God Is Looking For F.A.T. Christians
By: Dr. Mike Jones
Don’t become offended: I’m not talking about the physically condition of many Americans
The F.A.T. Christian that I’m talking about is the Spiritual growth that God wishes for ALL His children: Faithful, Available, and Teachable.
Proverbs 28:25, “He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.
The letter “F” stands for FAITHFUL:
WE all know that God is faithful. The word faithful conveys the idea of being trustworthy or reliable. The Hebrew writer in 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised).
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The Word of God declares that someone that’s faithful is like Apostle Paul indicated in ROMANS 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” Saints, faithfulness demands purity of life, therefore, our lives cannot be marred with worldliness, if we are faithful.
To be declared faithful, a Christian must be faithful with that which is entrusted to him/her. Why, because we’re only stewards, that are to be serious care-takers of ALL that God grants us. If we are faithful we will not be overly concerned with materialism, the laying up treasure for ourselves. The faithful will lay up treasure in heaven.
Remember: A faithful Christian is one that wants to mimic the works of Christ here in the earth, because they are loyal to Him and enjoy the spiritual fellowship they have with Him, because they keep His commandments. In other words, it’s a heart issue!
The letter “A” stands for AVAILABLE:
It’s time out for all the excuses that we use when it comes to the cost of denying ourselves to follow Christ. One of the greatest examples is found in the Gospel of Luke 9:57-62, “… Then He said to another, Follow Me. But he said, Lord, let me first go and bury my father. Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” [It seems as though, Jesus was being insensitive, but in Jewish traditions, the father was dead, just an old man, and the oldest son had his mind on his inheritance. I’ll follow you Jesus, after I get My stuff.]
A few signs that You’re not really available for Christ to use you are: 1. You are not attending church with a high level of expectancy. 2. You no longer seem to be concerned about the spiritual condition of neighbors, family members, or your co-workers. 3. You haven’t had a spiritual conversation with a non-Christian in a long time.
The question that WE ALL need to ask ourselves is: When there’s a choice between our will and God’s will, God’s way, and being with God’s people how far are we willing to go?
The letter “T” stands for Teachable:
In Proverbs 8:32-36, God admonishes His Children to be teachable and to listen to Him: He said, “Now therefore, listen to me, my children, for blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not disdain it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoever finds Me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord; but he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; all those who hate me love death.
Three times in the passage, God COMMANDS us to listen to Him! Biblical writes want us to know that what God was emphasizing was that many of us have a serious problem with listening. If we are not listening, we are not learning.
CONCLUSION: If we find ourselves sagging in our desire to learn, as evidenced by not listening, not studying, praying, and meditating daily, then we must pray fervently for God to give us a greater desire to obey Him, learn from Him, and have the proper fear of Him. Psalms 25:12, “Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.”
(Adapted from my Teaching F.A.T. Christians; all Scripture references are taken from the KJV unless otherwise noted.)