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How do we know that we are Christians?

We walk around every day telling people that God is in our lives, but is He really? Do we ever think of the things we do every day that glorify Him? When you skip church to go to the movies, when you decide to get on the computer instead of read your bible, when you go to the mall instead doing quiet time, when you spend your money on clothes that God looks at and is disgusted-how are we glorifying Him? He created this world, but man created his own version of it. A world that says if you're not a size two you're not beautiful. If you don't have amazing abs you're not handsome. A world that tells you that drugs and alcohol are okay-and doing them during school makes you cool. This world makes you think less of yourself. Teens commit suicide every day because they aren't up to what the world wants them to be. Why is this happening? It's not because God is not in their lives…it's because the God that they know is so sugar coated that they begin to think just because I go to church once a week, sit in the front, and listen to every word I'm saved. Going isn't what saves you. Raising your hands in worship isn't what saves you. Praying nice long wordy prayers aren't what saves you. Making your heart as pure as your mind is in that moment, that's what saves you. God can't control our hearts, if He could there would be no such thing as atheists…but God can look into our hearts and see where it is: if it's in the world, or if it's in His hands. We say we surrender our lives to God, but how much are we surrendering? When we say surrender in a war we mean ok, we are giving up, you win. When you surrender to God are you giving everything to Him? Are you giving your eyes to Him? Your ears to Him? Your thoughts to Him? What are you really giving Him? We are supposed to be giving it all, but do we really? How often do you go home from church and cuss at traffic the entire way? How often do we get home from church and turn on HBO and watch a movie that has impurity, drugs, and alcohol? We call ourselves Christians and we do or watch the very things that God finds disgusting. Why? To fit in with "the world" that man has made, not the world that God has made. This generation can be saved. Not saying "Lord Lord" but making everything, including where we walk, what we speak, what we hear, and who our hearts beat for-making these things for God and God alone-that's what will save this generation.

Matthew 7:13-29 (NIV)

¹³ "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. ¹⁵ "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.²¹ "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly,²³'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' ²⁴ "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹ because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.