"Practice what you Preach"

So most of my followers should know by now that I am a follower of Jesus Christ. I am a Christian...yes a "practicing Christian". I wanted to bring up that phrase because it concerns me when someone says "Oh you're a practicing Christian?", my first thoughts are "If what you mean by 'practicing' is striving to live a life pleasing to the Lord and a life that is not of this world, than shouldn't all Christians that call themselves a Christian be practicing that? If you're not a "practicing" Christian, you might want to figure out what it is that your life is "practicing". I looked up the word practice in the dictionary and came up with this definition - commit: engage in or perform. Living your life for Christ is a commitment and a lifestyle. Yes we fail at times, but the great thing is that there is repentance. Repentance is not just asking for forgiveness, it's turning away from your sin. Christianity is not just a title to give yourself.

&&to some of my friends and acquaintances...I tell you this because I fear for your lives. I fear that if your lifestyle is not one that is pleasing to Christ, well maybe you haven't given your whole life to Christ? He wants all of you. He deserves all of you. I am in no way a perfect Christian and it's true I sin far too much and I hate it. Like I mentioned earlier, there is repentance and sin is no longer what I live for. If Christ wasn't in me, I know I would be doing way worse things than I am now. I know a lot of people like to use the term "Once saved, always saved". Some people translate that as: "I said the prayer once so I can do whatever I want and I'll always be saved." But one thing my pastor says is "Once saved, always changed". I love you and I am praying for you all!

Ephesians 4:22-24
"to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self,created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

Galatians 2:19-21
“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Colossians 3:1-17
"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."