How can you be sure that you are a Christian? A Christian is someone who has been born again by the Spirit of God. Believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the creator of heaven and earth. And that he came to earth to save those who believe in Him.
So since you believe in Jesus and have accepted him into your life. What then are the characteristics you should be showing as a Christian?
CHARACTERISTICS OF A CHRISTIAN
#1. You are to put others first before yourself.
Romans 12:10 says, "Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other."
That doesn’t mean that you are to neglect yourself, but you are to think about others and put yourself in their shoes. Treat them the way you would want to be treated.
#2. You should not be lazy or lack a desire for the Lord.
Romans 12:11 says, "Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically."
You should have a fire or have a desire for the Lord. You should want to get to know God. And not because of what he can do for you, but for who he is. God loves you more than you could ever imagine. So you should feel the same in return.
To get the fire back in your spirit for God you must read his word. And to do that you should find a verse that pertains to the issue you are dealing with and recite that verse daily. For example, if you are dealing with anxiety you can search in the back of the bible for the word anxiety or google bible verses for anxiety.
Pick one that stands out to you and write it down on paper. Then recite that verse whenever you feel anxiety coming on. The more you recite the verse the more at peace you will be and the more your heart will want to be close to the Lord.
Psalms 19:7 says, " The instructions of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul...."
#3. You should rejoice in your confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. (Romans 12:12).
The bible does not say that you will not have trials here on earth.
John 16:33 says, "....Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."
You will face trials during your lifetime, but you are to remember that Jesus defeated sin and your trials on the cross. So the trials you face do not have to be the end.
Ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen you through your trials and to help you place all of your hope in him. And to help you put your worries at the foot of the cross.
1 John 4:4 says, "But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world."
Something I do to help me when I have issues that worry me. Is to imagine a box. Take all your worries and place them in that imaginary box. Now pick up the box and place the box at Jesus’s feet. Then ask Jesus to take care of those worries. That you don’t know what to do and that you can not do it without him.
Here is the hard part.
You need to visualize yourself walking away from that box. Don’t go back and pick it up thinking that you have the answer to your problems.
#4. You should bless those who hurt you and pray that God will bless them.”(Romans 12:14)
I know this is easier said than done.
I have a hard time choosing to pray for someone who has hurt me. But God has shown me and he can show you too that even though you may feel angry at the time, choosing to pray when you hate can actually take that anger away.
I remember a time when I was angry at a coworker and I chose to pray for them instead of seeking revenge on them. I actually felt better afterward and I was able to work around them without feeling terrible inside. God will defend you in his way and his timing. You need to be still and let God be God!
#5. You should be happy with those who are happy and weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15)
A lot of times it is hard to rejoice with those who rejoice or weep with those who weep primarily because you have not walked in their shoes. Sometimes the trials you go through help you to know how others feel when they go through the same issues. You may also feel a little jealous of the person who may have more than you do. Or it seems they are just always lucky or blessed more than what you are.
To rejoice for those people can be hard. But God wants you to rejoice, so you should try to love others the way Jesus loves you. You can always ask the Lord for help with rejoicing when you don’t feel like rejoicing. God loves to see that you would want to be more like him and a little less like this world.
#6. You should live in harmony with each other. Do not be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all.”(Romans 12:16)
You should be portraying humility and grace towards people. You should be in the pursuit of peace. You should not fight for your own justice and you should bless those who hurt you. T
I know that is a lot to ask, but if you strive for those things it will provide a better life for you here on earth and it will glorify the Lord.
Ask the holy spirit to mold and shape you into a person who lives out what Romans 12 says and ask for a specific way that you can pursue harmony with others.
#7. You should never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. (Romans 12:17)
This goes back to the fourth principle in blessing those who persecute you. In the world today people want to repay evil back with evil. It’s all about seeking revenge on the other person who has wronged you. But God says that he does not want you to take revenge.
Romans 12:19 says, " Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge, I will repay," says the Lord.
Choose to glorify God by letting God do the avenging for you. So that all you have to do is show God’s love through your actions or your words. You then are letting God be your weapon. Which in my opinion is way better than seeking out revenge.
#8. Another good characteristic of a Christian is being grateful or showing gratitude. As a Christian you should be grateful for all that God has done for you and through you. You should also show gratitude towards others. A good way to get in the habit of being grateful is to start a gratitude journal. It can be a great reminder of the blessings God has given you. And a great way to develop gratitude in your life. To start one check out my gratitude bundle.
In this bundle:
*Enjoy some gratitude activities (Perfect for kids!)
*Learn gratitude affirmations to use throughout your day
*Learn fun ways to show gratitude with a gratitude calendar
*Learn more gratitude with daily journal prompts
*Learn what the bible says about gratitude
Click the link below to learn more and to purchase my bundle!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1332045368/christian-gratitude-journal-printable
CONCLUSION
Are you displaying any of these godly traits in your life? Nobody is perfect and you are bound to fall short with some of these characteristics. But God just wants you to try. The more you work at it the easier it will be.
In the comments below tell us what principle you struggle with so we can encourage one another and lift each other up. And don’t forget to subscribe to my email list in the box that says “join the rest” so that you can receive my blog posts in your inbox once a week. Thank you and be blessed!
