Stay on Target

Living the Christian life is a struggle sometimes. We can still get bogged
down in sin. We still act like the “old us” sometimes. Some days we do or say
something dumb and the guilt follows us around for days or weeks. Sometimes when
people find out about or see us make bad choices, even those we consider our
Christian friends look at us like, “Did you really become a Christian?” That is
not how God looks at us. No one can separate a person from Christ once the
relationship has begun. Don’t believe me? Check out the Bible.

Open to Romans 8:37-39. Read those
verses a couple of times. Let them sink in real deep.

Did you catch the first part of verse 38? Nothing can separate us. There
isn’t an action, word, sin, or person who can snatch us from the hand of God
once the relationship has begun. You rest in God’s hand because of God’s great
love for you and your decision to ask Him into your life a few weeks ago. You
cannot be separated from God.

What does this mean? Should we just do whatever we want? No way! We know how
that ends up. (Besides we are new creations, remember the verse you are
memorizing 2 Corinthians 5:17 –
quote it now!) We don’t want to go back to the chronic guilt and pain and
despair of our pasts. We live in a new life. When we sin, we ask forgiveness and
move forward. We cannot be separated from God’s forgiveness.

Sometimes we may feel distant from God. Thankfully our relationship with God
is not based on our emotions.

If you feel distant from God, start asking some questions like:

Am I allowing something (a sin, a person, a goal) to be more important to me
than God?

Am I slacking off on my prayer time or reading the Bible?

Am I spending too little time with other Christians?

It is also helpful to have an accountability partner or mentor help you to
answer these questions. No matter the answers, keep living for Jesus. Do not
think God has given up on you. That is not ever going to happen!

Take a few minutes and talk to God. Thank Him for your secure salvation.
Thank Him for His forgiveness. Ask Him to help you to stay on the right path.