And the depth at which we let Christ into our hearts and get to know Him intimately will be evident in our works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, when you truly accept Christ, He will begin to mold you into a new person. Your wants<\/em> will change to align with His will. You will start wanting<\/em> to read His Word regularly. You will start wanting<\/em> to fellowship with other Christians. You will start to have a heart like Jesus and want<\/em> to help others in need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Works alone mean nothing. But works combined with a rich and intimate relationship with the Father is what we should aim for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God wants your heart more than He wants your works. And he definitely wants your heart BEFORE you start doing work in His name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why He was able to save the gentleman hanging next to Him while on the cross. That man was a thief and did not spend his life doing good deeds. But when he accepted Jesus into his heart in that moment, he was saved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God doesn\u2019t want a \u201cgo through the motions\u201d Christian. He doesn\u2019t want a Christian who reads the Bible just to say she\/he did it. He wants you to actually study His Word, pray to receive understanding, and apply what you read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also doesn\u2019t want a lazy Christian. Someone who essentially stamps Christian on their forehead, but doesn\u2019t seek Him, spend time in His presence, pray to Him, or read His Word to get to know Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a lot of people who are Christian by title only. They have one foot in the world doing as the world does. They sin (unashamedly) like the world without repentance, and even celebrate sin. But then they try to claim salvation in Jesus once confronted about their sins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, God wants your heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you truly accept Jesus into your heart, you WILL start to see Him work inside of you. If you truly love God or are trying to, it will become evident in how you walk, talk, act, and carry yourself. It will be evident in the things you say and the activities you participate in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These actions. will not save you, but they will be side effects of you receiving Jesus<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do You Know if You\u2019re Lukewarm?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Okay, so if it\u2019s not about what we do or don\u2019t do for the Kingdom, how can we know if we are lukewarm?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here is a table illustrating the difference between lukewarm Christianity and being a true Christian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lukewarm<\/td>	No intimate relationship with God<\/td><\/tr>
Lukewarm<\/td>	Christian works with no intimacy with God<\/td><\/tr>
Lukewarm<\/td>	Christian by name only, unashamedly behaving as the world. You accept God\u2019s grace without repentance and have no relationship with Him.<\/td><\/tr>
A true Christian<\/td>	An intimate relationship with God that flows through and: 1) leads you to do good works, 2) leads you to repentance<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s really that basic. Are you working to develop a close relationship with the Father, or not? If the answer is no, I am not\u2026you are lukewarm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What to Do If You\u2019re Lukewarm?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n After re-educating myself on what it means to be lukewarm, I still had an eye-opening revelation. I was still lukewarm!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had been a lazy Christian. Not spending consistent, regular time in God\u2019s presence. I was not prioritizing reading the Bible and putting God first. I did not have the intimate relationship with God I thought I did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sign-up to get your FREE “In His Presence” Daily Checklist. Click HERE <\/a>to subscribe and receive your free checklist. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n And because of my lack of relationship with God, my desires stayed consistent with the world. I had stamped Christian on my forehead, but my life didn\u2019t have any evidence of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because I hadn\u2019t truly let Jesus into my heart and truly spent time in His presence to get to know Him, there was not much evidence of Him in my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, what can you do right now to stop being lukewarm?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SPEND TIME GETTING TO KNOW GOD ON A DEEP AND INTIMATE LEVEL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spend time in His presence, and everything else will be added to you. The works will come; God will lead you to where he wants you to use your spiritual gifts. But right now, He wants you to come to His throne and spend some time with Him. And then He can equip you to do his very good work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.<\/em><\/p>\n~ Mathew 6:33 (ESV)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.<\/em><\/p>\n~ Psalm 37:4<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, it\u2019s time to be brutally honest with yourself. Are you a lukewarm Christian? If the answer is yes, what are you going to do about it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n You might also like:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 40 Things to Pray for When You Don’t Know What to Pray<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n How to Get Excited About God and Stay Excited<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Do You Accept God’s Grace or Not?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Are you a lukewarm Christian? Lukewarm Christianity\u2026it\u2019s a big topic, and a pretty big issue. But, before diving into the rest of the post, I think it\u2019s first important to see what the Bible has to say about the dangers of lukewarm Christianity. I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":881,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,52],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n