20 Commitments for Growing Your Faith and Becoming a Better Christian (Part 1 of 4)

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to faith, growth, and victory. Life is filled with challenges that can easily keep you from living a life of discipleship, spiritual growth, and happiness. To get to the heart of the matter, we surveyed several Christians from all walks of life and arrived at 20 commitments that addressed their concerns. Now you can use what we discovered to affirm your faith and grow closer to God.

Learning to Forgive

Forgiveness is difficult, especially when you have been deeply hurt or when someone hurt you intentionally. But having a forgiving heart is what God requires of us (Matthew 6:14-15). Consider this: you make mistakes, right? You want God to forgive you of your sins, right? Then it's only fair that you should extend the same forgiveness you desire of God, to others

Best of all, the act of forgiving those who have sinned against us (Matthew 6:12) is a gift you can and should give freely. A simple text message, email, or social media message that says a sincerely "I forgive" is all it takes. From there the healing, growth, and blessings can begin.

Attending Church Regularly

God never intended for you to live a Christian life alone. You were made to fellowship in good faith. More importantly, regularly attending church shows your commitment to Christ, both to yourself and to God. Going to church is like going to the gym. You don't deserve or expect your health to improve if you don't go. But when you go routinely, the results are noticeable to you and to others.

The relationships you foster at church also offer accountability in your faith walk, and you should also provide encouragement to your church family. It's easy to find excuses to keep you from attending church. The key is to make it a part of your weekly routine and hold yourself accountable. Don’t let small things hinder your attendance or church participation. "Bedside Baptist" is one church you don't want to be a regular, attending member of. Show God and your church family how much you love them by praising The Father in His place of worship each week.

Praying Daily

Would you go a full day without communicating with your spouse, child, parent, best friend, or even your pet? Of course not. So how crazy does it sound to not be communicating with God every day? Yet, most Christians would admit they could and need to pray more.

Prayer is your way of communicating with God. And when you intentionally take the time to pray regularly, you're showing God your commitment to Him. Just like any relationship, the more you put into it, the closer you grow together. Prayer also brings a sense of peace in your life. Share more of your life with your Father. That includes the good times, the hard times, and every time you need to bring something to the Father's attention.

Being More Generous

Some people are blessed with more than others, but we have the choice to share what we have with those less fortunate and with initiatives in need of resources to start or maintain their mission. Everyone has something to give; whether time, talent, or treasure.

God calls all His children to share their gifts. Giving is one of the ways you can show Christ's love to others. And when you give, you're not only blessing the recipient but yourself as well. Take a moment to ask yourself – can I do more? The answer is "yes."

Letting God Lead

When you embrace Jesus as Savior, you also proclaim Him to be Lord of your life. As Lord, God's will and way must govern how you live. But letting God lead means you have to be willing to follow. That includes listening when He speaks to you and most importantly trusting what He has planned for your life.

Truly letting God lead can be demanding for even the most faithful Christian. So don't feel disheartened if and when you fall short. Try thinking back to the times when you followed in faith and things turned better than you could have ever imagined. That was no one else but God moving, leading, protecting, and working things out for your good. So if He's done it time and time again, you should feel confident that He will continue to do it. Let God lead your life.

There's no time like the present to make lasting commitments to Christ. Making changes and especially spiritual commitments is not an easy task, but the results are well worth it. Start by finding assistance to increase your commitment to Christ. Connect with your friends, family, prayer partners, or ministry leaders to be a support system in your efforts to do more for God.

Stay tuned for the next installment of our 4-part commitment series. Until then, feel free to share your efforts to grow your faith and become a better Christian.