Spiritual Guidance: 10 Lessons to Integrate Into Your Everyday Life

Challenges remain an integral part of everyday life. However, humans are not alone when it comes to facing these challenges. Jesus provided a blueprint or roadmap that anyone can follow when struggling with a difficult situation. The following are ten lessons he shared that anyone can integrate into their everyday life.

Spiritual Guidance: 10 Lessons to Integrate Into Your Everyday Life
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Love
Jesus brought faith, hope, and love to humankind. Love remains very important in today's world, as the entire globe navigates difficult times. He often reminded his disciples to love God and love thy neighbor. These principles remain true today. When hate is replaced with love and kindness replaces anger, a person's life improves and the world improves around him as well.

Men and women need to learn to love themselves because they are made in God's image. Therefore, they have value in his eyes, should in their own, and cross ring. When God speaks of love, he is speaking of one that is intentional, purposeful, and active. People often confuse this with emotional and sentimental love, but they are separate things. This means taking action when another person is in need, not simply commiserating with them. Actions are of great importance when it comes to demonstrating God's love. To learn more about how to love one another, visit weareradiant.com.

The Golden Rule
When interacting with other people, Jesus commands people to treat each other as they wish to be treated. People need to recognize that every human has dignity and remember that anyone is capable of engaging in actions that are immoral. When interacting with another person, God's character should guide the interaction and how the parties relate to one another.

Before speaking or engaging in action with regard to another person, take a moment to step back and consider the situation from their perspective. They may have a completely different viewpoint that is being overlooked, and this is leading to confusion or a misunderstanding. By taking this pause and considering how God would handle the situation, a person is less likely to make a quick judgment or do something that could bring harm to the other person.

The Heart Rules
Don't be hypocritical. Humans need to remember that actions speak louder than words and take this to heart when dealing with others. What is in a person's heart shows the true measure of the man. This is where the Kingdom of God lives in a person and it is likewise where the individual makes the choice either to serve God or to sin. 

What is contained within comes out in the individual's actions. People often appear to love God when they speak about this glory, but others need to watch their actions to see if they actually put the principles they speak of into practice. If they don't, their heart isn't with God.

As Jesus points out to his followers, hypocrites will always be exposed. They cannot hide from God, and people must take care. Allow a little hypocrisy into one's life and it quickly overtakes the person. Everyone must be guarded against this at all times and recognize that the most important thing is how God feels about a person, not what other people think, as this is often the root of hypocrisy that may quickly take over the individual.

Faith
Individuals need to trust in Jesus Christ, remember him at all times, and follow his teachings. Some find this difficult to do, as they have never seen him in the flesh and state they cannot hear him when he speaks to them. Faith is the conviction that Jesus is the son of God brought down to earth to save humans, even when he cannot be seen or heard. People who have faith trust in Jesus as their savior.

Thomas, a disciple of Jesus, struggled in this area, so those who struggle to have faith today are not alone. After his crucifixion, when he rose from the dead, Jesus visited his disciples. Thomas doubted him, and he had Thomas put his finger in the wounds so he could see for himself that it was Jesus. He's there to help individuals who have doubts so never give up on him.

Forgiveness
Forgiveness is another concept many people find difficult to grasp. When someone has committed an offense or misdeed, they may wish to be pardoned or excused. Jesus states this person may request forgiveness by repenting of the sin and asking for forgiveness. However, individuals must also be willing to forgive others when they sin. Those who do so find they can rid themselves of negative feelings that may otherwise hold them back from living a full and rich life, one that follows the path Jesus laid out for them.

Humility
The disciples believed their close relationship with Jesus put them in a position of power and prominence. They thought that he would rise to be King and form a government able to compete with the Roman Empire. Jesus quickly brought them to the realization that the Kingdom over which he ruled was a spiritual one. It differed from those seen in the natural world and pride and arrogance had no place in this Kingdom. 

Humility and trust in God were the hallmarks of the true Kingdom demeanor. They needed to strive for these attributes to be part of the spiritual dominion. As Jesus explained, the disciples would need to become more like young children if they wished to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Peace
Jesus emphasized maintaining a peaceful environment during troubled times, and this is a lesson individuals need to remember today as the world goes through a crisis unlike any it has seen in more than a century. When a person doesn't know where to turn or what to do, violence may appear to be the answer. Jesus firmly states it is not in these situations. 

For instance, when he was arrested, Jesus told one of his disciples to set down his sword and rely on the sword of the spirit in its place. He repeated this message when the disciples visited a town only to have their message rejected. They wanted to destroy those living in the village, but Jesus explained that was not the answer in this situation either. Peace triumphs over violence every time.

Spiritual Wealth
Humans must choose between one of two masters. They can either serve God or they can serve money, as one will be loved and the other hated. Jesus often reminded his followers that money and earthly possessions often interfered with spiritual growth. Wealth must be properly prioritized so it doesn't become an idol to be placed before God. Jesus wants us to love others and only use things, but someone who is materialistic tends to use people and love things.

What Jesus isn't saying is that money, a successful career, and material possessions are bad. He is simply telling people that they shouldn't hold this money over others or allow themselves to become haughty. They shouldn't trust in their wealth more than God. He never says poverty is good though. People need to make this distinction and understand they should not their possessions rule them, as that is when they become more important in a person's life than God.

Prayer
Men, women, and children need to constantly pray to God. Hisglory allows you to instantly connect with God online without having to wait for a large gathering of people to start praying. There is no need to make it a spectacle before others. Jesus would often separate himself from his disciples to speak with his Father, and men, women, and children today need to do the same.

In fact, many of the miracles performed by Jesus occurred after these times he would speak privately with his Father, which goes to show the power of prayer in a person's life. The words themselves don't matter as much as the connection that is being made with God during this time.

Consideration
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me". This childhood rhyme has been heard the world over and many take it to heart. Sadly, words are powerful and can destroy a person. They influence how the person lives and how they view themselves. These same words provide insight into the speaker's heart. Jesus often told his disciples to pay attention to not only what they were saying, but why they were saying it. 

With each word spoken, a person should be trying to advance the Kingdom of God. If he or she is not doing so, they are advancing darkness in the world. Stop and think about everything that is coming out of your mouth. Don't just examine the words but determine why you are saying them. If the motive isn't pure, leave them unsaid.

If in doubt, turn to the teachings of Jesus. They can be of great help in guiding you through life, regardless of what situations you are currently dealing with. Don't hesitate to turn to others for assistance at this time also. Followers of Christ can be of great help in providing advice and directing you forward on your path. They want to see you succeed in life, as this is what God wants too.

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