On Justification - 1 Corinthians 1:30 - "By His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption." Don't misunderstand what this means. Justification does not make you righteous, but you are declared righteous because of the righteousness of Christ that is in you as a free gift from God.

On Faith - Scholars recognize three aspects of faith

• Knowledge (notitia) - The intellectual element
  
• Assent (assensus) - The emotional element
  
• Trust (fiducia) - The volitional element
  

2 Chronicles 16:9 - "For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His."

The essence of true faith is not some quality in ourselves. The strength of our faith is not what saves us or what keeps us saved; it is the object of our faith - Jesus Christ. To live by faith, you must not have a false hope. Your dependence must be only in the object of your hope - Jesus.

On Spiritual Growth - By struggling with the issues of life, and against the dominance of self, you grow spiritually. Through your dependence on Christ, you learn to wield to His lordship. Without these struggles, you will not grow as His disciple.

On Sin and the Mind and Thought Life - All sin leads to the death of something. It may be the death of your peace, joy, victory and power. Moral impurity begins in the mind. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Watch your heart with all diligence, for fro it flow the springs of life. Every temptation begins in your mind. The battle is won or lost in your mind. Whenever someone goes astray, it always starts with his or her thought life. People who mess up their lives do not begin with action. They begin with wrong thinking.

In 2 Timothy 2:22, Paul admonished young Timothy to "flee from youthful lusts." If you want to manage your mind, learn to flee. When you are tempted with lustful thoughts, make a decision to run. A choice accompanies every temptation. Temptation is not sin, but a wrong response to temptation leads to sin. Again the battle is won or lost in your thought life. Start by fixing your mind on the goal.

Falling into temptation always brings regret, suffering, and defeat. Water your mind with clean and pure thoughts. Know your weaknesses. Find scripture verses that deal with those specific weaknesses. Each time you are tempted quote the Scriptures that apply.

God allows you to struggle for one reason. He wants to bring you to the end of yourself. Also remember, if Satan can bring such a strong and godly person as King David to fall into secret sin, he can also entice anyone to do the same.

On Struggles and Doubts - A believer can be justified only once, but experiences can take us deeper into our relationship with Christ. If doubts occur, don't seek a unique feeling or a sign from Heaven. In simple, childlike faith, take God at His word. Believe in Him.

Isaiah 43:2 - "When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned". God is telling us that He will not save me from the fire, but He will save me in the fire.

Along the road of sanctification God takes us through times of brokenness. These times are used to mold us in the hands of God to become what which He can use for His honor and glory.

On Joy and Peace - When a believer sins, their life is impaired. It has a broken thread. The holy spirit is grieved because He loves you. Until your sin problem is repaired, your Christian life will lose its joy and peace. You will be without power to serve and love.

To be filled by the Holy Spirit means to be dominated and controlled by Him. Being Spirit filled is the key to living a victorious Christian life. "Being filled" - It is not a one time act. Its a continuous daily action. Surrendering to Christ is something that you do moment by moment and day by day. Daily, exercise your will and decide to allow Him to control you.

On Listening - Constantly listen to God. He speaks primarily through His inspired word.
- First, your sole purpose is to read so that you can hear God speaking to you.
- Second, ask God to show you the spiritual truths in each verse. Begin by praying.
- Third, ask God to personalize each truth.

To hear what He is saying, you MUST STOP AND LISTEN.

On Loving God's way - First understand how he loves you. Loving does not require money. It does require time and energy. Galatians 6:2 says .. "bear one another's burdens". When someone is hurting or in need, walking with him or her through pain and crisis takes a lot of your emotional energy. Often, that person will require months or years to recover. Be willing to continue standing with him or her.

If you consistently show God's love unconditionally and sacrificially, people will see His love in you. They will know that you are different. When you demonstrate the love of God, ask for nothing in return.

- Notes gleaned from Be a 24/7 Christian - by Wade Akins