~Experience~
Just like the example I talked about in the first post about quality, I believe the more experience you have in your walk with Christ the more you will love Him. Again, this could be the opposite
effect and experience can take you down a path of decaying desire and loss of
interest. But God never stops working, even if we stop. Over the course of my
walk with Christ, He has continued to show me Himself in many situations and
events. He has shown me His power and love in my marriage, my friendships, my
family and just people in general. In my opinion, the more you experience
Christ and his work in your life, the more you will pursue Him and you walk
will maintain a higher level of quality.
~Journaling~
Believe it or not, before Christ got a hold of my life I was
not one to read or write. I had no desire to read a book or write for that
matter. But over the course of the last year, the processes of reading and
writing have become one of my most powerful tools in having a higher quality
Christian walk. You would never see me taking notes in Church; you would never
see me caught with a book in my hands. I think I can honestly say though that
this is the new norm for me. As though it is some kind of weakness to be
caught dead with a book or known for writing. These men have a completely wrong
idea of true weakness and strength. I have learned so much and have a powerful
back log of keeping a journal from the Sunday sermons. I keep a section in the
back of my journal specifically for Manturity blog ideas. I use these tools of
reading and writing to learn more, to understand more and to have a the highest
quality of understanding possible. These things have worked for me immensely
and I would highly recommend all men considering these tools while they excel
in their walk with Christ.
~Accountability~
In a recent blog post titled “The Job”; I talked about
maintaining an accountability partner. Someone who knows what you have been
through and someone you can talk about anything with. The idea of
accountability in this instance is ways to keep you accountable. I have a
reminder set on my phone at the end of each month titled “Battle Plan Check”.
It reminds me about my past and the way things were. It reminds me to stay
faithful and don’t turn back to my old ways. I try to stay involved in reading
a new book or following up on a really good classic. I am always trying to come
up with new ideas for the Manturity blog. I try to spend some time in prayer
each day. These are just a few ways I keep myself accountable. These things
help me from turning back to my old habits and ways. They also help me maintain
a high level of quality!
~Desire~
For men, Desire is a constant issue. We are so susceptible
to the false desires of this world. The sex, the drugs, the music, the fame,
the “image” and more. I have done a series on Desire in the past because it was
one of the main topics when I started my walk with Christ. Psalm 37:4, is one
of my favorite verses and it says “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will
give you the desires or your heart.” Going back to the example in the first
post about quality, a man can either maintain his desire for Christ or he can
lose his desire over time. Knowing this idea, I have to always be mindful of
where my hearts desire is and make sure it is in line with the desires of
Christ. A great way to look at desire is to not ask God what YOU desire, but
rather what would God have you desire. This is not a normal way of thinking,
but it is the correct way of thinking, Pray for God to show you the desires of
your heart and it will change your life. Take some time to research more about
desire, live it out in your life each day and watch your life change.
These are just a few ideas of how to maintain a quality walk
with Christ, I’m sure I could go more in depth and talk about many more ideas,
but I would love to hear your ideas instead. Can you relate with these ideas or
not? What is your experience as a new or old Christian? What has helped you
have a high quality walk with Christ?
