When I was a teenager, I had subscriptions to magazines for teen girls. First it was Young Miss, then it was Teen and Seventeen, and in college, it was Sassy. As I entered my 20s and became a working adult, I went from teen magazines to magazines for women: Glamour, Mademoiselle, and eventually, Cosmopolitan. While my purpose for reading these magazines was innocent enough, the problem is that what you consume affects your thought life, and with magazines like Cosmo, not in a good way. The topics in worldly magazines cause you to reflect on things that are not true, right, pure, or praiseworthy… The advice it provides leads you away from what God says, away from His ways and His will for your life. Although it is true that God provides us with guidance, we have to let Him lead. And more important, we have to follow Him. Read on for keys to following Jesus.
Get to Know Jesus
My days of reading Cosmo instead of the Bible are long behind me. Since then, I am happy to report, I have read the whole Bible.
It benefited me by helping me get to know Jesus, what He did for me, and about who I am in Him. Opening His Word on a daily basis will give you insight into His plans for your life. The Word of God provides us with instruction and wisdom. Wisdom, portrayed as a woman in the Bible, shouts in the street but few listen to. Don’t ignore wisdom. Prioritize reading the Bible over other types of books and social media.
“Wisdom shouts in the street, She raises her voice in the markets; She calls out at the head of the noisy streets [where large crowds gather]; At the entrance of the city gates she speaks her words: “How long, O naive ones [you who are easily misled], will you love being simple-minded and undiscerning? How long will scoffers [who ridicule and deride] delight in scoffing, How long will fools [who obstinately mock truth] hate knowledge? If you will turn and pay attention to my rebuke, Behold, I [Wisdom] will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.” – Proverbs 1:20-23 AMP
Be Alert to the Shepherd’s Voice
We can get distracted by the wrong things, like I did when I was reading Cosmo instead of the Bible. Or we can confidently be led along the wrong path by a false sense of security. Either way, we will need some help from the Lord to get back on the right track. Thankfully, Jesus does not abandon us or leave us alone. But it is up to us to allow Him to lead us. It is helpful, therefore, to know His voice. Even when chaos is all around us, we can inwardly speak to and hear from God. Ask Jesus to show you how to create this space that will allow you to sit quietly at His feet and hear Him speak. Ask Jesus to teach you to hear His voice and to walk in His ways. Be intentional with your decisions to daily turn to Jesus and follow Him. He will faithfully show you the way.
“The sheep that are My own hear My voice and listen to Me; I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they will never, ever [by any means] perish; and no one will ever snatch them out of My hand.” – Jesus (John 10:27-28 AMP)
Seek Him with Your Whole Heart
Make spending time with God a priority. Seek His wisdom when confronted with a problem. We can find the direction and guidance we need in His Word. Seek His strength when you are burdened by an ordeal and He will lighten your load. Seek His face throughout the day in this dark world and He will shine upon you. When we choose to rely on God, it gives other people the opportunity to see God at work in our lives.
Have you ever wondered why God won’t show you what to do about a given situation? I certainly have. What I have learned in such times is that they are opportunities to seek Him with your whole heart. That God is trying to help us grow in faith. By our responses in difficult circumstances, the people around us see a God who is faithful to provide all our needs. They see our peace beyond all understanding and know that He is the source.
“But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.” – Jesus (Matthew 6:33 AMP)
Make Prayer a Priority
When God created people, He blessed us with the gift of free will. But we should not let our own self-will hinder us from pursuing God’s will.
If our plans do not line up with God’s will, He expects us to set them aside for His. You can learn what God’s will is for you when you take time to listen for His responses to your prayers. Through prayer, we develop a relationship with the Lord. We learn from our time with Him when our plans are in danger of leading us away from Him. Or when we have gotten ahead of Him. We also learn when He has something better in store for us.
Let Jesus have His rightful place in your life.
“Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us…” – Ephesians 3:20 AMP
Walk in the Spirit
Jesus has taught me how important it is to be careful. Some things are not always as they seem. We can be tempted or deceived into being led astray (Remember Eve?). He has also taught me to always be willing to walk away from, or let go of, anything at any time. This is not always easy to do.
This is why Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit when He left the earth to dwell in us and direct our steps.
He comforts and empowers us, calling to remembrance Scriptures just when we need them. We can do all of the hard things with the help of the Holy Spirit. He gifts us with the fruit of the Spirit, including self-control and patience, two that I struggle with.
Walking in the Spirit means not letting the impulses of your flesh dictate your behavior or lifestyle. It means choosing His ways. I always remind myself that God is watching. I also check that my actions are showing love to Him and others. Another thing that helps is to ask yourself if you would want that thing done to you to make sure you are sowing to the Spirit and not your flesh.
“’Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!’” – Jesus (Mark 4:8 NLT)
I moved to more fertile soil when I grew tired of the sorrow brought on by not remaining close to the Lord. To grow and be fruitful, I learned to keep my eyes on Jesus, to abide in Him. When we do so, we become shining examples of His love. 🫶🏽
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Robyn, what a timely message. Keep our eyes on Jesus. I absolutely love the suggestions💞. Reading the Bible daily helps me to keep my mind on Him.
Thank you, Andrea. Amen, I agree that daily Bible reading helps to keep our eyes focused on Him. I especially like using the Daily Refresh in the Bible app for that purpose. I am glad that you love these suggestions. 💖
Thank you for this today! I love how practical you made these steps!
You’re welcome, Stacey! I’m so glad it was a timely message for you and that you found the steps practical. 😊🙏🏽