 Here's how you can stay consistent and committed to the things of God, even if you've tried before and failed. The first thing you need to do is, number one, stop believing the lie that you can't become strong in the faith. No matter your upbringing, your family history, your flaws, your past mistakes, you can become who God designed you to be. You can be holy. You can be Christ-like. You can be consistent in prayer and the Word. You can walk in God's divine purpose for your life. The enemy says, it can work for others, but not for you. Your sins are too great. Your flaws too deep. You've tried so many times before and failed, so of course, you're going to fail again. You're going to be stuck here forever. You're never going to grow in Christ. And even if you do manage to see some progress, you just eventually end up back in your old ways and return to your old habits. That's what the enemy says. That's what you may even tell yourself, but here is what God says. Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. That's Philippians chapter one, verse six. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. That's 1 Thessalonians chapter five, verses 23 and 24. For we are God's handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. It's Ephesians chapter two, verse 10, and we are indeed God's handiwork. So long as you believe the lie that you'll never become committed to the things of God, you're going to struggle. In a strange way, though we don't say this out loud, there's something in the back of our minds that makes us feel as though we're the exception to the rule, as though God's power can work for others, but not for us. Perhaps you just don't see yourself as someone who can become and then remain a strong Christian, or maybe the enemy has you convinced to see yourself through the lens of your mistakes, rather than through the lens of God's grace. If you grant the premise that you'll always struggle spiritually, you begin the fight with compromised footing. Whatever the reason for the doubt. If we don't choose to acknowledge and then reject the lie, we're going to make the spiritual battle that much more difficult. You must allow yourself to become totally convinced of the truth that God is the one doing the work in you, and that He won't fail you. All you have to do is trust and obey. Surrender to God's will through daily submission to God's Word. Even if you make a mistake, repent of the compromise and keep moving forward. Like Peter sinking in the midst of a storm, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. If this is blessing you thus far, consider leaving a like so that this teaching can be spread to others. Number two, abide in Christ. I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing. That's John chapter 15 verse 5. When you follow Jesus, you will bear fruit. You abide, He'll produce the fruit. Now, it can become frustrating when trying to keep track of all the ways in which we know we ought to improve. We have our long list. Be more patient. Pray more. Read the Bible more consistently. Be more humble. Evangelize more often. Attend church regularly. Serve others selflessly. Demonstrate greater levels of kindness. Be generous. Encourage others. Be more faith-filled and on and on the list goes. Now, of course, we as followers of Christ ought to do those things. However, because they become overwhelmed by trying to balance all of these Christian responsibilities, many believers become stuck in frustration, confusion, and even worse, self-hatred. Then they begin to imagine that the Holy Spirit distances himself from them if they don't perform with perfection. Well, first of all, the Holy Spirit isn't our reward for good Christian living. He's the source for good Christian living. You don't receive the Holy Spirit as a payment for perfection. You receive the Holy Spirit the moment you're born again. You can see Romans 8 and 9 for that. And He's the one who does a sanctifying work in you. In Romans chapter 15 verse 16, the apostle Paul writes, He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Secondly, that list we carry, that meticulous, exhaustive record of all the ways we don't measure up, can be consolidated in a simple command. Jesus replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important. Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments. If we love God with all that we are, and then love others as ourselves, we submit to God's will at its root. How can this be? As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. Her sister Mary sat at the Lord's feet listening to what He taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here? Will I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me. But the Lord said to her, My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details. There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her. Jesus came to visit. Martha and Mary prepared to welcome the Lord. Both of them recognized the greatness of the Lord, and both of them wanted to please Him. Martha chose work, Mary chose fellowship. Now, to be clear, because I don't want to be misunderstood, I have to stress to you the truth, that we as believers must indeed demonstrate fruits of holiness and service and devotion to God. That's not up for debate. What I'm saying to you here is that if you want longevity and consistency, you must serve from the place of fellowship with the Lord, that is, abide. Martha was so distracted by her responsibilities that she neglected relationship, so eager to work that she forgot how to wait. But when we choose fellowship, when we choose to abide, when we choose a love for Jesus above all else, everything falls into place. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commands. Now, many believers lack consistency and service because they lack depth in love. It is in our beholding of Jesus that we experience transformation as a result of that transformation, the ability to serve consistently. But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord who is the Spirit makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image that 2 Corinthians chapter 3 verses 16-18. Every moment spent with Jesus yields transformation and progress, even if it's not immediately visible. Now, on an aside, we understand that we have the presence of the Holy Spirit and that God's presence is everywhere. So when I talk about spending time with Jesus, I'm talking about intentional awareness and interaction with His presence. When we tend to His presence in this way, the Spirit gains influence over the flesh. We are changed as we behold Him. We abide, He produces fruit. We surrender, He brings the result. We love Jesus and everything else falls into place. And the good news is that the Holy Spirit gives us that love. He cultivates that love and hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. That's Romans chapter 5 verse 5. Think about this. To love God and others is to fulfill what God requires. And the Holy Spirit even gives us that love. All we have to do is walk in that love, abide. Be pliable in the potter's hand and He will shape you. The Holy Spirit will produce the fruit. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things. That's Galatians chapter 5 verses 22 and 23. Now, it's my prayer that every believer understands this. It's not oversimplistic to say just love Jesus. That's the key. When you love Jesus, prayer isn't an obligation. It's an opportunity. The study of Scripture isn't a chore. It's a delight. When you serve out of a love for Jesus instead of a legalistic fear, ministry stops being a box that you have to check in order to feel like a good son or daughter. And it becomes a natural, energized, overflow expression of your passion for the Lord. When you give out of that love, you can keep on giving. When you serve out of that love, you can keep on serving. Perhaps the reason so many are weary is because they're giving from themselves rather than from the well of divine love. If this is challenging and encouraging you, let me know why in the comments. Number three, take practical measures. To our spiritual disciplines, we must add practical protocols. When speaking of private prayer, even Jesus insisted upon the practical measure of closing the door. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is unseen. Then your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. That's Matthew chapter 6, verse 6. And if you want revelation of the Word, you have to implement study. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth, 2 Timothy 2.15. And for example, there's nothing wrong with adding things like accountability to your arsenal against sinful habits. The point is simple. If you want real results, you have to apply realistic measures. How do you expect to pray consistently if you don't get intentional about your schedule? How do you expect to be in the Word daily if you don't have a plan? How do you expect to avoid temptation if you don't take practical measures to avoid it? Go to church, connect with fellow believers, honestly assess areas where you need to grow, and then pursue Christ's likeness in these areas. Be more like Jesus today than you were yesterday. Take it a day at a time. Progress, not perfection, is the goal. I pray this helped you. Let's stay connected. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel also. Remember that this ministry is donor supported. Help us continue to make free content like this by becoming a monthly partner today. Just go to davidhernandezministries.com slash partner. And until next time, remember, nothing is impossible with God.