Category: The Christian Life

Should a Christian Celebrate Halloween?

“Be holy, for I Am Holy” (1 Peter 1:16). “Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11, NLT).

As a child, we received God’s blessing of growing up in a Christian home. My mother gave us the simple, but profound explanation that Halloween did not honor God, and we live to honor and obey God.

From a spiritual perspective, there is no reason to offer an alternative to Halloween, in the attempt to pacify children. God expects parents to teach their children the difference between what is Holy and unholy.

The Steadfast Decision is ours to Choose: Compromised Christianity, or Receiving Our Crown of Life.

“Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.” (2 Corinthians 6:17, NLT).

“Real Impact Comes When We Shift From My Plans to God’s Purpose”

Sanctification is the lifelong spiritual process of Spiritual Growth and Character Transformation necessary to receive our reward of Eternal Life.

The difference between unbelievers and believers is that we love God. And we demonstrate it by surrendering ourselves every day in prayer, asking for His Divine Plans to be revealed, and for the spiritual strength to obey and fulfill His plans.

Peace and Blessings

https://youtube.com/shorts/HND9IEWQuSU?si=qlbpK85_M6w752US

Jesus, Our Loving Shepherd

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. (Psalm 95:6-7).

With deep reflection, I began to think about the relationship between sheep and their shepherd. We can learn from the animals who consistently demonstrate love, loyalty, and obedience to their shepherd.

“Sheep behave with loyalty, recognition, and trust toward their shepherd, responding to their voice, scent, and presence, which signals food, safety, and care.”

“Their behavior includes following the shepherd, calming in their presence, recognizing their unique traits, and learning routines associated with their herder.”

“This bond is built on the shepherd’s consistent provision of resources and protection.”

Following and Guidance:
“Sheep will follow their shepherd willingly, knowing that the shepherd provides food, water, and guidance for their well-being.”

I began to think about our relationship with Jesus, our Loving Shepherd who desires to provide for us and protect us from Satan, our enemy. Yet, we must willingly choose to follow Jesus.

Our Greatest Challenge: We inherited hearts overflowing with desires that rebel against God’s plans for our lives.

It is easier to pursue our desires than to surrender in faithful obedience and follow our Shepherd.

Ask yourself, “What is keeping me from following Jesus, my Shepherd?”

Set aside some alone time to think about the desires, habits, and pursuits preventing you from making the commitment to become a faithful follower.

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me…” (John 10:14).

Jesus reminds us that He knows the pure motives of His sheep. They are the Believers who abide in Him by maintaining a heart-to-heart relationship through daily surrender.

The Characteristics of Faithful Sheep

Through daily personal worship, we consecrate ourselves utilizing Jesus’ prayer to His Father, Not my will, but Your will be done.” (Luke 22:42).

When our hearts are converted, we readily surrender ourselves to worship God in Spirit and Truth. Love and loyalty for our Shepherd is demonstrated by intentional obedience, which is our highest act of worship to God.

As time slips rapidly into eternity, we are confronted with the choice, Who will I follow? Jesus, or myself?

Our Triumphant King’s promise: “…Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the Crown of life. (Revelation 2:10).

The behaviors of the righteous: Follow Jesus, renounce sin, relinquish your desires, and prepare daily for His Soon Coming.

“Commit everything you do to the Lord [YAHWEH]. Trust Him, and He will help you.” (Psalm 37:5, NLT).

Lord God, thank You for giving us freedom from a sin debt that left us spiritually bankrupt. Jesus, You are our Shepherd, we give ourselves to You. Lead us, correct us, protect us, and cleanse us from the unrighteousness of our heart’s desires. With praise and faithful obedience, we thank You, God, and lift Your Name on High for the gift of Jesus. We ask this prayer in Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.

© 2025 STEPS 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions Ministry

Through Christ, We Celebrate Freedom from Sin

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” —2 Corinthians 5:17

All praises and glory to Jesus, our Savior, who redeemed us from the ravages of sin. Because of Christ’s great devotion, love, and loyalty to humanity, as evidenced by the sacrificial gift of His life, every day, we are covered with Grace and receive abundant Mercies.

God’s love did not stop at Redemption. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus reveals that faithful and obedient believers will receive the reward of Eternal Life. Yes, we know how the Amazing Story ends: a perfect life in the New Heaven and New Earth.

Our God-given Gifts: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].” (2 Timothy 1:7, Amplified Bible).

Winning The Fight to Stay Free

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1).

To follow Christ requires total sacrifice. More than human effort is needed to live as Victorious Overcomers. It is the Holy Spirit, AKA The Spirit of Truth, who empowers us to stay on the Path of Righteousness. Our role in the Plan of Redemption is to dedicate ourselves each morning with the prayer to do God’s will.

“For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do” (Galatians 5:17).

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (James 1:14). Yes, we inherited hearts always gravitating toward wrongdoing, still, Jesus created us with the ability to fight for our spiritual freedom from the chains of sin by praying for Divine strength and using self-control.

Satan cannot use coercion to make us sin; it is always a willing choice to sin against God. Every day, we face the external opposition of temptations, but our greatest battle is the internal conflict between following our heart’s desires and staying loyal to Christ.

Not only do we have the power to say “No” to all temptations, but when Satan attempts to deceive us with stealth moves, the Holy Spirit warns us that we are facing covert deception. The hesitation and the uncomfortable feeling inside are from the Holy Spirit. Immediately remove yourself from the temptation.

When tempted by another person, immediately cease the conversation by stating, I love and serve God. The longer we listen to deception, we become weakened, and our chances of saying no become impossible. If fighting an internal desire, immediately get on your knees and pray. It doesn’t matter who sees us, pray!

Many people feel, based on their personal experience, that it’s too hard to be a Christian, so they return to a life of sin. So let’s look at Christianity from God’s Perspective using Biblical God’s Truth.

  1. “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (John 6:46 ). The Christian journey is one of humility, surrender, and faithful obedience. In Jeremiah 29:11, God tells us He has predetermined plans for our lives.
  2. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:2). Our mind is divided, we attend church, but the majority of our thoughts are on fulfilling our desires, so we chase success and prosperity.

Truthfully, I have never heard of an unbeliever complaining by saying, It’s hard being an unbeliever. Their minds are not divided. Unbelievers are focused on their goals and will do whatever is necessary to achieve them. Yes, Sin is enticing, but the bondage is devastating!

The reason we cannot devote ourselves fully to Christ is that we also want what we want. But a believer who does not follow God’s plans reveals that their heart is unconverted. To receive spiritual growth and transformation requires humility, faith, and obedience.

Loving God means fulfilling His desires. This is our greatest obstacle to enjoying spiritual freedom through Jesus Christ. We must love God more than ourselves. God defines truth and error, and right and wrong.

Without Biblical knowledge of the Scriptures, Satan easily manipulates our minds to feel that God is withholding the best from us. It is Satan who has introduced the erroneous beliefs of the middle road, an imaginary gray area in serving God.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

We embrace spiritual freedom by letting go of worldviews and secularism by renouncing the darkness of sinful pleasures. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Every day, we practice boundaries against breaking governmental and state laws, and adhere to the employer’s policies. If we can use self-control to live as law-abiding citizens, then through the power of Jesus Christ, we can live righteously. Salvation is free, but Jesus paid our sin debt, so God, the Father, requires that we follow and obey our Shepherd.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:10-12).

Yes, we are warriors in the relentless battle against sin that will last until Jesus comes. Staying on the Path of Righteousness is the toughest challenge we will ever face in our lives! Prayer is our weapon, use it frequently!

“The fear [reverence] of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble” (Proverbs 19:23, NIV). Consecrating our minds and bodies to serve God is the only way we can live righteously in this continuous fight against Satan and his evil angels.

From possessing the mindset, “I will not sin against God,” all of heaven engages to help us in our fight against all temptations.

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, NIV).

Jesus Christ is a Mighty Warrior! We are never alone. Through the Holy Spirit, we have total access to Jesus’ Divine Power, 24/7. Help is only a prayer away. Jesus promises, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

“I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust’ ” (Psalm 91:2)

The Prayer of Consecration: “Lord God, I want what You want for me. And I desperately need Your help to think and live a holy life pleasing to You. In Jesus’ Righteous Name, Amen.”  

Prayers of humility and surrender asking for help are answered immediately! Through studying the Scriptures and praying, we invite the Holy Spirit to speak to us with powerful words of Divine guidance and encouragement. We can never become entangled in the bondage of sin when we maintain our connection with Christ through personal worship.

Live one day at a time. If we continue striving with courage and in the power of our Triumphant King, Jesus Christ, we have the guarantee of receiving our Greatest Reward of a Forever Life when our Triumphant King Jesus comes again. Hallelujah, Yes, and Amen!

Lord God, we surrender ourselves to become faithful followers and disciples of Jesus Christ. We pray for strength, guidance, wisdom, and the steadfast faith to overcome internal desires and the external opposition of temptation. We claim the victory in the Powerful Name of Jesus, and ask this prayer in our Mighty Warrior’s Name, Amen.

© 2025 STEPS 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions Ministry