What Are Basic Life Principles?
1. Design
Understanding the specific purposes for which God created each person, object, and relationship in my life and living in harmony with them. Thanking God for my design brings Self-Acceptance.2. Authority
Honoring the responsibilities of parents, church leaders, government, and other authorities and learning how God works through them to provide direction and protection. Honoring my authorities brings Inward Peace.3. Responsibility
Realizing I am accountable to God for every thought, word, action, and motive. Asking forgiveness of those I offend brings a Clear Conscience.4. Suffering
Allowing the hurts from offenders to reveal “blind spots” in my own life, and then seeing how I can benefit their lives. Fully forgiving offenders brings Genuine Joy.5. Ownership
Understanding that everything I have has been entrusted to me by God, and wisely using it for His purposes. Yielding my rights to God brings True Security.6. Freedom
Enjoying the desire and power to do what is right, rather than claiming the privilege to do what I want. Regaining ground surrendered to sin brings Moral Purity.7. Success
Discovering God’s purpose for my life by engrafting Scripture in my heart and mind, and using it to “think God’s thoughts” and make wise decisions. Meditating on Scripture brings Life Purpose.
1. Believe the record that through faith in Christ, you have received eternal life.
1 John 5:10-13 “He that
believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that
believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the
record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath
given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the
Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."
Remember that you are now a living testimony of the saving power of the
Lord Jesus Christ. The life of Christ is in you, the believer. Are you
sure you have accepted Jesus as your Saviour?
2. Love God and Others.
Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength according to Mark 12:30, "And
thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the
first commandment." Love your neighbor as yourself as commanded in Mark 12:31, “And
the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself. There is none other commandments greater than these." Make
these the highest goals of your new life in Christ. There is nothing
you can possibly do greater than these in your life. Ask the Lord to
help you love more and more. 1 Thessalonians 3:12, "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:"
3. Read and study your Bible, memorizing portions that are helpful to you.
Give special attention to the promises of God. Meditate on these and they will be food for your soul. 1 Peter 2:2, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." Remember that the Word of God, the 1611 King James Bible, is the light to your path. Psalms 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." It is the weapon of our warfare against temptation, Ephesians 6:17, "And take ... the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
4. Pray daily to God, your heavenly Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank Him for all things. Ephesians 5:20, "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Praise God for His blessings. Ask God to give you victory over sin and weakness. 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Pray for the needs of others when praying for your own needs. Remember
that your prayer life will keep you spiritually strong and growing.
Don't recite prayers. Pray and talk to God from your heart in your own
words with respect.
5. Confess the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour as often as you can.
Water Baptism by immersion is the
first step to take in confessing Christ, see Acts 8:36-38. Continue
confessing Christ to others. Matthew 10:32, "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven."
Use every opportunity you have to tell others what the Lord Jesus
Christ has done in your life. Try to lead them to accept Christ as their
Saviour as you did.
6. Avoid temptations.
The Bible tells us that they will come. But we must be careful not to walk in their path. Psalms 1:1 "Blessed
is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth
in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."
When temptations arise, remember that God has promised a way of escape
for those who faithfully serve and obey Him. 1 Corinthians 10:13, "There
hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is
faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;
but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be
able to bear it." Pray that the Lord will help you avoid temptation. Matthew 6:13, "And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." Jesus
quoted Scripture when the devil was tempting Him. (See Matthew 4:1-11.)
Learn Scriptures that pertain to your weaknesses and memorize them.
Quote them often.
7. Witness to others about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive
power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be
witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria,
and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Many today do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. Who will tell them? Romans 10:13-14, "For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then
shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall
they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear
without a preacher?" The believer’s greatest joy is the privilege
of telling the good news of the Gospel to every creature. Witnessing for
Christ is not only a blessed privilege but a divine command, Matthew
4:19, "And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." The Lord will use you to win souls to Him.
8. Serve the Lord with gladness.
Psalms 100:2, "Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing."
God has a regular ministry for every believer. (Read 1 Corinthians
12:12-21.) Assemble regularly in a Bible-believing, separated church.
Hebrews 10:25, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,
as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the
more, as ye see the day approaching." Invest your time, talents and money for eternity. Colossians 3:1-3, "If
ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where
Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things
above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid
with Christ in God."
9. Stand firmly on the Word of God.
(See Ephesians 6:10-18.) Beware of false teachers and false doctrines. 2 Peter 2:1-3 "But
there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be
false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies,
even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift
destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of
whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness
shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment
now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." Test everything by the Word of God, not by experience. Isaiah 8:20, "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Remember that God has promised the victory to those who honor Him and His Holy Word. 1 Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore,
my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in
the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in
vain in the Lord."
10. Commune with the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 13:14 "... the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen." Get to know the Holy Spirit as personal as you know the Father and the Son. He is a person. John 16:13, "Howbeit
when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all
truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear,
that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." Talk to
Him. Commune with Him. Ask Him to help you with all the things mentioned
on this leaflet. Do not try these things in your own flesh, but with
the help of the Spirit. Galatians 3:3, "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" 2 Corinthians 3:18, "But
we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the
Spirit of the Lord.”
11. Be a separated Christian.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 says, “Be
ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship
hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light
with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part
hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the
temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as
God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be
their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean
thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye
shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” Not only
should we be separated from unbelievers, but our Lord prayed for us to
be separated from the evil in this world. John 17:15-16 says, “I
pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou
shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I
am not of the world.” Be an answer to Jesus’ prayer, stay away from
evil. Try to win unbelievers to Christ but be separated from them and
their lifestyle. 1 Timothy 5:22, “...keep thyself pure.”
12. Forgive each other.
All of us have been hurt by
somebody in our life. Some to a small degree, some very greatly. We,
too, have offended a Holy God and our sins led Christ to die for us ...
yet ... the Lord forgave us. We are to follow His example. Ephesians
4:31-32 says, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and
clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And
be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as
God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Take a moment and read the story about forgiveness in Matthew 18:23-35 in your Bible.
More about Our Intimacy with God
2. Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.
More about A Life of Obedience
3. God’s Word is an immovable anchor in times of storm.
More about Our Anchor in Times of Storm
4. The awareness of God’s presence energizes us for our work.
More about Energized by His Presence
5. God does not require us to understand His will, just obey it, even if it seems unreasonable.
More about The Unreasonable Will of God
6. You reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow.
More about The Principle of Sowing and Reaping
7. The dark moments of our life will last only so long as is necessary for God to accomplish His purpose in us.
More about The Dark Moments in our Life
8. Fight all your battles on your knees and you win every time.
More about Fight Your Battles on Your Knees
9. Trusting God means looking beyond what we can see to what God sees.
More about The Thrill of Trusting God
10. If necessary, God will move heaven and earth to show us His will.
More about God Will Show You His Will
11. God assumes full responsibility for our needs when we obey Him.
More about His Promise to Provide
12. Peace with God is the fruit of oneness with God.
More about The Key to Continued Peace
13. Listening to God is essential to walking with God.
More about Listening to God – Walking with God
14. God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.
More about God Acts on our Behalf
15. Brokenness is God’s requirement for maximum usefulness.
More about God’s Pathway of Brokenness
16. Whatever you acquire outside of God’s will eventually turns to ashes.
More about When Plans Turn to Ashes
17. We stand tallest and strongest on our knees.
More about Standing Tall and Strong Through Prayer
18. As children of a sovereign God, we are never victims of our circumstances.
More about Victim or Victor?
19. Anything you hold too tightly, you will lose.
More about Holding Too Tightly
20. Disappointments are inevitable, discouragement is a choice.
More about Overcoming Discouragement
21. Obedience always brings blessing.
More about Obedience Always Brings Blessings
22. To walk in the Spirit is to obey the initial promptings of the Spirit.
More about Walking In The Holy Spirit
23. You can never outgive God.
More about You Can Never Outgive God
24. To live the Christian life is to allow Jesus to live His life in and through us.
More about The Key to the Christian Life
25. God blesses us so that we might bless others.
More about Passing on God’s Blessing
26. Adversity is a bridge to a deeper relationship with God.
More about Burden or Bridge
27. Prayer is life’s greatest time saver.
More about Prayer: Our Time-Saver
28. No Christian has ever been called to “go it alone” in his or her walk of faith.
More about Together In the Christian Life
29. We learn more in our valley experiences than on our mountaintops.
More about The Valley Experiences In Our Life
30. An eager anticipation of the Lord’s return keeps us living productively.
More about Anticipating The Lord’s Return
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