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Oral RobertsEvangelistic Association, Inc.

1 How to Live a Successful Christian

Life

believe accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is the most important decision

you can ever make, because through it you I

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have everlasting life. I thank God that we can be saved and when we die we can go to Heaven. But what about all the years between now and the time we go to heaven?

Salvation is just the beginning of a full, happy Christian life. However, I've found that some of the most need-centered, joyless people in the world are saved people—Christians. They are unhappy because they don't know how to deal with their problems and needs here on Earth. In Heaven we won't have needs. It's in this life-span that we must have answers to our problems. And God has made that provision for us through His abundance.

I believe that when you learn God's way of doing things and do them, you can be a victorious Christian. And you can have a happy, joyful life in Jesus Christ IN THE NOW!

It is important that you become a disciple. When you become a Christian, you don't necessarily become a disciple of Jesus. A

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disciple is a follower and a learner. You can be converted in a moment but it takes a lifetime to become a disciple.

CONVERSION is what God does for you;

DISCIPLESHIP is what you do for God.

Conversion is that moment of seeking God when by His grace He freely forgives and makes you into a new creation, ready for heaven. Discipleship takes a lifetime of loving and giving on your part. Jesus said:

If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me (Luke 9:23).

Jesus is not talking here about the instant experience of salvation. He is talking about living for Him on a day-to-day basis ... keeping your Christian experience always in the NOW. To become a disciple means you start following the Man Jesus and learning of Him daily.

The word disciple carries with it the idea

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of discipline. Discipleship, as Jesus taught it, means total commitment and bringing oneself under His authority. To use Andrew Murray's phrase, "Discipleship is enrolling in Christ's school of obedience." When we reach this place of discipleship, we will recognize that when Jesus asks something of us, He always has a blessing to give us in return.

The Lord asks for our faith and obedience. The world is not into faith, nor into obedience. But as His disciples, we are called to separate ourselves from the world—from all who would stand in the path of obedience, from all who are against those who obey God. Christ asks this of us. But His demands are not oppressive. They are demands based upon God's love for us and His belief in us. What God wants us to be, we accept. We gladly obey. We receive His gift of authority as a gift of life because we know God is a good God. He only wants the best for us.

Now I want to share with you some important things that I believe will help you

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enter into God's rhythm of successful Christian living. Starting today!

1. Attend church regularly.

2. Study God's Word daily.

3. Learn to witness for Christ.

4. Practice Seed-Faith.

5. Release your faith.

6. Use a point of contact.

7. Pray and seek God daily.

8. Release your prayer language.

1. Attend Church Regularly

Now ye are the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:27)

Often when we see a church building we say, "There's a church." But we can't put the Church within four walls. The Church is the Body of Christ, a living organism made up of all people who are born in the Spirit of God (1

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Corinthians 12:12-31). Christ is not in four walls. He's in hearts. The church building is only a place we worship in, a place where He is in the midst of His people. But the real Church is in you and me.

I like to compare attending church to having your car serviced. You drive your car into the full-service station and the attendants put in the gas and oil and service it. But they don't create your car. They simply improve its performance. In the same way, the church doesn't make you a Christian, but it does enhance and strengthen your ability to live like Christ taught.

You can worship God anytime and anyplace, for your relationship with Him is a personal thing. But in my life I've found no substitute for the blessings of strength and help that attending worship with other Christians gives me.

God's Word tells us: "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew

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18:20). It's refreshing to worship with other believers and to fellowship with like-minded people. The Word also tells us we are not to forsake "the assembling of ourselves together" (Hebrews 10:25).

In church you will hear the Word of God preached and your faith will be built up. You can pray and express your love and worship to God. You learn to love each other and to share God's love with people outside the church.

Which church?

Many people ask me which church I would recommend that they join. Only God has the right to tell you which church to attend. But I'd like to encourage you to look for a church that believes in the real Jesus, in His divine power to save, to heal, to bless, and to guide you every day.

I believe the church you choose should be one which teaches that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that all who believe may be healed and made whole in

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soul, mind, and body. It should be one where the minister tells you about Jesus Christ and about faith. He tells you how to approach God and how to live a committed Christian life.

I would encourage you to select a church where you feel Christ's Holy Spirit and where He truly lives in the hearts of His people. The church you feel comfortable in is probably the best church for you. When you agree on the fundamental doctrines of the Bible, with Christ as the center of all, then you have a basis for unity and harmony.

2. Study God's Word Daily

Thy word have I hid in mine heart. (Psalm 119:11)

When I accepted Christ into my heart, I did not just embrace a great spirit, an idea, or a concept. I embraced a Person—Jesus Christ. Jesus is more than a Savior, To me, He is a friend and a daily companion. As I read His

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Word He becomes real and alive to me, and He will become real to you too as you study the Bible and meditate on it.

Bible study is an essential part of your Christian life. It is the most effective means by which you can get to know Jesus Christ as a person and truly understand Him. God communicates to us through His Word. I came to know Jesus best by reading the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—and the book of Acts. In these books I followed Jesus down the dusty roads of Galilee, into homes where He ministered to people with deep problems, and I began to find the answers to my own problems.

But don't stop with the Gospels and Acts. I have read through the entire Bible many times, and each time I have found something new and exciting that has helped me in my walk with Jesus. Each time you read the Bible you will realize more fully that Jesus of Nazareth is the grand theme. He appears in every book in both the Old and New

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Testaments. Reading the Bible is a wonderful excursion of discovery, a journey with vast rewards ... for now and eternity.

You should have your own Bible—one you feel comfortable with. There are many translations available today. Read from several to see which one you like best, then choose whichever version speaks most clearly to you. Find a Bible with print large enough for you to read easily, and room in the margins for you to write notes and mark special passages. Read and study it often, and soon your Bible will be like a close friend to you.

God's promises are promises to YOU. Let me encourage you to believe them and claim them for your own. In God's Word you will find the answer to every problem of your life.

3. Learn to Witness for Christ

Ye shall be witnesses unto me. (Acts 1:8)

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Jesus has commissioned us to be His witnesses. The definition of witness is: "to testify in a cause ... to be evidence by conduct or speech ... to furnish proof of."

According to the Bible we are ALL to be witnesses of the Lord. Every one of us! Naturally, there are functions of the ministry that are set aside for ministers. But essentially the gospel is on a personal level... one-to-one. It's Jesus and you. It's you loving God and applying that love to others. Love will cause you to want to share Christ with others. You'll be so concerned for their salvation that you'll want to tell them about Jesus. You'll want them to experience the same peace, love, and joy you have found.

Let your love overcome the fears you may have about witnessing. Through the power of the Spirit, every believer is commissioned to give to his generation the life and love of Jesus.

Witnessing also has a side benefit. It strengthens your own spiritual faith. The way

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you live your life is probably your most powerful witness for the Lord. There is where people see your faith in action. Reach out to others and tell them what Jesus means to you and what He has done in your life. But above all, do your best to live what you speak.

Just as God used Andrew to win his brother Peter to Christ, so God will use you to win others to Christ. Yes, we are imperfect; yes, we sometimes make mistakes. But God has chosen to use you and me to win others to Him. This is our privilege, our opportunity, and our responsibility.

4. Practice Seed-Faith

Give, and it shall be given unto you. (Luke 6:38)

I have often said that Christians are the most giving people in the world. But somehow we've never really learned how to receive. Many of us have been taught to look

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upon our giving as something we owe God. And according to the Bible, that's just not true.

You see, our giving goes all the way back to Noah, to whom God said, "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest shall not cease" (Genesis 8:22). This is God's eternal principle of sowing AND reaping, of giving AND receiving.

I know from personal experience that in order to live a successful Christian life, it's important to get into this rhythm of GIVING/LIVING ... or SEED-FAITH. There are three key principles (or "miracle keys" as I call them) involved in SEED-FAITH:

The first miracle key is: God is the Source of your total supply.

"My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). This means that God is your Source. He is THE Source of your total supply. Although you may think your job or other people are your sources,

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remember that they are instruments only and God himself is the actual Source.

The second miracle key is: Seed for your miracle.

Give your best to God, and give first; then He will have something to multiply back to you. Luke 6:38 says,

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that [you give] it shall be measured to you again.

The third miracle key is: Expect a miracle.

What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (Mark 11:24).

Any time you give, think of it as Seed-Faith. Then a wonderful new attitude will possess you. No longer will you think of your

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giving as a "debt you owe," but rather as "a seed you sow." It will put joy in your giving, and help you shift your mind into "expecting to receive a miracle harvest" from a good God.

When a farmer plants his seed he cultivates the soil and expectantly waits for the seed he sowed to multiply into a harvest. If he wasn't expecting a harvest he wouldn't bother to check his fields. The harvest could be there and he wouldn't even know it! The harvest would be totally wasted because he wasn't expecting to receive anything back on the seed he sowed. But because he's waiting and looking for his harvest, he is ready to receive it when it comes in.

In the same way, you must expect a miracle in order to recognize it, reach for it, and receive it from God's hand. Otherwise, it may pass you by.

I am absolutely convinced that Seed- Faith is the key teaching of the work and life of Jesus Christ for the day-to-day living you

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must do on this earth. The three miracle keys do not save your soul but they do bring you into discipleship—following Jesus in the now moment of what you face in life ... here on this earth, before you get to heaven.

Remember the three Miracle Keys of Seed-Faith. Start practicing them today!

TRUSTING! SEEDING! EXPECTING!

Practice Seed-Faith and enter into the cycle of giving and receiving and miracle living that God has for you.

5. Release Your Faith

God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. (Romans 12:3)

Your faith is power—dynamic power that can change your circumstances and your life. Rightly directed, it is the key to everything. Whatever you can conceive and believe, you can do.

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I have faith. You have it. Everybody has it. That's the trouble. Too often we still HAVE it. We're hanging onto it. We've not released it. We've not planted our faith as a seed. We've not put that faith to work like Jesus instructed us to. He said:

If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you (Matthew 17:20).

Those are the words of the Living Christ. He's saying if we have faith—just a tiny mustard seed of faith—then we will see mountains removed. OUR MOUNTAIN OF NEEDS. Whatever your need, if you have faith, nothing shall he impossible unto you.

Jesus said our faith is like a seed we plant. If we plant it, nothing is impossible to us. But it's only true if WE DO IT! We have to release our faith.

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If you give God a seed of faith to work with, then He can grow a harvest with it.

How do we plant a seed of faith? Sometimes we do it by planting a seed of money in God's work. Sometimes we plant a seed of our time or talent. Sometimes we plant a seed of faith by having compassion for our neighbor, doing a thoughtful deed for him or spending extra time in prayer for him. These are all seeds of faith that can be sown. These seeds are ways to release your faith. They become an act of your faith. And released faith will bring God's miracles into your life.

6. Use a Point of Contact

If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. (Mark 5:28)

A man once said to me, "Mr. Roberts, you say, 'Have faith in God. Expect a miracle. Release your faith.' What I want to know is how?"

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This is why I believe the point of contact is one of the greatest spiritual discoveries lever made. It shows you how to believe. A point of contact is the means of sending your faith to God. A point of contact is something tangible, something you do, and when you do it, you release your faith toward God.

All sources of power have a point of contact through which they can be reached or tapped. You flip a light switch to get light. You turn on the starter of your car to start the motor. You turn a faucet to get water. In each case, whatever you do to start the flow becomes your point of contact.

The Bible abounds with examples of men and women of great faith who used a point of contact to release their faith.

David used his slingshot, released his faith and killed Goliath. Moses released his faith as he raised his rod, and the Red Sea rolled back. Elijah let his faith go to God as he struck the water with his mantle, and the waters divided.

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One blind man had to have his eyes anointed with clay before he could release his faith. The woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of Jesus' garment as her point of contact. The Roman centurion used the spoken word of Jesus as his point of contact for the healing of his servant.

Jairus used Jesus' hands being laid on his child for the miracle of raising his daughter from the dead. Hundreds used handkerchiefs and aprons that the Apostle Paul prayed over as their point of contact. Others used Peter's shadow.

In the same way, you may need a point of contact to help you release your faith toward God. The important thing is not what the point of contact is. God will honor any point of contact that will help you release your faith.

It can be anything that is meaningful to you: writing a letter, praying for someone, calling for prayer, taking Holy Communion. You may find that you are able to release your faith as you practice Seed-Faith.

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Faith when released and used is your shield against sickness, against poverty, against all the problems, anxieties, and worries of life. Faith works anywhere and everywhere. It is a powerful instrument that God has given us to live a positive and victorious life!

7. Pray and Seek God daily

Men ought always to pray. (Luke 18:1)

What do you do when things go wrong? Where do you turn?

I thank God we can turn to our Lord in prayer and say, "God, I need Your help." That's one of the greatest things about our Lord. He knows exactly what's in our heart. And when we talk to Him out of our heart, He hears us.

I pray as if I am talking to another person, because when I pray, I really am talking to

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God. The main thing about prayer is that it's a desire coming out of your heart and going toward God. I pray as I go about my work and I talk to Him at any time. I think of Him as the Person He is—Jesus Christ. I pray to a Person.

A prayer is not always spoken in words. Sometimes it is a thought—a thought with such deep feeling that words cannot be found to express it. If a thought is held in the heart sincerely and if that thought goes out toward God, it is a prayer. God desires the complete sincerity of our soul and the release of our faith toward Him, not just a volume of spoken words.

There are times when we must retire to some solitary place and get alone with God to talk to Him audibly and tell Him the desires of our heart and thank Him for answering our prayers and supplying our needs. But we can pray at any time or place. Prayer is constant communion between us and God.

Prayer is a time of coming to God with our needs and asking for His help.

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This can also be a time to praise and thank Him for what he has done for us. It is an opportunity to confess our sins to Him, and receive His forgiveness. And it can be a time to intercede for others, to ask His help for their needs.

Through prayer we can see the way God sees, hear with the ears of God, feel with the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit. A consistent prayer life is a key to the solid mature walk of a disciple of Christ.

8. Release Your Prayer Language

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:4)

One of the greatest blessings God has provided to help you in your everyday walk as a Christian is the prayer language of the Spirit.

Some people call this language "tongues."

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True it is a new tongue or language, but it is not a tongue that's stored in your mind, such as the native tongue in which you speak. Others call it "the baptism with the Holy Spirit." And if you want to call it that, it's certainly not incorrect. But I believe there's a better way to say it, and that is the "prayer language" ... because it is a language (the Holy Spirit's own language) and you use it to speak directly with God in prayer.

Jesus said that when you believe on Him and are born again, "out of your belly [your innermost being] shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). The purpose of the prayer language is the releasing of those living waters inside you. The Spirit of God comes together with your spirit and they work together, renewing your mind and enabling you to talk to God from the deepest levels of your being, from your spirit, through a language you have never learned with your mind. A new language, a "heavenly language" ... a prayer language!

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I believe it is God's highest will to save your soul, fill you with His Holy Spirit, and have you release your prayer language all in one instantaneous act. However, I believe many sincere Christian people today have held back from releasing their prayer language simply because they have not been taught that the gift of the Holy Spirit came into them the moment they were saved. They have not understood that by a simple exercise of their will they could have released their prayer language the moment they accepted Christ as their personal Savior.

I know you don't want to go five, ten, or twenty years without the prayer language of the Spirit working in your life, because you don't want to miss anything God has to help you live a successful Christian life in the now. Therefore, know that once you have repented and believed on Christ, the Holy Spirit has filled you. And you can, if you will to, release your personal prayer language in a matter of a few seconds of time.

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Through this experience you will begin to have a deeper level of communication with God than you have ever had before. You will speak in a new language of prayer and praise in your personal devotions. A language that will enable you to speak directly to God with your SPIRIT and with your UNDERSTANDING, also (1 Corinthians 14:15).

While the prayer language of the Spirit is not a cure-all, I can tell you personally that it is one of the most soul-satisfying experiences I have ever known. The moment you experience it, you will be strengthened in your inner man. You will begin to solve problems that your intellect alone could not solve.

I believe that praying in the prayer language can and should be a part of your everyday life. Because praying in the Spirit opens up your mind more keenly to the will of God and to a clearer understanding of what is in His mind for you. And that's something you need every day. Every day you face problems

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and needs. Every day you need help in knowing how to direct your life and in understanding how to do what God has called you to do.

If you'd like to know more about the prayer language of the Spirit, just order my booklet titled, If You Need to Release Your Prayer Language, Do These Things.

Summary

Discipleship means putting Christ at the very center of everything you do. As you are faithful and obedient to do this, you will live a successful Christian life. And you can enjoy a rich, abundant life in Christ. Remember to do these things:

1. Attend church regularly, for it is essential to your Christian growth.

2. Read and study the Bible every day. Let God reveal himself to you through His Word.

3. Learn to witness for the Lord. Tell and

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show others who Christ is in you.

4. Practice Seed-Faith.

a) TRUST God as the Source of your total supply.

b) SEED for your miracle.

c) EXPECT a miracle.

5. Release your faith. Faith is a powerful instrument that God has given you. Use it.

6. Use a point of contact to help you release your faith.

7. Pray and seek God daily.

8. Release your prayer language.

Let's Pray

O Father, I come in the name of Christ my Lord, and I ask for many miracles. I believe that as we pray You will reveal Yourself to this dear person in a way they can recognize... that they will know You have come to them to meet their need.

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And now, dear friend, I pray for you. I pray that Jesus Christ of Nazareth will start filling your being with His unmistakable presence, that you will feel the warmth and glory of God, and that a knowing will come into your heart that things are going to get better...that you are going to have a closer walk with God. I pray for God to heal and restore you in your soul, mind and body... beginning now! Through the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, I pray, I believe, and I expect many miracles for your life. Amen and amen.

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I Care About You

I want to invite you to write me. When you tell me what you're going through, I can know better how to write you back ... and how to pray and help you believe God for the miracles you need. I care about you. I want to encourage you in the Lord and help you learn to get your needs met. Simply address your letter to:

Oral RobertsTulsa, Oklahoma 74171

In Canada write:

Oral RobertsToronto, Ontario M4P 2G2

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