Christian Living
Most Christians will tell you that becoming a follower of Christ is a heart decision. For the most part, this is true. There is a definite "tug" on your heart when the time is right, God calling you to come to Him and be his child. One thing I have come to realize is that there are two different types of people in Christendom, heart people and head people.
Heart people jump in when they feel the tug. They don't argue with it, they get caught up in it, and they fall into it head first and fired up for God. Head people take their time, they want to know more before they commit to something of this magnitude fully.
But which way is the right way?
I think both, within reason.
Heart people jump in. When they become Christians they are fired up, full on, they see the changes in their lives, and they love that change. It is a good decision to make. When you give yourself fully into God's keeping, you know that you are safe and secure, that no matter what happens, He will always be by your side, leading you every day. You respond easily to the moving of His Spirit, and it is through this that you live your daily lives.
Head people take time. Sometimes they can sit in church services for months before making a commitment to God. They sit there, and they learn. They feel the tug of God's power, but they want to learn as much as they can about who God is before they make the final decision. I like to think of head decisions as making a logical choice based on the evidence presented to you. Some would argue that it shows little faith, I believe that it is almost impossible to have faith in something you know nothing about.
They both have their downsides. If you make a heart decision and leave it at that then it is almost impossible to grow fully into God's plan for your life. You can't grow as a son or daughter of God without actively seeking Him and knowing who he is. It requires your head to understand what your heart knows. We are, after all, body, mind and spirit. I have seen many Christians fall away because they made a heart choice without following up by knowing who God is for themselves.
Equally dangerous is making a head decision without learning to listen to what your heart is saying. Feeling the presence of God isn't a logical thing that our brains accept. A person who makes a head choice is in danger of becoming cynical and judgmental unless they allow their heart to become involved.
Whatever type of pathway has lead you to the decision you have made, or if you are still making up your mind, understand that neither is right or wrong, but it is important to have both your mind and your spirit in tune with each other, and what God is doing in your world.
Know who God is, read the Word, pray, worship.
Understand His character for yourself. It is good to respect and trust the words your pastor delivers, but if you don't know who God is for yourself, you will become disappointed at some stage. After all, your pastor is only human.
Learn to recognize his voice, this often won't make sense to your head, in these instances trust that your heart knows what God is saying.
Know that your relationship is between you and God. Only He knows the path your life will take. he puts people in our worlds to help guide us, but be careful not to follow man blindly when you know in your heart that this isn't what God is saying to you.
Most importantly, give yourself completely, body, mind and spirit into God's keeping, ask for His joy and His wisdom. When you do, your life can be lived to the fullest, with the security of knowing in your head and in your heart the reality of God's power in your life.
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