for us, and like Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:18, as we keep looking at the word, “[we] are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Feeding on God’s word is essential, in that it helps regulate the believers mind, guide their discretion and subsequently help them make better choices in their day to day activity with good judgment.

The second signpost is;

The Friends we Keep

Relationships are very important in life, and one way or the other, we relate with people all around us. The believer’s relationship with fellow believers is equally important for spiritual growth because, like the Bible say, iron sharpens iron. But what if the circle of friends a believer keep is such that make them lose their spiritual sharpness? Becoming a better believer will therefore means, choosing those friends that help you retain your godliness. Friends that don’t try to devalue your love for God or make you love Him less. When the people we make our close acquaintance do not hold the standard of godliness as much as we do, and don’t take the word of God as seriously, they pull us down. The friends we keep should challenge us to come up higher and not bring us down to a low level spiritual state they are comfortable with.

Keep friends that will not make you lose your focus

Before a believer misses it, he first loses focus. When our friends become insensitive to the spirit of God in their own lives, they may become detractors.

“Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)” – Philippians 3:17-19

Friends that always try to make light the good things of God we take serious are no good for the believer. They can do this subtly or jokingly, but however it is done, know it.

Friends that get irritated or become uncomfortable when we start talking about spiritual things, or friends we learn nothing from or that always engage us with time wasting activities are equally no good.

Focus is very important in life, and more importantly for a believer. But it is a skill that must be learnt. A believer without focus is like a ship left on the waters all by itself to be tossed by the waves. It is the will of God that the believer stand for the truth which they have believed, not for everything. Jude 1:3 admonishes that we should, “…earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

The People we Listen to

When we feed on God’s word, it helps us learn how to redeem the time by discerning the things that are relevant and those that are not. Unfortunately, some believers want to listen to everybody, as long as they have something to say. It is good to listen, but important to know who we listen to. Every word that is deposited in us is like a seed that has the potential to grow and become something big. The more reason why the people we listen to matters.

Ephesians 5:15-16
“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

Not everyone who has the know-how to use words, who has the looks of a commander, who is a motivational speaker or an orator, has the right thing to say. The heart is the enemies target, and as the Psalmist said, “If the foundation is destroyed, what can the righteous do?” So we have to choose who we permit to deposit something into our life, and take our time for that matter because the devil also wants to deposit some evil seed in the believer’s heart, and if he is permitted, he will.

“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. But his delight is in the law of the Lord ; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” — Psalm 1:1-2

The Things we Do

The believer who want to be someone with value in the sight of God is one that is conscious of what he does when behind closed doors, not what other people thinks he is doing. It is the believer that seek ways to constantly add value to his life through personal training on focus, study of God’s word, honesty, prayer and integrity.

It is a believer that detest the word ‘Average’ and will never settle for less. It is the believer that is more concerned with his own life and will take responsibility for his shortcomings. It is the believer that want his action approved before God and not before men. He is not a busy body in other men’s matter and he removes first the beam in his own eyes before he tries to remove the moth in his brother’s eyes. It is the believer that is true to himself, who will be approved of God.

Conclusion

Being a believer is more that just a name. More so, becoming a better one is in constantly seeking ways to add value to our spiritual life through feeding on God’s word, meditation and obedience to what it teaches. Keeping healthy friends and relationships, listening to the right people and taking sound advice as well as being conscious of our life both in public or secret.

With all that is been said, the holy spirit in the life of the believer plays a major role in making their life better only when they continue to respond positively to his nudging along the way. I hope this signposts will help you become a better believer.

2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”