I have known many Christians in my own life as a Christian. In all cases, the Christians  who made their lives count and who were the most fulfilled shared a set of characteristics:

1. They obeyed God.  First, of course, they obeyed His commands; but then, they obeyed His “internal direction” as well–what God spoke to them to do.  They often did this when their own wishes conflicted with God’s will.
2. They maintained their devotional life–this means that they read their Bible, and prayed, every day.
3. They taught Christianity to their friends and other people who would listen, up to and beyond the limits of their ability do so.
4. They went to church faithfully, and did not use excuses to avoid it.  In addition, they found a Bible teaching church, and participated in its ministry to the best of their ability.

There are many other things I could mention, of course, but those are the  things that stand out.  Of these, an obedient heart is the most important, because all else falls into line once we decide to obey God completely. Of course, all of these things are interrelated.  How can you obey God unless you know what He says?  That’s why the Bible is so important.  He may speak to you about some things (it’s happened to me), but the Bible both teaches us and reinforces His “internal voice.”   Then (looking at #3), how can you obey God without following His command to teach Christianity to “every member of Creation?” Since your circle of influence is much smaller than “the world,” you start where you are, and teach those around you.

Here is how you apply the three things I’ve observed to your own life:

1. Memorize Romans 12:1-2, and Luke 9:23.  These verses are foundational “obedience verses.” If you cannot memorize them, read these two verses aloud every day.  Both verses describe obedience in general terms, of course, and God will help you with the specifics.  Follow the directions in these verses each day:
   • Romans 12:1-2:  Offer yourself to God in prayer to do His will, each day.  This means to offer your body, mind, and all that you are to him as a gift (“living sacrifice”), so that He determines the daily course of your life.
   • Luke 9:23:  Be willing to deny yourself–meaning your plans, goals, desires, for the sake of Christ and His will; What HE wants is the key; “take up the cross” in those days meant that you were willing to give up your life for Him, same as He did for you; then follow Him–again, His direction is supreme.

• • If you are interested in what “you get” out of this “full obedience” lifestyle, here are some of the things: The desires of your heart:  “delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart…” (Psalm 37) Protection:  “He who abides in the secret place of the Almighty shall live under the shadow of the Almighty…” (beginning of Ps. 91–read the whole Psalm to see what I mean).  Fellowship with God: James 2 (at the end, section about obedience), Psalm 23.  Wisdom and understanding about life: Proverbs 1.  Spiritual Power:  There is nothing like an obedient heart.  God will use such people in mighty ways that even they cannot imagine:  See Isaiah 40:28-31, Daniel Chapter 2, 12. Spiritual power, of course, always occurs in conjunction with God’s will, not outside of it. Things.  Strangely enough, God has promised earthly blessings to people who deny themselves for Him (see Mark 10:28-31).  He chooses those rather than you, but so what?  Isn’t He better at choices than you are? There are many other things God gives you, of course, and you will find them as you follow Him.

2.  Read your Bible and pray every single day.  Here is how to start reading your Bible:  Begin with the New Testament (the New Testament begins with Matthew)–skip the list of names (called a “genealogy”) at the beginning of Matthew, and read Matthew right through, and on to Mark, and so on.  Each time you find something to obey, mark it so that you will notice it when you go through again.  The first five books of the New Testament are narratives, so they are fairly easy to “get.”  The next group of books (letters, sometimes called “epistles,” which is an old word for letters) is a bit more difficult, but with care, and the help of God’s Spirit (whom you received when you turned to the Lord), you will understand most of what you read.  If you are reading an older version (King James), you will probably have some trouble with the words.  There are many excellent modern translations, and I have listed a few below:

• • New King James Version;  New International Version; New International Reader’s Version; New Living Translation (very easy to understand); New American Standard Version; English Standard Version; Holman Christian Standard Bible; Today’s New International Version.
  • For easiest reading, I recommend either the New Living Translation (second edition), or the New International Reader’s Version (good if English is your second language); if you speak a different language than English, write me, and I will give you a list in your native language.

Here’s how to pray and worship.  Prayer is basically a conversation with God, where you talk to Him about what’s happening with you, and you thank and praise Him for all His kindness and goodness toward you.  You should have a list of five or ten things that you pray about, or for (for example, you might be praying that your girlfriend would become a Christian, or for a new job); and a few things that God has done for you recently to thank Him for. Worship:  This is like in the Psalms, where the writers praise God for His greatness and goodness; many times, it works to sing to Him (if you are able); other times, just talking to Him about what you like the best about Him, or what impresses you the most; read a few Psalms (near the middle of your Bible, in the Old Testament) to get the idea.

3. Tell other people about Christianity–”teach Christianity,” meaning to explain why and how to become a Christian, how being Christian benefits them (eternal life, peace with God, freedom from Satan’s power, transformation), how Christians expect not only to live forever, but to be resurrected in their bodies, etc.  This is a bit more involved as you do it more, but the way you begin is very simple: tell people what happened to you, and what God did for you, when you turned to Him.  I have my own testimony (that’s what it’s called, a “testimony”) posted in abbreviated form on my contact page.  You’ll want to do more than this, because people want to know why this is so important to you.

• For example, I remember hearing the story of a former heroin addict; he told us all that he had been “inside” (prison) for 26 years all told; he took heroin because it was the only thing that gave him peace inside his head; he always heard voices inside his mind, and only heroin would silence them; well, he came to the rehab center where I was helping at the time, and over the next few weeks, he heard about Jesus Christ and His power to save and change anyone; so He turned to Him–turned away from his sins, and turned completely to God.  I don’t think he expected much, but he woke up the next day and realized his voices were gone.  God had transformed his mind.  When he gave his testimony, it was about how God had given him new life, and a new mind.  That’s a testimony–what God did for you when you came to Him through Jesus Christ, and that’s the first story you should tell.  The rest will come later.
• When someone wants to turn to the Lord the way you did, lead them in a simple prayer: “Dear God, I know I need you. I believe that you are real, and that Jesus Christ offers eternal life to me.  He can do this because He died to pay for my sins, and rose again from the dead.  I now turn to you with my whole heart, through your Son, Jesus Christ, and I will follow You, and Him, for the rest of my life.”
• This prayer is very important, because it expresses their choice in words, and “makes an exchange” between them and God, so that they can put a time and place on their conversion.  In addition, with that choice, God makes an exchange with them, and provides them with all the blessings of salvation (Romans 10:13). Now they KNOW what they’ve done, and when.  Some people have a powerful “conversion experience.”  Others do not.  What is important is that they mean it.  God always hears a prayer like this, and is deeply pleased when you bring someone to Him in this way. You can get much more “theological” than this, but it is probably better to save theology for explanations before your friends make their decisions, or after they do, than to put it inside the prayer.

4. Go to church faithfully.  Find a church that teaches the Bible, where the people are not fighting all the time (Christians fight, too), and go there every Sunday; if you can, go to all the services.  Take notes when the Pastor speaks (preaches), and if you are in a Sunday School, study the lessons beforehand.  This will do a great deal for your spiritual life.  There are many kinds of good churches, and sometimes you will have to try a few before you find one that works for you.  Don’t become a “church-hopper,” though, because that will deprive you of the one thing that helps a great deal in any church–friends.  Make friends with the people in the church you choose.  You should be aware that not every person whom you meet will be sincere, but God will show you who the sincere folk are.  You should also be aware that no Christian’s perfect (not pastors, either), and not be upset when people do things they should not do.  God will deal with them.  You walk with Him.

As you walk with God, you will develop a strong relationship with Him, and He will guide you all the way to the end of your life, and then forever.