Walk down the spiritual path

We have heard so much about Christianity but do we really stop to consider why so many are turning to this faith?Personally I have seen several positive changes instigated by this faith in people’s lives and the society as a whole. The Christian faith is founded on Jesus Christ, a man who some two thousand years ago walked the earth spreading the Kingdom of God through teaching, conversion and baptism. He engraved God’s laws on people’s hearts and long after his ascension to heaven; his ministry is alive and expanding across the world. A man called Saul was intent on fighting the Christian faith by persecuting and killing its followers but all that changed when he met Jesus’ power on the way to Damascus. He was brought to his knees in one short experience and his will became sorely to spread the gospel (Acts chapter 22). This is what is happening in so many people’s lives today. Though some shun the power of Jesus, there are several testimonies of people who, like Saul, were on their way to doom but upon accepting this faith and its power became totally changed for the better. I am talking about inner healing, self-acceptance and total change of will and direction. Man is naturally endowed with the potential of reasoning, common sense and conscience to direct him in decision making and enable him fit morally into the society. These features are common to all Human beings and constitute sanity but if tampered with, may culminate to moral or mental disorder (insanity). The human mental and moral capacity is developed by one’s environment. In the prime of life one gets some informal education from the family and society and later enrolls in school where they acquire survival skills as well as social ethics. Shrewd parents will take their children to church in a bid to give them a positive view of life by teaching them moral values where the society lacks. The church does its best but moral values based on biblical stories do not hold water when the society does not uphold them. From the looks of it, social values are no longer anything to go by, because most societies have lost their values as they focus on ‘more important things’ Material prosperity, peer pressure and social classes are some of the superficial things that society has replaced with morality and the Bible calls them ‘the lusts of the flesh’. With everyone preoccupied by wealth acquisition and gaining social status, there’s hardly time for genuine social interaction let alone Christian fellowship. However this has its consequences, some are getting gobbled up by this worldliness that they realize too late they have lost their moral values and start clinging to others’ approval. As a result most have turned to drugs, promiscuity and other social malpractices to ‘enjoy’ life. These short-term pleasures of the world feel good but they are terribly damaging the society. I will not go into details of the health and moral impacts of excessive indulgence and drug abuse; you only need to look at a drug addict to see that. The worst harm is inflicted on oneself and on God because His spirit dwells in our hearts hence our bodies are His temples (1 Corinthians 3:16). Some of us have so worked so hard to attain success in education, career and family. However success is not all that is required to be a productive member of the society. One needs virtues of love, honesty, peacefulness, self-control and patience to be morally upright and these can only be obtained from the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). The Holy Spirit is God’s power manifested in us and comes through salvation. When one commits their life to Christ by getting saved, the line between right and wrong becomes clearer. Christianity is not the ‘holier than thou’ façade portrayed by some, but a gradual growth process that requires a lot of commitment, sacrifice and humility. Apostle Paul- probably the world’s most successful Christian-still struggled with the human nature in Romans 7:19 “for the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” Fortunately he finds a way to deal with this frustration in Galatians 5:16-18”I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. {17} for the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. {18} But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” In conclusion I would like to encourage Christians to be exemplary by taking their faith to the limits. It is difficult at times but God invites us to take just one step towards him and He’ll take the remaining 99. All we need is to accept His saving power through His son Jesus Christ. In His own words He says “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). In other words we have to depend on Him while working hard to perfect our faith. Ends