To Job, his friends became strange and this greatly grieved him, making him familiarize himself with death and the grave which yielded some comfort to him(Job 17 vs 10-16) What an irony!
How do your friends feel around you – Comfortable or Uncomfortable? Who are you before and behind your friend – the true friend or the backstabbing friend? What are the emotions that run through your mind towards your friend – jealousy, strife, hatred, love, support, mutual respect etc. As a believer, we should make things better not worse for our fellow friends. And until we build up our character as a Christian/Believer, we’re not true disciples of Jesus. To be a believer/christian doesn’t necessarily mean you exhibit the true character of Christ, as there are many who claim to be christians, yet are corrupt, crafty, shrewd, gossips, liars, yet steal , backstabbers, adulterers, deceptive, and all other vices that does not reflect the character of Christ. You might be thinking how do I make changes, or what do I do with my life (having fallen short to any of the above vices) The only way to dispell this is through the help of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit changes a person inside out through Regeneration (new birth- which we already have through our salvation) and Sanctification (continuous renewal of mind and changing one’s behavior and attitudes in alignment with God’s holiness). Whilst our focus will be on the latter, which is the second conversion, 2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV (And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit) And Ephesians 4:23 ESV (and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds)are some scriptures that highlights transformation of our Spirit man.
Having been regenerated through faith, we must also deliberately sanctify ourselves through prayers, study of the word and alignment to the leadership of the Holy Spirit to archive a radical transformation of our spirit man. Living a Christian life is demanding and it requires a deliberate consistent effort to be well rooted in Christ. As God expects us to be responsible stewards of not just our gifts but also of our character.
Being a true christian is allowing the Holy Spirit scrutinize the intentions behind our actions. And until we have this revelation and apply it, we are not yet fully transformed. We must be accountable 1st to God and then to other believers.
And yet as a nonbeliever, you might be thinking how would I fit in, not to worry, there’s still hope for you because it is for this reason that Christ died on the cross. Hence, you just have to call on the name of the Lord, confess his lordship with your mouth and believe with your heart that you are saved.
You can do this by making the below confession :-
Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus, your word says whoever calls on the name of the Lord and confesses Jesus as his Lord and believes in his heart that He was raised from the dead will be saved. (Roms 10 vs 9-13). I call on your name Jesus and I confess you as my Lord . I believe that you were raised from the dead to pay for my sins and I thank you for doing that for me. Now I know I’m saved in Jesus name amen)
Shalom 🕊️
Bimpe Lawal