So! You are a Christian! What does that mean? You might respond, "It means I’ve joined a particular church". Some will say, "I’ve been born again". If you are in fact a Christian, both answers are appropriate. But neither really explains what it means to be a Christian.

Perhaps that is precisely the clutter hindering a spiritual movement across the land. Perhaps we spend too much time trying to explain the concept rather than exemplifying it by Christian conduct. Please remember that the people who watch you attend church on Sunday are the same people who watch you outside the walls of the church building on Monday. They aren’t interested in the Sunday songs they are looking for the authentic Godly traffic pattern in your life. The sad fact is that much of what is done through our lives drowns out the melody of Sunday.

Every believer should desire to walk and talk the Christian lifestyle. Sometimes the world gets in the way with its many-sided attacks upon Christian morality. We are tempted to disallow our Christian faith by way of what ears hear and eyes see. We end up doing what Paul wrote in his letter to the Roman Christians. He wrote, "For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate" (7:15). Lifestyle witnessing underscores one’s mouth witness.

There are some principles in life that I believe enhances personal performance. That means believer’s actions and words in the persona life should magnify the faith professed by the mouth. I’m in the process of developing a seminar for the purpose of challenging the Lord’s people to perform like Christians in their everyday life instead of resembling the lost world around them. When completed it will be taught at Galilee 1st Baptist in Gloster and then if or/and where the Lord opens doors.

Today’s devotion is an overview of what it will possible look like when completed. This whole study is based upon a simple proposition, "Christian faithfulness requires personal willingness!" When individual aren’t willing to practice practical principles of the faith, no one can help them.

Good advertisement writing skills requires four basic w’s: who, what, when, where! These fundamental writing principles can be utilized in viewing Principles For Personal Performance.

First, Know Who You Are! This is very elementary. At first glance you might wonder if this is at all important. We all know who we are. Name, address, phone number, Social Security number, our whole pedigree can be spit out quickly.

But the thought goes much deeper than knowing these before mentioned facts. It has to do with one’s knowledge of a relationship with God. How sure are you that death on earth will result in you being present in Heaven? You hope? You think you are ready? You’ve never killed anyone therefore you must be ready?

There are two admonitions which can only be sighted at this point. The first is Be Confident in your salvation. Be sure of your salvation.

Once you know salvation is secured, Be Conscience of your salvation experience. Live moment by moment with this conscience awareness. It will keep you out of a lot of trouble.

Second, Know What Is Your Purpose In Kingdom Living. You aren’t an accident. Even if your parents didn’t plan your birth, the Father knew you before you were conceived.

Third, Know Where To Best Utilize Your Spiritual Gifts. Don’t try to plug your life into a place for which you are not gifted.

Finally, Know When To Let Your Light Shine. When shined at the wrong time in the wrong place in the wrong way defeats the light’s purpose.

As Christians, we are called upon to service while in this world. Let’s do it properly!

Some recent events making the news are sad reports of individuals and groups gone wild. Repeatedly shown on television news channels were videoed accounts of young girls beating other girl. These reports depicted the harsh brutality of the girls toward their victims.

Some few months back the world witnessed young children being shown fighting. They were like wise video taped and put on a website. The children were encouraged along by cursing swearing adults using derogatory slang language.

We have also witnessed numerous reports in recent days of child abductions, mates murdering mates, crowded divorce courts, drive by shootings, gang related crimes, and other crimes too numerous to mention here. Entertainers seem to be inventing new ways to try and shock decent people with their nudity and free swinging lifestyles.

Our towns, villages, and rural countryside is now infested with drugs. Young, as well as older, minds are bring ruined by inserting momentary highs with devastating emotional lows.

An anchor woman on Fox T. V. had an interview with a specialist in female activities. While showing the clips of the girls brutality, she asked the question, "why are they behaving this way?" After a few psychological answers, the question was repeated, "But, why?"

The anchor lady said something remarkable, although she wasn’t seemingly aware of the truthfulness of her statement. "They are acting like animals" was her reply. "Bingo", I thought out loud. She spoke the underlying problem being unleashed upon human society. She gave no hint to an understanding as to why people lower themselves to animalistic behavior.

There is a Bible passage which deals with the modern world’s dilemma of "bad people gone wild". Jude’s short letter, located just before Revelation, reminds us that a progressed unbelieving folk lowers themselves to act "like unreasoning animals — they destroy themselves".

Paul, the apostle, wrote in Romans, "God delivered them over to degrading passions . . . to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong" (1:24,26,28). Then He wrote some of the saddest words in Holy Scripture: "Although they know full well God’s just sentence — that those who practice such things deserve to die — they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them" (v. 32).

Paul wrote about this same condition of mankind in his letter to the Ephesians. There we find "they became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more" (4:19). The more one’s evil appetite is supplied, the more it demands, until one’s soul is lost in an eternal Hell with no fire escape.

That escape can be accomplished only while one is still alive by repenting before God, receiving Jesus as personal Savior, and proving one’s faith by a Christ-like walk through life.

So, what can the Lord’s church do in such times as these? First, we must become more bold in our personal witness to Jesus Christ. Second, we must make prayer a priority in church life and not simply a small part of the public worship. Third, our preaching must focus upon Biblical exposition and not upon psychological personal view point. Forth, the people of God must return to their church and support it with their prayers, their attendance, and their finances.

There are no answers available from the press, government leaders, social clubs, law enforcement, nor any other secular think thank. The world system is trampling the Word of God and Jesus Christ under their feet of evil action. The one sure end to our dilemma is the coming of the Lord Jesus. Even so, Lord Jesus, come! But in the meantime, let’s get as many people as possible ready to go to Heaven when this world is no more!

Here we are on the verge of the 33^rd year mourning over the celebrated ruling of the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe vs. Wade. Their action was taken on January 23^rd, 1973. Since their ruling there has been almost 50,000,000 abortions performed. That is about equal to the populations of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. That is a stagging figure! It equals out to almost 3 abortions per minute since 1973.

These have been doctors, newspaper editors, school teachers, preachers, perhaps Presidents, laborers, store owners, court justices, and thousands of other useful citizens wasted by unprincipled and unloving people.

I learned from a web site concerning women’s issues that 60% of abortions are performed on women who already have one or more children. And 47% of the women have already experienced one or more abortions.

Yet, the Roe Vs. Wade decision of the Supreme Count in 1973 is applauded by scores of people in our generation. We always hopes of having that decision overturned. I wish! But I doubt it! Our generation seems to have gone too far away from the only real principles that can ultimately sway the courts to change. That only real principle is the belief in the Biblical view of life.

Human life is sacred because it is life given by God. In the early hours of creation, the Bible records the splendid account of God creating man. "So God created man in His own image: in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Gen. 1:27).

In chapter two the details of that creation are given. "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being"(v. 7).

Later in that same chapter are found these interesting words: "and the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man" (vv. 21-22).

You can bank on this story because it comes out from God’s Word, the Holy Bible. In that account we are told that God took what had already been created, the earth, and formed it into the man’s shape. At that moment it was nothing but a pile of dirt shaped into a form. There were no blood vessels running through out its form. There were no eyes, no brain.

But after God stooped over and breathed His breath into clay it became a living human being. And then from that new man, God took a rib and formed the woman to be his helpmate. Life began with His breath, life was passed on by taking a part of that body. From that time forward, God has given life and breath, which came originally from Himself, through the husband and wife to the baby.

That life, even so simple in the womb at first, is precious and sacred. To take its life is to murder its potential and its future. What a curse our country’s laws have brought upon our nation. Perhaps the hand of God’s displeasure is even now casting it long arm of judgement upon America. Oh God, please forgive us!

On old T. V. weekly began with basically the same introduction. Instructions were given by way of a tape. Upon concluding its message the voice on the tape would repeat "this tape will self destruct" in 10 seconds. On the T. V. Screen, the tape, would as promised, go up in smoke.

Self destruct! What an awful concept when applied to us humans. Some individuals become involved with alcohol resulting in a dependency which often destroys families, the ability to maintain employment, and ultimately physical death. Others become addicted to drugs and a potential life of success is wasted. Sexual sin and sexual perversion has introduced otherwise healthy bodies to the disease of aids which is a death sentence.

I suppose thousands of stories could be pulled from the files of doctors, pastors, police departments, counselors, and personal diaries supporting accounts of self destructed lives. All of us might personally know of individuals who destroyed their own life.

But what about Christians? Is it possible for believers to experience self destruction in their lives? The short answer is "yes".

There are Christian folk today failing to reach their potential in Kingdom service because they can’t forgive themselves even after their sin is forgiven by the Heavenly Father.

A little girl came forward at an invitation at the close of a service in her church. She prayed the sinner’s prayer and received Jesus into her heart. She left the service knowing her sin had been forgiven and that she was now a child of God.

Some time later, she remember something from her past which she considered a very bad sin. She thought about that sin for several weeks, wondering if it would keep her out of Heaven.

She approached her pastor with her concern. She wanted him to talk to God about it. The pastor, knowing about her conversion and having heard her reaffirm her faith, bowed for prayer. Momentarily he raised his head, looked at her in the eyes and said, "God said, what sin?"

Too often believers allow Satan to bring up something from the past, some sin committed before salvation, and march it across the mind. Their life becomes a total wreck and their usefulness in the Lord’s work is hindered. Simply because they self destruct mentally over something God has cast into His sea of forgetfulness.

King David sinned against God when he committed sexual immorality. The woman was pregnant. David essentially had her husband murdered, all in an attempt to cover his sin. That was followed with a genuine encounter with God who forgave his sin and restored their fellowship. Even when the sin was forgiven, trouble never left David’s house as a result of his sin.

David later wrote, "How happy is the one whose transgression is forgiven! Whose sin is covered! How happy is the man the LORD does not charge with sin, and in whose spirit is no deceit!"(Psa 32:1-2). I challenge you to read that entire Psalm.

When God forgives, then move on in His grace. Don’t allow Satan to condemn with something God has forgiven. Don’t self destruct your Christian service after it has been laid at the forgiving feet of our Lord.

David includes these wonder words in the above mentioned Psalm. In the 5^th verse he wrote, "Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and You took away the guilt of my sin." It is true that when past sins cross our minds they are regretted as much as in the day when they were committed. But where repentance is completed and forgiveness extended from the Father, those sins should not be allowed the power of self destruction. Just thank God for His forgiveness and move on in serving Him.